Three Apple Devices Were Named TIME’s Best Gadgets of the Decade

TIME Magazine has named the iPad, the Apple Watch, and AirPods as three of the 10 most important gadgets of the decade.

Some of the other devices on TIME’s list include the Amazon Echo, Google Chromecast, Tesla Model S and the Raspberry Pi. While the list of important electronics isn’t ranked, Apple is the only manufacturer to have more than one product make the list.

Here’s what TIME Magazine had to say about each of Apple’s products.

The iPad

Late Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs originally unveiled the first iPad in 2010, just a few years after he debuted the very first iPhone.

“Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a ‘tablet computer’ was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software,” wrote TIME magazine.

TIME notes that, like the iPhone, the iPad signaled a cultural shift and really came to define the next era of computing in the 2010s.

The original iPad was essentially a larger iPhone at the time, equipped with a Cortex-A8 chip, 256MB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage at the top tier. In the past decade, Apple’s iPad has steadily evolved into the blazingly-powerful computer replacement it is today.

The Apple Watch

Apple officially unveiled the Apple Watch in 2015. And as TIME notes, “while many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance” of the device.

TIME adds that the device “set the standard” for future smartwatches. And as its health features expand, it’s becoming “the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day in schedule.”

(Not to mention that the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor, Emergency SOS and fall detection features have helped save quite a few lives since their debut.)

The Apple Watch, it’s worth noting, is not just the most popular smartwatch in the world — it’s actually the most popular watch. And many new Apple Watch buyers are actually first-time owners.

With Apple’s wearables and accessories business booming, it’s tough to argue with the fact that the Apple Watch played a significant role in that sector’s popularity.

AirPods

A year after Apple debuted the first Apple Watch, it took the wraps off of maybe one of its first devices to become a mainstream meme: AirPods.

Since their debut, AirPods have exploded in popularity. TIME notes that it’s similar to the iPod in that it “captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes.”

It’s not not just the aesthetic and iconic status of AirPods that make them significant, either. Like so many of Apple’s devices, the Apple headphones really set “the gold standard of truly wireless audio,” as TIME notes.

AirPods themselves have remained relatively unchanged since Apple debuted them. But this year, the company added the new AirPods Pro with active noise cancelation and silicone ear tips to the lineup.