It might seem like a joke, but it is certain that Apple Inc. actually launched on April 1st. A majority of the world’s population might have noticed the company after the first iPhone but there were decades of work that led up to that.

Initially founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, the pair began things with a simple goal; making computers small and accessible at home. But even after achieving such a feat, Jobs and Wozniak wanted to provide a solution to so much more.

And such ambition continued to grow from the Macintosh to the iPod to the iPhone and basically everything else we have with the name Apple on it.

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So, to mark the anniversary, here are some of the groundbreaking products that Apple will always be remembered for.

The Macintosh

The first version of the Macintosh computer was released in January 1984 “with all the showbiz of a car launch” Some would even say that it dictated the kinds of launch events that we usually have to this day. Dubbed the Macintosh 128K, the machine was meant to be smaller than what everyone was used to then. Its successor, the 128J was then used to

The iMac

We now have an iMac worth KES 6million, but it all started in 1998 when Jobs urged the world to “think different”. And even though no one was eager for it, this computer basically propelled the company to what it is today. But of course, the iMac was meant to pay homage to the Macintosh with being as compact and no need for a tertiary CPU

As described by a media outlet on 14th May 1998, “nobody who attended last week’s product launch expected to find the most radical Macintosh since the original hit the streets 14 years ago … There isn’t even a floppy drive.”

The iPod

Anyone and everyone clearly wanted to own this. Unveiled in October 2001, the iPod is the one device that transformed not only Apple but the whole electronics industry. This is what would later spark a revolution in digital music as well.

It was only a bummer that you had to hack your computer in order to store music. But having a small stylish MP3 player with a 10-hour battery and space for 1000 songs was surely the coolest.

Even in Kenya, the word became used even for other MP3 players that had nothing to do with Apple.

iTunes

Until Jobs unveiled iTunes in January 2001, no one had been able to convince music label executives that people might pay for songs online. Announced at the back end of a 90-minute keynote to launch the new Macintosh, iTunes was an unexciting “all-in-one digital music program” that brought together MP3 playback, internet radio and CD writing.

It is just too bad that the product had to rebrand in order to be much more diverse. But its successor Apple Music has also been as successful offering its service to both iOS and Android fans alike.

The iPhone

The computer transformation was never complete until Steve Jobs had to create one of if not the company’s most notable product. In January 2007, the mobile phone industry was turned upside down when Jobs took to the stage to reveal a fully touchscreen device that became a hit to techies and non-techies alike.

Every other company had to jump in on this. Steve Jobs was quite clear that Android was an idea stolen from his iOS creation and was actually quite angry about it. But what we can agree on is that the whole tech industry as it is owes a huge thanks to the killer product.

But with all this success comes some painful downfalls on the way. Of course, there were some of the products that really never got to survive the test of time and Apple had to call it quits on them.