That video is underwhelming to say the least, I expected to be able to click through and navigate each product and learn about data like number of units sold, what the impact was etc…
15 years ago I was thinking about switching my career to a different industry altogether, just didn't know what it would be. One thing I knew was that I was so tired of building web sites and backends. Boring, repetitive, uninspiring.
Then a friend asked me to write a simple iPhone app. I had no idea what development for Apple platforms would be like...
Fast forward to 2026, I'm 57 now, still in tech, building apps for Apple platforms, still enjoying it very much.
The durability of their products still surprises me. I still own and use iPhone 11 (still it is my first iPhone when I switched from Android). Still getting latest iOS updates and functioning very well and may last for 2 more years. What other phone could do this?
I’ve had the exact opposite journey. Native apps, disillusioned and frustrated with the backwards tooling, moved on to more open platforms (web apps and backends)
Amusingly, 15 min ago, the animation did not work on my MacOS Safari (Sequoia), but it was visible on Chrome. Now (1600 UTC-4), it is animated on Safari.
All the roads around the Apple Spaceship were closed yesterday, and I was surprised I didn't see any news about announcements. Apparently they just closed the roads for their 50th birthday party?
It's a nice animation, but for such a significant anniversary - and from a company like Apple - I expected a lot more hoopla and content. This could indicate that there wasn't a lot of planning involved, that it wasn't a high-priority item, or that Apple had enough people with time to focus on it.
It's almost as if someone near the end of a meeting said "Oh crud, we've got to do something to acknowledge our 50th anniversary - can someone put something together, and quick?"
The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh came to be regarded as such a mistake and quintessential example of how misguided Apple was during the wilderness era that I'm not surprised they went in the opposite direction. Institutional memory etc etc
Seems to me that they are simple saying its not important:
"At 50 years, it’s only natural to look back. But Apple has always looked forward, building tools and delivering experiences that enrich people’s lives. As we celebrate how far we’ve come, we’re inspired by where we’ll go — together."
And, no, I don't think they left it to chance.
Also there's an art video to go with the art animation.
That video is underwhelming to say the least, I expected to be able to click through and navigate each product and learn about data like number of units sold, what the impact was etc…
And in general expected more too
At least they unexpectedly released iOS and iPadOS 18.7.7 today with a DarkSword fix for people who stayed on 18 to avoid Liquid Glass.
This is the link to the video for future reference when the homepage changes back (assuming the url to the video may stay)
https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/home/2026/84ec8a66-d69d-4...
Not exactly "heres to the crazy ones" anymore eh
If there is one company I'd say that has made a significant (positive) difference in my life, I'd say it is Apple.
You are not alone.
15 years ago I was thinking about switching my career to a different industry altogether, just didn't know what it would be. One thing I knew was that I was so tired of building web sites and backends. Boring, repetitive, uninspiring.
Then a friend asked me to write a simple iPhone app. I had no idea what development for Apple platforms would be like...
Fast forward to 2026, I'm 57 now, still in tech, building apps for Apple platforms, still enjoying it very much.
The durability of their products still surprises me. I still own and use iPhone 11 (still it is my first iPhone when I switched from Android). Still getting latest iOS updates and functioning very well and may last for 2 more years. What other phone could do this?
I’ve had the exact opposite journey. Native apps, disillusioned and frustrated with the backwards tooling, moved on to more open platforms (web apps and backends)
If I only had to pick one I'd probably go with Monsanto.
3M
I was expecting to see a Newton, and got an eMate 300 and a well-timed fake glitch in the audio. Seems apropos.
I see people mentioning an animation? I see only a large apple logo and some words. What else are people seeing?
(Firefox on Mac OS. Also Safari on Mac OS)
Click on the “<< REW” at the bottom. Though I haven’t tried if it works on Firefox.
No such button on my machine. Even when I disable 'reduce motion' per my other comment.
(I did try on my iPhone and the REW button is present)
The button links to: https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/home/2026/84ec8a66-d69d-4...
You won't see it if Reduced Motion is enabled in Accessibility Settings.
Thanks, that was it. Nice to see Apple respecting my UX wishes.
On my iPhone I see a 'REW' button which plays another video, but it doesn't show on my Mac.
Amusingly, 15 min ago, the animation did not work on my MacOS Safari (Sequoia), but it was visible on Chrome. Now (1600 UTC-4), it is animated on Safari.
The animation was visible on Safari when I viewed it very early this morning (10 hours ago), and again about 3 hours ago.
All the roads around the Apple Spaceship were closed yesterday, and I was surprised I didn't see any news about announcements. Apparently they just closed the roads for their 50th birthday party?
Paul McCartney played inside the ring yesterday.
It's a nice animation, but for such a significant anniversary - and from a company like Apple - I expected a lot more hoopla and content. This could indicate that there wasn't a lot of planning involved, that it wasn't a high-priority item, or that Apple had enough people with time to focus on it.
It's almost as if someone near the end of a meeting said "Oh crud, we've got to do something to acknowledge our 50th anniversary - can someone put something together, and quick?"
The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh came to be regarded as such a mistake and quintessential example of how misguided Apple was during the wilderness era that I'm not surprised they went in the opposite direction. Institutional memory etc etc
Seems to me that they are simple saying its not important:
"At 50 years, it’s only natural to look back. But Apple has always looked forward, building tools and delivering experiences that enrich people’s lives. As we celebrate how far we’ve come, we’re inspired by where we’ll go — together."
And, no, I don't think they left it to chance.
Also there's an art video to go with the art animation.
Apple's acknowledged their anniversary for weeks, especially during the recent product launches like the Neo. It started back in mid March [0].
[0] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-to-celebrate-50...
They had a bunch of artists playing live at some Apple Stores, they even got Paul McCartney doing a concert at their HQ.
Wow. Few more million in the bank for Macca.
Agreed
a Jobsian decision
I'd like to congratulate the company on the excellent products and services they've provided and the security they offer.
Associated Tim Cook letter (from a few weeks ago): https://www.apple.com/50-years-of-thinking-different/
Oh, Apple Vision. They still sell that, eh. (Do they?)
No acknowledgment of the Apple ][ ಠ_ಠ
This webpage performs shockingly bad on my phone for a (basically) empty page with a video.
I guess it's like their phones. Got too old, slow 'er down.