Apple turns half a century old: from Jobs' garage to the AI race

New York.- Apple, the company that was born from the vision of two young people in a California garage in 1976, celebrates this April 1st half a century of life, becoming a technological giant that has redefined the relationship between humans and technology. Under the slogan "50 Years of Thinking Different" (50 years thinking differently), a reference to its 1997 slogan "Think Different", the company celebrates five decades of innovation marked by iconic successes, an unprecedented user base and the challenge of leading the artificial intelligence (AI) market, something that is costing it at the moment. What began with the sale of a Volkswagen van by Steve Jobs to finance the Apple I, designed by Steve Wozniak, is today a global infrastructure with more than 2.35 billion active devices worldwide, according to Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, during the earnings conference call for the first fiscal quarter of 2025. The firm's trajectory has been marked by milestones that transformed entire industries, from the arrival of the Macintosh in 1984, which introduced personal computing to the masses, to the iPod in 2001, which changed music consumption, and the iPhone in 2007, which ushered in the era of applications.

Cook stays 

The current CEO, Tim Cook, who took over in 2011 after the death of Steve Jobs, highlighted in a commemorative letter that the company remains focused on "building tomorrow rather than remembering yesterday." According to Cook, progress always begins with someone who imagines a better way or a different path, a philosophy that is now reflected in products like the Apple Vision Pro and the advancement of the so-called Apple Intelligence, two bets that are not taking off technologically or convincing users. Although the specialized press hinted that after the company's first half-century it would change leaders, Cook ruled out a retirement this month.

"I can't imagine life without Apple," added the 65-year-old executive, in an interview with the program 'Good Morning America',

The celebrations for this anniversary have kicked off with high-profile events in New York, where singer Alicia Keys offered a special performance at the Grand Central store.

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In China, a key market for the firm, Cook presided over events in Chengdu and Beijing, emphasizing that the Asian giant remains the most important production base and a main source of its supply chain, despite diversification efforts towards countries like India. However, the anniversary comes at a time of transition for the bitten apple company. Two years ago, Apple put the brakes on one of its most ambitious and secret projects, Project Titan, an autonomous electric car that Apple worked on for a decade.

Race for AI

Now Apple's focus is on AI, as it seeks to regain ground against competitors like Google. Following initial criticism of its AI functions, Apple has reinforced its strategy with new alliances and the development of unprecedented devices, such as a possible portable pin with artificial intelligence, equipped with cameras and microphones but without a screen, whose launch is expected for next year with an initial production of 20 million units, according to the specialized press. OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is also developing a similar AI device after acquiring io Products, a hardware startup led by former Apple designer Jony Ive.

Record Results

At a financial level, Apple closed fiscal year 2025 with a record turnover of $416 billion, although the regulatory environment has become more hostile. In Europe, the European Commission maintains strict oversight of its commercial practices and the App Store ecosystem, which has forced the company to make adjustments to its business model to comply with the new competition regulations.