Overview
- Apple marked the anniversary with CEO Tim Cook’s “50 Years of Thinking Different” message on its website, framing the company’s arc from a garage startup to category‑defining products and services.
- Celebrations span public art and events, including a surprise Alicia Keys performance at Apple’s Grand Central store, iPad‑created projections on the Sydney Opera House, and a new exhibit in Roswell, Georgia opening April 1 with more than 2,000 Apple artifacts.
- Apple’s scale underscores the moment, with a market value reported above $3.5 trillion, roughly 2.5 billion active devices in use, and last fiscal‑year results of $416 billion in revenue and $112 billion in net income.
- Coverage pairs praise with pressure points, citing scrutiny of working conditions at Chinese factories, concerns that Apple trails in the AI race, frustration with software quality and Siri’s limits, and renewed speculation about when 65‑year‑old Tim Cook may step down.
- Former insiders describe the culture that shaped milestones, with Tony Fadell recalling the iPod’s rapid build and the iPhone’s secrecy, and Glenn Reid detailing skunk‑works efforts like iMovie that helped steady Apple in the years before its resurgence.