Apple CEO Tim Cook celebrates the 50th anniversary of the birth of Apple Inc, which was officially founded on April 1, 1976, with a sweet note and a dedicated page on the Apple.com site: “50 Years of Different Thinking”.
The anniversary post discusses Apple’s humble origins in the garage, the first Apple computer, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and beyond, and ends with a shout-out to the poem “Here’s to the Crazy” (which used to be buried on the Mac as an Easter egg in Pages.app and the original TextEdit icon, sigh). The full text of the note from Tim Cook is reproduced below for posterity.
Apple uses the elegant rainbow Apple logo design on the page, and designer Basic Apple Guy took that stylish Apple logo as an opportunity to create a 50th anniversary wallpaper.
Click on the Mac size icon to open the full size 5120 × 2880 resolution version in your browser, or use the links below to grab sizes from BasicAppleGuy specifically for iPhone and iPad, and you can grab an image of the same scribble logo with a white background on his site.
I wish there was an original Apple / retro Macintosh beige version, but the black and white wallpapers are great.
CEO Tim Cook’s 50th Anniversary Note for Apple
A note from Apple’s 50th anniversary page says:
Fifty years ago in a small garage, a great idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple idea that technology should be personal, and that belief – strong at the time – changed everything.
April 1st marks Apple’s 50th anniversary. From the first Apple computer to the Mac, from the iPod to the iPhone, the iPad to the Apple Watch and AirPods, and the services we use every day — the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV — we’ve spent five decades reimagining what’s possible and putting powerful tools in people’s hands. With every success, one idea guides us – that the world is moved forward by people who think differently.
That’s because progress always starts with someone – an inventor or a scientist, a student or a storyteller – who thinks of a better way, a new idea, a different way. That spirit has guided Apple from the beginning. But it was never ours alone.
Every invention we bring to the world is just the beginning of the story. The most important chapters are written by all of you — the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. He has achieved success and launched businesses. You entertained your loved ones at the hospital and photographed your baby’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and renewed friendships. Pursue your curiosity, discover your new favorite song, and share the stories that connect us all.
In your hands, the tools we make improve lives, and sometimes even save them. And that’s what inspires us – not what technology can do on its own, but what you can do with it.
At Apple, we’re more focused on building tomorrow than remembering yesterday. But we couldn’t let this milestone pass without thanking the millions of people who make Apple what it is today — our amazing teams around the world, our developer community, and all the customers who have joined us on this journey. Your ideas inspire our work. Your trust motivates us to do better. Your stories remind us of all we can achieve if we think differently.
If you’ve taught us anything, it’s that people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do it.
Here’s to the crazy ones.
Which is wrong.
Rebels.
They don’t abuse.
Round pegs in square holes.
They see things differently.
Here’s to you.
Tim Cook
It’s amazing that Apple has already been around for 50 years. What will another 50 years bring? The concept of the iPhone alone was inconceivable outside of science fiction 50 years ago. Will the Mac, iPhone, and iPad be around in 50 years, or will we have a new and completely different technology, inspired by current sci-fi? Time will tell! In the meantime, enjoy a note from Tim Cook, and beautiful wallpapers.