50 Years of Thinking Different: Apple Kicks Off Half-Century Celebration
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Apple is about to mark its 50th anniversary — a rare milestone for a tech company — and today it officially announced plans to celebrate the occasion, although it has yet to reveal exactly what that will entail.
So far, all it’s shared is that “In the coming weeks, Apple and its global community will celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, recognizing the creativity, innovation, and impact that people around the world have made possible with Apple technology.” While Apple CEO Tim Cook previously told employees that the company would commemorate the occasion, it was never clear whether that would be primarily an internal event or if planned to do something more publicly customer-facing.
While today’s newsroom announcement doesn’t shed a whole lot more light on that, with the date fast approaching — Apple was founded on April 1, 1976 — we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see things unfold. Apple has also launched a new ”helloapple” Instagram account that could be a big part of where this all plays out.
Today, Apple CEO Tim Cook has kicked off the first phase of Apple’s anniversary with a rare open letter reflecting on the company’s history and values — “a belief that progress comes from those who challenge convention and imagine what could be.”
Although Apple is a company that traditionally looks forward and not back, Cook told employees during an all-hands meeting in February that he’d been “unusually reflective” as the 50-year-mark approaches, and the letter certainly echoes that sentiment. It also channels some of the wit and personality of Steve Jobs, who was both Cook’s predecessor and mentor, and still remains the soul of Apple. Here’s Cook’s letter in full:
Fifty years ago in a small garage, a big idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief — radical at the time — changed everything.
April 1st marks 50 years of Apple. From the first Apple computer to the Mac, from iPod to iPhone, iPad to Apple Watch and AirPods, as well as the services we use every day — the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV — we’ve spent five decades rethinking what’s possible and putting powerful tools into people’s hands. Through every breakthrough, one idea has guided us — that the world is moved forward by people who think different.
That’s because progress always begins with someone — an inventor or scientist, a student or storyteller — who imagines a better way, a new idea, a different path. That spirit has guided Apple from the start. But it has never belonged to us alone.
Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The most meaningful chapters are written by all of you — the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. You’ve made breakthroughs and launched businesses. You’ve cheered up loved ones in the hospital and captured your toddler’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and rekindled friendships. You’ve chased your curiosity, found your new favorite song, and shared stories that connect us all.
In your hands, the tools we make have improved lives, and sometimes even saved them. And that is what inspires us — not what technology can do alone, but everything you can do with it.
At Apple, we’re more focused on building tomorrow than remembering yesterday. But we couldn’t let this milestone pass without thanking the millions of people who make Apple what it is today — our incredible teams around the world, our developer community, and every customer who has joined us on this journey. Your ideas inspire our work. Your trust drives us to do better. Your stories remind us of all we can accomplish when we think different.
If you’ve taught us anything, it’s that the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
So here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
Here’s to you.
(signed Tim Cook)
