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Apple Core

Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel

A podcast about the history of Apple. In each episode, hosts Graham Bower and Charlie Sorrel explore the story behind a different Apple product, and consider what it tells us about the company’s game plan and where it might be heading next.

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  • 17 episodes
  • Avg 57 min
  • English

Episodes 17

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  • S2 · E2
    July 4 · 1 hr

    From WebKit to Swift: Apple’s Complicated Relationship with Open Source

    In 2003, Steve Jobs said: “Some people have a problem with open source software. We think it’s great.” It wasn’t just talk. Apple would go on to contribute LLVM and WebKit, two projects that became influential far beyond Apple’s own platforms. WebKit even served as the foundation for Google Chrome. So why doesn’t anyone think of Apple as an open source company? That question turns out to have an intriguing answer. The ideas behind free and open source software emerged from decades of argument about who owns code, who controls it, and what developers owe each other – debates that predate personal computers entirely. Apple and Microsoft came of age during those debates and drew opposite conclusions. In this episode, we trace that history from the earliest days of software licensing to the present. We consider how Apple's culture of secrecy often sits uneasily alongside its open source ambitions. And we explore why some Apple projects, like WebKit and LLVM, genuinely escaped the Apple ecosystem while others, like Swift and Darwin, never did. Special Guest: Martin Algesten, creator of the Rust libraries ureq and str0m. LINKS LLVM.org Swift.org WebKit.org Apple’s Open Source website The XKCD cartoon Charlie mentions International Criminal Court Sanctions Martin’s GitHub page Charlie’s website Graham’s strength training app For more about the show, and to get stylish yet fashionable merch, visit our website.

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  • S2 · E1
    February 8 · 53 min

    Podcasts - How Apple made podcasting happen

    Apple Podcasts is one of the world’s most popular podcast players, with almost 25% market share. The app launched in 2012, but Apple’s support for podcasting goes back much further. The term “podcast” was originally coined in 2005 as a concatenation of iPod and broadcast. Initially, Apple wasn’t pleased with this abuse of its trademark, and sent out angry cease and desist letters. But it didn’t take long for Cupertino to come around, embracing the emerging standard by adding support in iTunes. This propelled podcasting from its early niche audience to mainstream adoption. Podcasting’s low barriers to entry have helped to democratize and decentralize broadcasting. But the RSS subscription technology on which it is based was developed with the opposite intent. In the 1990s, big media companies felt threatened by the free-for-all of the web and hoped technologies like RSS would enable them to “push” content onto users’ screens. Fortunately, RSS found a new and better purpose in podcasting. In this episode, we explore the fascinating story of how podcasting emerged at a time when Apple embraced and promoted open standards. We consider why Apple’s focus has shifted to proprietary technology over the years, and where this leaves Apple Podcasts today. APPLE CORE MERCH Check out our merch store, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more in retro-geek designs. GRAHAM'S APP Check out Graham's strength training app, Reps & Sets, designed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. LINKS Apple Hot Sauce A Brief History of Data Syndication and Podcasting The first known use of the term "podcasting" With "pod" on lockdown, Apple goes after "podcast" WWDC 2005 - Steve Jobs introduces Podcasting in iTunes Thanks to Martin Algesten for sound engineering this episode.

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  • S1 · E15
    Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min

    iOS 7 - the battle for the future of software design

    In 2013, Apple launched a radical redesign of the iPhone’s user interface. iOS 7 represented more than just a fresh new look. It marked a major shift in Cupertino’s design philosophy, which arose from a bitter boardroom bust-up between two of Steve Jobs’ most trusted lieutenants. Since the launch of the Macintosh in 1984, Jobs had pioneered the use of skeuomorphism, a design motif where apps adopt visual cues from real world objects. Jobs shared this philosophy with tech genius Scott Forstall, who worked on the Aqua interface for Mac OS X, and subsequently led the development of iOS. In the power vacuum after Steve Jobs’ passing, Ive and Forstall became locked in a battle for the company’s future. When Ive won, he wasted no time in scrapping Forstall’s cherished skeuomorphism. In a matter of months his team had developed a radical new user interface design. iOS 7’s minimalistic style was quintessentially Jony Ive, and it established a visual language that continues to influence Apple to this day. APPLE CORE MERCH Check out our new merch store on Teepublic, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more in retro-geek designs: https://applecore.dashery.com LINKS Video of WWDC 2013, where iOS 7 was launched: https://youtu.be/hIigp_bxUcQ?si=41rq99ofJLeaG9pl Nicholas Carlson for Business Insider in 2014 on Steve Jobs and Quicktime’s brushed metal: https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobss-signature-design-style-2014-10 Buster Hein for Cult of Mac on the Passbook shredder: https://www.cultofmac.com/news/ios-7-passbook-ditches-forstalls-dumb-paper-shredder-animation The Verge on apps that influenced the design of iOS 7: https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/9/4817146/taskmasters-how-israeli-intelligence-officers-helped-inspire-the-look-of-ios-7 Joshua Topolsky’s hot take on iOS 7 for The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/apple/2013/6/10/4416726/the-design-of-ios-7-simply-confusing Jony Ive designs things: https://www.tumblr.com/jonyiveredesignsthings Griffin’s website: https://www.dgriffinjones.com/

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  • S1 · E14
    Apr 5, 2025 · 47 min

    Sherlock - the mysterious case of how sherlocking became a thing

    Sherlock was introduced in 1998, as a tool for finding files on Mac OS 8.5. It used advanced search technology harvested from the carcass of Apple’s failed next generation operation system, Copeland. Sherlock revolutionized search on the Mac, enabling users to search within files for the first time. But its file searching prowess is not the reason Sherlock is remembered today. By competing with a similar third-party app called Watson, Apple was accused of putting an indie developer out of business, which coined the term “sherlocking.” Sherlock was a technical marvel, featuring a breakthrough user interface that continues to influence how we use the Internet to this day. But its reign was short-lived. Just seven years after its launch, Sherlock was replaced by Spotlight. APPLE CORE MERCH Check out our new merch store on Teepublic, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more in retro-geek designs: LINKS Original Sherlock page on Apple.com via WayBack Machine (you might need to scroll down to see it) Phil Schiller demos Sherlock 2 at WWDC 1999 (at 59:28) Sherlock 3 page on Appe.com, via WayBack Machine (you might need to scroll down to see it) Steve Jobs demos Sherlock 3 at Macworld New York 2002 (25:08) Karelia Software’s Watson website

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  • S1 · E13
    Feb 27, 2025 · 56 min

    Apple Park - a boondoggle or the greatest office ever built?

    In 2011, Steve Jobs made his final public appearance, presenting his plans for a second Apple campus to Cupertino City Council. He proposed a circular building, one mile in diameter, surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds that concealed a subterranean parking garage. With a whopping $5 billion budget and a prestigious international architect attached to the project, Jobs’ ambition was to build “the best office building in the world.” Drawing on his learnings from Pixar’s headquarters, Jobs believed the “donut-shaped” design would result in to unexpected encounters that prompted innovation. Completed in 2017, Apple Park quickly an iconic part of the brand, featured in every product launch video. But the building’s Pentagon-style “groundscraper” design epitomizes car-dependent suburban bureaucracy rather than innovation, and with the rise of post-COVID home working, large campus sites have become less relevant. So, in this episode, we explore the history of Silicon Valley office parks and consider if Jobs achieved his goal of building the world’s best office. MERCH STORE Check out our merch store on Teepublic for retro-geek t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/apple-core-podcast LINKS: Video of Steve Jobs’ presentation to Cupertino City Council https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtuz5OmOh_M The Glendenning Barn https://finance.yahoo.com/news/story-behind-random-century-old-162804565.html History of the Apple Park site https://s3.amazonaws.com/Apple-Campus2-DEIR/Apple_Campus_2_Project_EIR_Public_Review_5e-Cultural.pdf Hewlett Packard’s Garage on Apple Maps https://maps.apple.com/?address=367%20Addison%20Ave,%20Palo%20Alto,%20CA%20%2094301,%20United%20States&ll=37.443018,-122.154640&q=367%20Addison%20Ave Steve Jobs’s parents’ garage on Apple Maps https://maps.apple.com/?address=2066%20Crist%20Dr,%20Los%20Altos,%20CA%20%2094024,%20United%20States&ll=37.340323,-122.068897&q=2066%20Crist%20Dr&t=h The A1844 Door Assembly With Reader https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-mystery-device-a1844-photos-user-manual-2017-3 Satellite image of Apple Park by Apple Maps.

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  • S1 · E12
    Jan 27, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min

    Leander Kahney - biographer of Tim Cook and Jony Ive

    In this special episode we interview Leander Kahney, editor of Cult of Mac, and author of New York Times best-selling biographies of Tim Cook and Jony Ive. During his three-decade career, working first at MacWEEK, then Wired News, and now as the editor of his own tech news website, Cult of Mac, Leander attended all the legendary Steve Jobs keynotes and interviewed some of Apple’s most senior executives. Leander regales us with a wealth of fascinating Apple insights and anecdotes. He also shares his origin story as a war correspondent. Plus we learn how Cult of Mac became a thing… And why he wishes he’d never called it that. MERCH STORE Check out our merch store on Teepublic for retro-geek t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/apple-core-podcast LINKS: Subscribe to Leander’s Cult of Mac Newsletter: https://newsletters.cultofmac.com And check out Leander’s books: The Cult of Mac https://www.amazon.com/Cult-Mac-Leander-Kahney/dp/1593271220/ The Cult of iPod https://www.amazon.com/Cult-iPod-Leander-Kahney/dp/1593270666/ Inside Steve’s Brain https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Steves-Brain-Leander-Kahney/dp/1591845513/ Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591847060/ Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level https://www.amazon.com/dp/0525537600/ The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition https://www.amazon.com/Cult-Mac-2nd-Leander-Kahney/dp/1593279140/

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  • S1 · E11
    Dec 18, 2024 · 57 min

    Apple Maps - the unnecessary apology

    Apple Maps launched alongside the original iPhone in 2007. Initially, it relied on map data from Google. But in 2012, when the two companies became smartphone rivals, Apple was forced to find an alternative data source. Opting to build its own map platform in-house, Apple attempted to replicate a product Google had developed over many years in a matter of months. Unsurprisingly, the results were not perfect. Users around the world reported bad directions, missing landmarks, and bizarre visual glitches. The fallout from the Apple Maps launch led to a rare apology from Tim Cook, and the departure of one of Apple’s most indispensable software engineers. But with the benefit of hindsight, the wisdom of Apple’s move into mapping has become clear. It enabled Apple to compete head-on with Android, and kickstarted Cupertino’s move into services. MERCH STORE Check out our merch store on Teepublic for retro-geek design t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/apple-core-podcast LINKS The Verge report stating Apple’s deal with Google still had a year to run when Apple scrapped it: https://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3407614/apple-over-a-year-left-on-google-maps-contract-google-maps-ios-app Tim Cook’s apology letter (via the Internet Archive): https://web.archive.org/web/20121001005112/http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/ New York Times article on the brawl between Apple and Google in 2010: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/technology/14brawl.html Wall Street Journal report on Apple’s acquisition of C3 Technologies from Saab: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304543904577398502695522974 Cult of Mac on firing of Richard Williamson: https://www.cultofmac.com/apple-history/apple-maps-launch-disaster Scott Forstall tells the story of his interview with Steve Jobs at NeXT: https://macdailynews.com/2020/05/22/scott-forstall-reveals-how-his-interview-with-steve-jobs-went/ Adam Lashinsky’s Inside Apple: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Apple-Americas-Admired-Secretive-Company/dp/1455512168/

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  • S1 · E10
    Dec 2, 2024 · 59 min

    Mac OS X - how Steve Jobs saved Apple’s crown jewel

    In 1996, Apple was in serious trouble. The Mac was almost obsolete. Its multitasking was flaky, it couldn’t handle multiple processors, and it kept crashing. Sales were tanking as users switched to Windows NT in droves. Apple appointed a new CEO, Gil Amelio, to turn things around. He tried to replace the Mac’s System 7 with a new modern operating system he called Rhapsody. Amelio’s strategy wasn’t bad, but he failed to anticipate how difficult it would be to persuade Mac users and developers to switch platforms. Fortunately, Amelio selected NeXTSTEP as the core foundation of Rhapsody, and the acquisition of NeXT led to the fateful return of Steve Jobs. Over the following two years, Jobs ousted Amelio, fixed his flawed Rhapsody strategy, added a shiny UI that looked so good you could lick it, and rename the whole thing Mac OS X. LINKS Gil Amelio’s book: On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple https://www.amazon.com/Firing-Line-500-Days-Apple/dp/0887309186/ MacWorld Expo San Francisco January 7 1997 - Steve Jobs first keynote after his return to Apple: https://youtu.be/QhhFQ-3w5tE?si=f0IIUmN-s_Ff0n0I WWDC, May 1998 at the San Jose Convention Center - Steve Jobs and Avi Tevanian introduce Mac OS X and Carbon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03kTC0Sm7wc Macworld San Francisco January 2000 - Steve Jobs announces Aqua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko4V3G4NqII Screenshot of iMovie running on Mac OS 9 with Aqua controls, before Aqua was announced for Mac OS X: https://x.com/mac_os_9/status/1080826112408662017 Interesting article about Steve Jobs and object oriented programming: https://computerhistory.org/blog/the-deep-history-of-your-apps-steve-jobs-nextstep-and-early-object-oriented-programming/

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  • S1 · E9
    Nov 15, 2024 · 56 min

    NeXT - the secret to Apple’s salvation and success

    The iPhone in your pocket, the Mac on your desk, and even the watch on your wrist are all based on NeXTSTEP, an operating system developed by a long forgotten computer maker called NeXT. Steve Jobs founded NeXT in 1985, just months after his humiliating departure from Apple. Jobs was determined to beat Apple at its own game by proving his new company was the next big thing in computing. But it didn’t work out that way. While NeXT’s iconic cube-shaped workstations gained a loyal following, they never sold in large numbers. Despite many setbacks and failures, Jobs’ wilderness years at NeXT laid the foundation for decades of success that would follow. Apple’s acquisition of NeXT in 1997 proved to be one of the greatest mergers in business history. During his second tenure at Apple, Jobs oversaw the migration of the Mac onto his NeXTSTEP platform. Many of its quirky features, like the spinning beachball of death, are still recognizable in MacOS to this day. LINKS The full story of how Steve Jobs learned about 3M computers on a trip to Brown University - “What’s a megaflop?”: https://www.folklore.org/Whats_A_Megaflop.html The NeXT logo, designed by Paul Rand: https://www.logodesignlove.com/next-logo-paul-rand Try NeXTSTEP out for yourself on Infinite Mac: https://infinitemac.org The NeXT Computer Tim Berners-Lee used to develop the world’s first Web browser at the Science Museum in London: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/world-wide-web-global-information-space Check out these pics of NeXT’s HQ and *that* staircase: https://allaboutstevejobs.com/pics/pics_places/next/next_hq NeXT cube Photograph by Rama, Wikimedia Commons, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr © Rama, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT#/media/File:NEXT_Cube-IMG_7151.jpg Thanks to our sound engineer, Martin Algesten, for making us sound fabulous.

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  • S1 · E8
    Oct 28, 2024 · 1 hr

    Apple Watch - what Tim Cook’s first product launch tells us about the future of Vision Pro

    These days, Cupertino describes Apple Watch as “the ultimate device for a healthy life.” But it didn’t start out that way. When Tim Cook originally launched the product in 2014, he positioned it as an “intimate way to connect and communicate.” Over its ten year history, Apple Watch has pivoted more radically than any previous Apple product. The user interface has transformed to such an extent that even the Digital Crown and side button no longer perform their original functions. The story of how and why this happened reveals a deeper truth about Apple’s evolution. Under Steve Jobs, the company toiled for years in secret to develop perfectly conceived products. Whereas, under Tim Cook, Apple has released products earlier and learned from consumer reaction. This approach could have profound implications for the future of Vision Pro. Featuring special guest D. Griffin Jones from The CultCast and Cult of Mac. Sound engineering by Martin Algesten. LINKS Griffin mentioned this book - The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal by Laine Nooney: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo195231688.html Jony Ive and the battle of the big tent: https://www.macworld.com/article/696590/apple-expose-jony-ive-departure-apple-watch-tent.html Apple Event September 2014 “Wish we could say more”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38IqQpwPe7s Apple Event March 2015 “Spring forward”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2dVrpUxUhM Graham wrote an article about the evolution of watchOS: https://www.cultofmac.com/news/radical-evolution-of-watchos Griffin’s YouTube video about how he uses Vision Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im3_yq-LxMQ

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  • S1 · E7
    Sep 18, 2024 · 55 min

    iPhone 4 - Apple’s most painful product launch

    When Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010, it surprised no one. Tech blog Gizmodo had already spilled the tea two months earlier by publishing photographs of a lost prototype. Jobs was furious, but he found a way to turn the situation to his advantage. The design of the iPhone 4 set the standard for all subsequent models. And with innovative new features like FaceTime and the Retina Display, Jobs described it as the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone. iPhone 4 proved wildly popular, but the launch did not go smoothly. One month later, Jobs had to rush back from a family vacation in Hawaii to deal with “Antennagate,” a media frenzy over concerns about dropped calls. The institutional learnings Apple acquired from this PR nightmare continue to inform iPhone launches to this day. LINKS Original Gizmodo iPhone 4 leak coverage via the Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20100421020922/https://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone https://web.archive.org/web/20100423034754/http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone Gourmet Haus Staudt: https://gourmethausstaudt.com The guy who sold the iPhone 4 prototype to Gizmodo did a Reddit AMA: https://www.cultofmac.com/news/the-guy-who-sold-apples-lost-iphone-4-prototype-spills-all-on-reddit WWDC 2010 Keynote - iPhone 4 launch: https://youtu.be/EP81hZ_HdXU?si=DT2FHhmYWq-IZh5N Gizmodo Antennagate coverage: https://gizmodo.com/video-clearly-shows-antenna-defect-on-iphone-4-web-brow-5575347 Jonathan Mann Antennagate song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKIcaejkpD4 Antennagate press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8tXyfjfnB0 AnandTech iPhone 4 review: https://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2 Kara Swisher’s Burn Book includes her account of asking Steve Jobs what he planned to do in the next ten years: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Burn-Book/Kara-Swisher/9781982163891

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  • S1 · E6
    Sep 3, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min

    Safari - how Apple built the engine that powers almost every modern web browser

    Safari is one of Apple’s most enduring and popular apps, with versions running on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Vision Pro. But it wasn’t always the behemoth we know today. When it launched in 2003, Safari faced fierce competition from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, a bruiser of a browser with over 95% market share. Safari didn’t seem to stand a chance. And yet, just twelve years later, Microsoft gave up the fight, scrapping Internet Explorer in favor of Edge, a new app based on code borrowed from Safari. So, how did Safari deliver this knock-out blow? In this episode we go back to an era when Apple championed standards, interoperability, and open source. We’ll learn why Steve Jobs argued passionately against proprietary platforms. And we’ll discover how Apple handed its crown jewels over to a bitter rival. This is a David versus Goliath story of a plucky little web browser that went on to conquer the world. LINKS Full video of MacWorld SF 2003, where Steve Jobs introduced the first Safari beta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTF9wnTPpK0 Don Melton, former director of internet technologies at Apple, explains how Safari got it’s name. https://donmelton.com/2012/12/19/when-i-first-heard-the-name-safari/ Clip of Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2007, where Steve Jobs introduces Safari for Windows. https://www.cnet.com/videos/steve-jobs-announces-safari-for-windows/ Webkit.org https://webkit.org

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  • S1 · E5
    Aug 14, 2024 · 51 min

    Newton MessagePad - the little device that left a huge legacy

    Apple launched its first handheld computing device way back in 1993. With no internet access, flaky handwriting recognition, and an eye-watering price tag, the Newton MessagePad never stood much chance of success. But the writing was really on the wall with the arrival of the PalmPilot, a cheaper, more compact alternative, with a breakthrough text input system. Inspired by the “Knowledge Navigator” concept video Apple published in 1987, the Newton MessagePad was ahead of its time, featuring bleeding-edge technologies like Assist, which enabled users to control the device using natural language, much like Siri today. Although Steve Jobs scrapped the Newton on his return to Apple in 1998, its legacy lives on to this day. Apple’s investment in the Newton’s processor paid off big-time, providing vital working capital during the company’s darkest hour, and spawning a line of processors that powers every Mac, iPhone, and iPad today. Featuring special guest D. Griffin Jones from The CultCast and Cult of Mac. LINKS Doonesbury “Egg Freckles” cartoon: https://newtonglossary.com/terms/egg-freckles Apple Knowledge Navigator Video: https://youtu.be/umJsITGzXd0?si=1VNFsKBqXjt4bLeQ Michael Tchao pitched the idea of the Newton to Apple’s CEO, John Sculley: https://web.archive.org/web/20211112015207/https://www.wired.com/2013/08/remembering-the-apple-newtons-prophetic-failure-and-lasting-ideals/ How Newton’s handwriting recognition software was acquired on a trip to: Moscow: https://www.cultofmac.com/436469/today-in-apple-history-steve-jobs-visits-the-soviet-union How Griffin uses his MessagePad 2000 for playing Dungeons and Dragons: https://www.cultofmac.com/825770/using-an-apple-newton-today/ Inkwell - Newton handwriting recognition in Mac OS X: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkwell_(Macintosh) Newton and the ARM processor: https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/09/05/apple-arm-have-been-crucial-to-each-others-survival-for-three-decades eMate 3000 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300 Apple Newton Messagepad 2000 image: Ralf Pfeifer, GNU Free Documentation License https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton.jpg Apple eMate 300 image: Felix Winkelnkemper, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_Newton_eMate_300_(cropped).jpg

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  • S1 · E4
    Jul 30, 2024 · 1 hr 2 min

    iWork - Steve Jobs’ secret weapon

    Steve Jobs was famous for his keynote presentations, which combined showmanship with beautifully designed slides to generate his trademark ‘reality distortion field.’ But what few people knew at the time was, he didn’t use a Mac to produce those slides. Not until 2002, at least. Instead he relied on a little-known app called Concurrence on his trusty NeXT computer. Jobs loved this app so much, he hired its creator to work on a top secret project at Apple. The result was Keynote, an app specially designed to meet Jobs exacting presentation requirements. Thanks to the power of Quartz, the Mac OS X graphics layer, the frame rate and silky-smooth 3D transitions of Keynote blew other presentation packages like PowerPoint out of the water. Keynote formed the basis of Apple’s iWork office productivity suite we know and love today. In this episode, we chart the thirty-year history of Apple office productivity apps, and consider what it tells us about the company’s changing business model. LINKS Concurrence screenshots https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Concurrence Steve Jobs launches Keynote at MacWorld 2003 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTF9wnTPpK0 Roger Rosner demos iWork ’05 at MacWorld 2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLxI40utsLM Apple announces completion of iWork suite with the addition of Numbers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pb_OIBW4Ys iPad launch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTNbKCAFHJo Steve Jobs announces iWork with iCloud in his last keynote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPMjUtfQPks Plan for iWork overhaul announced at WWDC 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIigp_bxUcQ Eddy Cue announces complete rewrite of all iWork apps with full file compatibility at a Special Event in October 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FunXnJQxYU

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  • S1 · E1
    Jul 14, 2024 · 48 min

    AirPort - How Apple made wireless networking happen

    In 1999, Steve Jobs needed one more product launch to complete the four-computer matrix he introduced on his return to the company three years earlier. That product was the iBook—a portable version of the hugely popular iMac G3. iBook had a striking design with eye-popping colors. But what really set it apart was AirPort, Apple’s proprietary version of WiFi, which ushered in the age of wireless computing. AirPort was such a revolutionary concept that Jobs wanted to prove no wires were required. So he persuaded VP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, to jump from a great height while holding an iBook, during a live keynote event. Based on industry-standard WiFi technology, the story of AirPort's launch, development, and eventual demise, provides a valuable insight into how Apple thinks about emerging standards and adopts them in its products. LINKS iBook & AirPort launch at MacWorld New York 1999 https://youtu.be/Fve4x6VFiF8?si=CpzUPli3nrnXOJzi 49:20 iBook Introduction 1:03:20 "One More Thing" - AirPort 1:10:30 AirPort TV Ad 1:14:15 Phil Schiller's AirPort death drop AirPort Base Station Teardown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4vy5K7_FW4 AirPort Card Image @ Ashley Pomeroy 2020 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPort#/media/File:Apple_AirPort_7877.jpg

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  • S1 · E2
    Jul 14, 2024 · 41 min

    Mac OS 8 - A 'better than nothing' update that became a best seller

    When Steve Jobs returned to the company he founded in 1997, Apple was in disarray. After two failed attempts at a next-generation operating system, the Mac had been stuck on System 7 for years. The acquisition of Jobs' company, NeXT, offered a solution, with its NeXTSTEP operating system, which would form the basis of Mac OS X. But that was still three years away, and the Mac platform was already on life support. Jobs needed to take action fast. So, he salvaged bits from former failed projects and retrofitting them onto the aging System 7. The result was Mac OS 8. It wasn't a long term solution, but it did buy his engineers the time they needed to complete Mac OS X. Mac OS 8 proved to be a smash hit, selling 1.2 million copies in its first two weeks. The story of how this happened reveals an often overlooked side of Jobs - his ability to let go of his perfectionism and focus on what was possible, making pragmatic compromises that help to move platforms forward. Credits MacOS 8 Packaging Photo: ShrineOfApple https://shrineofapple.com/blog/2011/10/08/mac-os-8/

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  • S1 · E3
    Jul 14, 2024 · 1 hr 16 min

    Nike+iPod Sport Kit - Apple's first foray into fitness

    Apple’s interest in fitness products goes way back. In 2006, before Apple Watch was even a twinkle in Tim Cook’s eye, Steve Jobs took the stage with Nike CEO Mark Parker at an ultra-exclusive venue in New York City to announce the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. With a sensor that went into special Nike running shoes, and a receiver that plugged into your iPod, Nike+iPod was a pioneering product that helped define the emerging category of fitness wearables. It set the stage for products that would follow, including Apple Health and Apple Fitness+. And by partnering with Nike, Apple broadened the appeal of its brand, learned how to successfully roll out services, and raised its marketing game. Nike+iPod Sport Kit set a template for product launches that Apple still follows to this day. LINKS Apple press release for Nike+iPod Sport Kit launch https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2006/05/23Nike-and-Apple-Team-Up-to-Launch-Nike-iPod/ Design of launch event at Chelsea Piers http://www.denton-cardewdesign.com/nike-apple-nyc/66dsmmf6qqc89hcyu8lc0gk21cgdnr Puma RS Computer Shoe https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/11/18136072/puma-1986-rs-computer-running-shoe-rereleasehttps://about.puma.com/en/this-is-puma/archive-stories/history-of-rs Nike+ Air Zoom Moire http://sz9.es/kickstories-nike-air-zoom-moire

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