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iTunes movie releases catch up with DVDs: Today in Apple history

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May 1: Today in Apple history: iTunes begins selling digital movies on same day as DVD release May 1, 2008: The iTunes Store takes a gigantic step toward cinematic relevancy, selling new movies on the day of their DVD releases for the very first time.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in a press release. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

Movies out that week include Cloverfield, Juno, Alvin and the Chipmunks and American Gangster.

iTunes Store legitimizes digital distribution

Syncing iTunes and DVD movie releases addressed one of the few problems digital distribution still faced when compared to physical media in the early years of the 21st century. With the delay now a thing of the past, iTunes sold new movies for $14.99 each. Older catalog titles cost $9.99. Initially, the iTunes movies deal only applied to the United States, although it later expanded to other countries.

While it seems like a footnote in tech history in an era where Netflix, Apple TV+ and other streaming services have so thoroughly remade the content-distribution process, at the time it was a big deal. The iTunes Store was only 5 years old, having opened its digital doors in April 2003.

The ability to download videos through iTunes came in October 2005 with the launch of iTunes 6.0. At first, Apple offered just a few thousand music videos, Pixar short films, and a selection of hit TV shows for $1.99 each. It later expanded to offer movies.

iTunes movie sales come of age

With the May 2008 announcement about day-and-date movie releases, the iTunes Store caught up with DVDs in terms of offering the latest blockbusters on demand. At the time, YouTube was still in its infancy, and Netflix was known predominantly for mailing out rental DVDs rather than streaming.

The iTunes Store’s big move marked an important milestone in legitimizing digital distribution. It also once again ensured that Apple existed on the cutting edge of technology and culture.

In the early 2000s, Apple made a name for itself as a video provider by building the place to download the latest movie trailers in the highest possible quality. Being able to promise day-and-date movie releases on iTunes further fueled Apple’s Hollywood ambitions.

Today, Apple has gone one step further. Apple TV+ showcases Apple’s goals when it comes to original content. And, just as Netflix starts to falter in the face of growing competition, Apple TV+ is coming on strong.

What was the first movie you downloaded from iTunes? Leave your comments below.



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First iPad 3G tablets reach customers: Today in Apple history

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iPad
The iPad was the fastest-selling new product line in Apple history.
Photo: iPad

April 30: Today in Apple history: iPad 3G arrives April 30, 2010: Almost a month after the first-gen iPad went on sale, the first Wi-Fi + 3G iPads arrive in the hands of U.S. customers.

The devices ship in boxes identical to the Wi-Fi-only models, but with an additional sticker noting their 3G capabilities. The tablets come preloaded with micro-SIM cards branded AT&T, the only carrier that initially supports iPad.

iPad 3G becomes a smash hit for Apple

Steve Jobs publicly unveiled the first iPad on January 27, 2010, three months before the Wi-Fi + 3G device went on sale.

The device immediately became a massive commercial and critical success, with The Wall Street Journal quipping that, “The last time there was this much excitement over a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”

By the time the iPad 3G went on sale, the tablet was already well on its way to becoming Apple’s fastest-selling new product ever. Apple sold 1 million units in less than a month. And, in the iPad’s first year, Apple sold around 25 million of them. Those impressive numbers made the tablet the most successful new product category launch in Cupertino history.

In terms of size, the original iPad measured 0.5 inches thick, weighed 1.5 pounds and boasted a 9.7-inch multitouch display. A 1GHz Apple A4 chip powered the tablet. You could get it with storage options ranging from 16GB to 64GB of flash memory. It didn’t come with a camera.

Were you among the customers who bought a Wi-Fi + 3G iPad back in 2010? If so, what were your first reactions to the new device? Let us know your memories of the first-gen iPad in the comments below.



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iTunes Music Store opens its doors: Today in Apple history

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April 28: Today in Apple history: iTunes Music Store launches April 28, 2003: Apple opens the iTunes Music Store, revolutionizing the music industry and digital distribution of content.

At a time when getting music online mostly means illegal downloads from pirate services like Napster, iTunes quickly proves that customers will pay for songs — provided the service is good enough.

iTunes Music Store opens

The ability to share free music was one of many major disruptions the internet brought in the 1990s and 2000s. Faster connections made downloading and sharing tracks less painful. And the widespread presence of CD-RW drives (which shipped on around 40% of new PCs by winter 2000) made sharing songs or even whole albums quick and easy.

Surprisingly, Apple — traditionally ahead of the curve on multimedia — initially missed out on letting users burn their songs to CD. Although the company marketed the iMac G3 as an internet computer (one of the words the “i” in its name evoked was “internet”), it took until February 2001 for an iMac to ship with a CD-RW drive.

“I felt like a dope,” Steve Jobs later admitted, having made a rare misjudgment about where the industry was headed.

iMac lets users ‘Rip, Mix, Burn’ CDs

The 2001 iMac rolled out with an advertising campaign describing the computer’s ability to let users “Rip, Mix, Burn” their own CDs. This earned Apple the ire of entertainment industry moguls, who suggested that the company condoned piracy.

The Apple ads coincided with the launch of iTunes 1.0, which started out as software for ripping music from CDs and then organizing it on Macs. Later in 2001, Apple launched the first iPod, which rapidly grew to become the company’s biggest-selling product. The combined success of the iPod and iTunes made Jobs contemplate ways to simplify online music sales.

Apple already led the way with high-quality movie trailers, thanks to its QuickTime technology. Apple’s online store also proved a big hit with consumers, demonstrating that the company could pull off internet-based sales.

iTunes Music Store changes the music industry

The challenge for the iTunes Music Store came in convincing music labels that digital distribution, which risked further diminishing CD sales, made sense from a business perspective. Other companies’ previous attempts to sell MP3s failed, due to limited catalogs, ugly user interfaces and an insistence that users pay subscription fees.

Apple planned to change that. However, to do so, it needed to sell record labels on breaking down albums into individual tracks costing 99 cents each.

Jobs eventually won over the heads of the “Big Five” record labels — BMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. As a result, the iTunes Music Store launched on this day in 2003 with more than 200,000 tracks on offer. Within six months, the number of songs in the iTunes store doubled.

iTunes Music Store becomes a hit

The iTunes Music Store proved to be a massive success for Apple. By December 15, 2003, it celebrated its 25 millionth download. By the following July, Apple sold its 100 millionth song. Today, Apple has sold north of 40 billion songs.

These days, downloaded songs have given way to streaming on services like Apple Music and Spotify. However, the opening of the iTunes Music Store remains immensely significant. It showed Apple’s willingness to move into a new market. And it also created a new profit-splitting revenue stream for the company.

The later expansion of iTunes to sell TV shows, music videos and movies also helped turn Apple into a full-fledged media company. Cupertino continues to build on these efforts today by creating its own original video content for Apple TV+.

Without iTunes’ breakout success, it’s questionable whether Apple would have even created an App Store.

What was the first song you ever downloaded on iTunes? Leave your comments below.



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Today in Apple history: Psystar clone Macs go rogue

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April 27: Today in Apple history: Psystar clone Macs go rogue April 27, 2008: Psystar’s first Mac clones ship to customers. The new Open Computer means that, for the first time since the mid-1990s, there’s no need to assemble a “hackintosh” to run OS X on a non-Apple computer.

Unlike previous clone Macs, however, these low-priced computers don’t come with Cupertino’s blessing. Naturally, a fight ensues.

A brief history of Mac clones

Anyone old enough to remember Apple in the 1990s should remember clone Macs, the third-party computers that ran Apple’s operating system. The clone Mac era began in 1994, when Cupertino licensed its OS to companies like Power Computing and Radius.

Cupertino’s goal? To grow the Apple brand.

However, Apple quickly realized it lost money on the deal. The tiny licensing fees generated less revenue than selling genuine Macs to customers. Instead of more Macs, the strategy resulted in cheaper Macs.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he ended the clone Macs scheme, buying out the remaining licenses as he focused on returning Apple to profitability. The last Mac clone-maker, Power Computing, closed shop in early 1998.

A decade later, Apple sat on top of the world. Aside from restoring the prestige of its Mac division, the company launched the iPhone, the iTunes Music Store and the iPod (at the time, Cupertino’s most profitable product). No good reason compelled Apple to get back into the clone business. But that did not stop clone-makers from wanting to cash in on Apple’s success.

Enter the Psystar Open Computer

Psystar Open Computer in black and white versions
Do you remember the Open Computer?
Photo: Psystar

One such company was Miami-based Psystar Corporation, founded by Rudy and Robert Pedraza. Announced in April 2008, Psystar manufactured the first commercially distributed hackintosh computers. The machines could come with Mac OS X Leopard preinstalled.

To make this possible, Psystar adapted tech from the OSx86 Project, a collaborative hacking effort to get OS X running on standard PCs with x86 architecture on x86-64 processors.

Psystar’s Open Computer came with a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor, 2GB of DDR2 667 memory, integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics, 20x DVD+/-R SATA drive, gigabit Ethernet and four rear USB ports. (Customers could tweak and upgrade these components if they wished.) Prices started at $399, while a fully kitted-out OpenPro machine running OS X could stretch to $1,154.99.

The company’s press materials noted that:

“The Open Computer is a PC that works just like a Mac. With the Open Computer you can run OS X natively as if you had purchased an expensive Apple computer except that, while paying less, you receive more. Apple’s entry-level computer, the Mac Mini, is a small and not very powerful machine. When comparing base configurations, the Mac Mini costs 150% of the price of the Open Computer while offering poorer performance, smaller storage space, and RAM. Not only that but the Mac Mini doesn’t have the option for an nVidia GeForce 8600 video card like the Open Computer does so playing games on it is a lost cause.”

Apple sues Psystar over clone Macs

It didn’t take Apple’s legal team long to spring into action. By July, Cupertino had filed a copyright-infringement suit against the small PC-maker.

Apple argued that Psystar’s clones violated the Mac OS X software licensing agreement. Cupertino accused the clone-maker of “direct and contributory copyright infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, and violation of state and common law unfair competition laws.” Apple also accused Psystar of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Psystar hit back. The clone-maker argued that Cupertino abused its Mac OS X copyright by forcing customers wanting to run the operating system to use Apple computers. Ultimately, a U.S. District Court ruled in Apple’s favor in 2009, handing the company a permanent injunction against Psystar.

One of the last products Psystar sold was a T-shirt reading: “I sued Psystar, and all I got was a lousy injunction.” In the end, Apple got a little more than that: Psystar agreed to pay Apple $2.67 million in damages.



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Mac OS Copland suffers fatal blow: Today in Apple history

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April 26: Today in Apple history: Mac OS Copland suffers fatal blow when David C. Nagel leaves Apple April 26, 1996: Mac OS Copland, Apple’s eagerly anticipated but much-delayed operating system for the Macintosh, suffers a fatal blow when the senior VP in charge of the project leaves the company.

David C. Nagel, Apple’s chief technologist, previously promised Mac OS Copland would ship to users by mid-1996 at the latest. With meeting that deadline no longer possible, he leaves Apple for a job running AT&T Laboratories.

It’s yet another sign that Apple’s top-to-bottom Mac operating system upgrade is in major trouble.

Mac OS Copland: Apple reacts to Windows 95

For as long as Apple had been shipping Macintosh computers, the Mac OS had been the clear benchmark for high-quality computer operating systems. However, by the mid-1990s, the Mac’s core software was starting to look a little long in the tooth. System 7 remained superior to Windows 95, but to many users, the gap looked less evident than before.

The Copland operating system, named after American composer Aaron Copland, was a project designed to restore Apple’s competitive edge. Announced in March 1994, the OS promised many features that seem familiar today. Among them: a Spotlight-esque “live search” feature in the toolbar, more comprehensive multitasking, and the ability to let different users log in (each with different desktops and permissions).

In keeping with this customization, Apple made Mac OS Copland “theme-able.” Users could choose the theme they liked best — such as a Dark Mode-style futuristic look or a brighter, more kid-friendly one. The OS’ visual flourishes extended to an interface using 3-D shading and color in a way Macs previously could not.

Similar to today’s Mac Dock (or Windows’ taskbar), Copland made it possible to minimize windows by dragging them to the bottom of the screen, where they became tabs. Another big change came under the hood: Apple designed Mac OS Copland to be PowerPC-native, with older programs running through an emulator.

One Copland beta … and lots of feature creep

Things seemed on track for a while. In November 1995, Apple released the first Mac OS Copland beta to a select group of around 50 Mac developers. However, things never went further than that. After the beta shipped, Apple kept rolling back the timeline for the full release. Amid the delays, Apple routinely added extra features to justify the increased development time.

As a result, the project simply became too expensive and unwieldy. By 1996, 500 engineers toiled away on Mac OS Copland. The project’s annual budget ballooned to a massive $250 million.

When Nagel left Apple on this day in 1996, it was proof positive that things were going wrong. One of the Apple execs most synonymous with the project, he even led the Copland discussion at Macworld Boston in August 1995.

Despite the defection of such a key player, Apple insisted that the operating system would ship eventually. However, Nagel’s departure came soon after Apple posted a staggering $740 million loss.

CEO Gil Amelio took to the stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and said Mac OS Copland would ship as a series of upgrades rather than a unified single release. A few months after that, Apple effectively canceled Copland.

Today, Copland’s biggest legacy is that it pushed Apple to rethink its operating system strategy. That led to Cupertino buying Steve Jobs’ company NeXT — and Jobs returning to the Apple fold.

Do you remember the Mac OS Copland saga? Were you an Apple user at this time? Leave your comments below.



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Pixar Image Computer is discontinued: Today in Apple history

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April 25: Today in Apple history: Pixar stops selling computers April 25, 1990: Steve Jobs shuts down Pixar’s hardware division (yes, it used to have one!), ending production of the pricey Pixar Image Computer immediately.

Jobs sells the company’s hardware unit to Fremont, California-based imaging company Vicom Systems for a paltry $2 million.

Steve Jobs at Pixar

Pixar was Jobs’ “rebound” company after his acrimonious departure from Apple in 1985. In early 1986, he bought a majority interest in the animation studio from Star Wars creator George Lucas for just $5 million (and an extra $5 million in guaranteed funding).

The long-term dream of Pixar’s founders was to create feature-length computer-animated movies, which is exactly what happened. However, while they waited for Moore’s law to make this kind of computing power possible, Jobs thought the company could sell computers to pay its way.

Pixar Image Computer: Too expensive

Lucas led the company during the development of the Pixar Image Computer. The filmmaker found existing computers too weak to handle the graphics needed to produce Pixar’s work (or to meet the demands of Hollywood studios that hired the company).

The Pixar Image Computer launched three months after Jobs acquired a controlling interest in the company. It was an impressive piece of kit, but carried a $135,000 price tag (the equivalent of more than $380,000 today). It also needed a $35,000 Sun Microsystems or Silicon Graphics workstation to function.

A second-generation model called the Pixar Image Computer II (aka the P-II) followed in 1987, with a vastly reduced price tag of “just” $35,000.

However, the computers sold poorly — and to a relatively small number of buyers. By April 1990, fewer than 300 Pixar Image Computers had sold. The main buyers included The Walt Disney Company, universities, intelligence agencies and medical research labs.

When Pixar’s five-person Animation Group won an Oscar for its short film Tin Toy in 1989, Jobs’ interests switched to that team, which he previously planned to kill off due to its inability to turn a profit. He canned the hardware division instead.

Pixar Image Computer: When ditching hardware turns out well

This happened amid a bad few years for Jobs. Of the two companies he owned — Pixar and NeXT — neither sold hardware in the quantities necessary to reach sustainability. Three years after the Pixar Image Computer was discontinued, NeXT also quit making hardware — and laid off 330 of its 500 employees.

Fortunately, both events turned out to be for the best. A reconfigured version of NeXT’s operating system, called OpenStep, led to NeXT being sold to Apple in 1996. (This ultimately led to Jobs becoming Apple’s CEO.)

As for Pixar, the renewed focus on animation led to Toy Story. The success of that film triggered the IPO that made Jobs a billionaire.

Did you ever use a Pixar Image Computer? Are you a Steve Jobs completist who happens to own one? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.



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Original Apple Watch launch finally happens: Today in Apple history

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April 24: Today in Apple history: Original Apple Watch launch date April 24, 2015: The original Apple Watch launch means consumers, who endured a seven-month wait after the device’s unveiling at a keynote the previous September, can finally strap an Apple wearable onto their wrists.

Apple CEO Tim Cook describes the smartwatch as the “next chapter in Apple history.”  Behind the scenes, however, the first Apple Watch launch is a moment long in the making.

The original Apple Watch launch

“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a March 2015 press release setting the April 24 launch date for the first Apple Watch. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”

Repeatedly described as Apple’s “most personal device yet,” the new wearable put several innovations on wearers’ wrists — and Apple was quick to tout its hardware savvy.

Digital Crown, Taptic Engine and other hardware innovations

The Apple Watch’s Digital Crown — a small knob on the smartwatch’s side — provided an “innovative way to scroll, zoom and navigate fluidly without obstructing the display,” the company said. And an “all-new Taptic Engine discreetly delivers a gentle tap on your wrist whenever you receive a notification or message.”

The very first Apple Watch came in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, and in three separate models: the aluminum Apple Watch Sport (with prices starting at $349), the stainless steel Apple Watch (starting at $549) and the ultra-pricey, 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition (starting at a mind-blowing $10,000).

Interchangeable watch bands and watch faces gave Apple Watch owners multiple ways to make the device their own.

Similar to the way Apple co-founder Steve Jobs described the iPhone as a device that did three things, the company boiled down Apple Watch functionality into three distinct categories. The watch served as “incredibly accurate timepiece, an intimate and immediate communication device and a groundbreaking health and fitness companion,” Apple said in a press release announcing the Apple Watch launch date.

A post-Steve Jobs device

Given that Steve Jobs died in October 2011 and the Apple Watch came out in 2015, it wasn’t the first post-Jobs Apple device by any stretch of the imagination. It was, however, the first major new product line to launch in the post-Jobs era.

In this way, Apple Watch was something like the Newton MessagePad, the device shepherded through production by Apple CEO John Sculley in the 1990s. (Jobs left Apple in 1985 after a failed boardroom coup.)

Just as the Newton reflected the tech industry’s first tentative steps toward embracing mobile computing in the 1990s, the Apple Watch signaled the arrival of wearables.

“There was a sense that technology was going to move onto the body,” Alan Dye, the man in charge of Apple’s human interface group, told Wired. “We felt like the natural place, the place that had historical relevance and significance, was the wrist.”

Did Steve Jobs know about Apple Watch?

There’s a bit of confusion as to whether Jobs was involved in the early stages of the Watch’s development. The aforementioned Wired article claims that Apple design chief Jony Ive only thought about an Apple-branded watch after Jobs’ death. However, Tim Bajarin — an Apple analyst who, unlike many, actually knew Jobs for more than three decades — said, “Steve was aware of the Watch” and “didn’t nix it as a product.”

Conceptualization of the Apple Watch took place around the time that Apple engineers were busy working on iOS 7, a major overhaul that eliminated skeuomorphism from iPhone’s user interface. After that, Apple’s smartwatch began to develop as a product. Apple recruited various smart-sensor experts to create a device that would offer something fundamentally different from the iPhone.

The original Apple Watch launch also marked an attempt by Apple to become more of a luxury brand. Going back to the company’s earliest days, Cupertino drew parallels between its computers and aspirational goods like high-end cars.

However, decisions like making a $17,000 Apple Watch Edition and showing off the device at Paris Fashion Week marked a strategy shift that embraced high-end fashion in a way Apple hadn’t overtly done before.

Original Apple Watch launch is the start of something big

Apple first showed off its smartwatch on September 9, 2014, during the media event revealing the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The show took place at The Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California. (That’s where Jobs debuted the first Mac in 1984 and the Bondi Blue iMac G3 in 1998.)

While not the breakout product either of those machines were, Apple Watch remains a major hit in its own right. A 2021 estimate by Above Avalon put the number of Apple Watch wearers at 100 million. And a 2022 survey showed that Apple Watch dominates the smartwatch category, with a commanding 36% slice of the market. (Apple refuses to release Apple Watch sales numbers, but regularly talks up the wearable’s high satisfaction rate among early adopters.)

With the latest models, Apple Watch finally feels more like its own device and not so much an iPhone accessory. Health and fitness features, like the life-saving ECG heart-rate sensor, have become major selling points. Cupertino continues to refine the Apple Watch design, shrinking bezels and adding new features like an always-on display.

In 2022, the Apple Watch Ultra — a bigger, brawnier model designed for extreme athletes — brought the first major expansion of the product line. Plus, Apple continues to work on even more advanced health sensors, like monitors for high blood pressure and blood glucose levels. (A legal setback in 2024 forced Apple to deactivate the blood oxygen sensor in Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models. Apple plans to appeal.)

Finally, it seems that the Apple Watch has found its niche.

What’s your take on Apple Watch?

What’s your view of the Apple Watch at this point? Are you a loyal customer, who couldn’t do without Apple’s wearable? Leave your comments below.



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App Store hits 1 billion downloads: Today in Apple history

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April 23: Today in Apple history: App Store hits 1 billion downloads April 23, 2009: Less than a year after opening its virtual doors, the App Store reaches 1 billion downloads.

Peer-to-peer file sharing app Bump becomes the 1 billionth app to be downloaded. As a result of his purchase, 13-year-old Connor Mulcahey of Weston, Connecticut, wins a “1 Billion App Countdown” promotion.

He takes home an assortment of Apple products valued at more than $13,000, including a $10,000 iTunes gift card, a 32GB iPod touch, a Time Capsule and a 17-inch MacBook Pro.

App Store’s 1 billionth download

Hitting the astronomical billionth download so soon after launch showed the remarkable potential of the App Store. The simple idea — hosting a curated software collection filled with the creations of developers big and small — turned the iPhone into a device capable of doing almost anything.

“The revolutionary App Store has been a phenomenal hit with iPhone and iPod touch users around the world, and we’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve the astonishing milestone of one billion apps downloaded,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a 2009 statement. “In nine months, the App Store has completely revolutionized the mobile industry and this is only the beginning.”

At the time, Apple had sold 37 million iPhones and iPod touches, the two devices capable of accessing the App Store. There were around 35,000 iOS apps available for download. (By comparison, Apple today has sold well more than 2 billion iPhones, and the App Store houses an estimated 1.81 million different apps.)

Setting new App Store records

The App Store hit 1 billion downloads in an era during which Cupertino was very keen on celebrating such milestones. For example, in 2004 it marked the 100 millionth iTunes song download by giving that customer a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs and a personal phone call from Steve Jobs.

After the billionth App Store download, sales just kept climbing. In fact, by March 2012, Apple celebrated a staggering 25 billion apps downloaded. In 2020, the App Store enabled $643 billion in billings and sales, according to Apple.

And all of this from an App Store that a skeptical Jobs did not want to allow!

Victim of its own success?

However, the App Store’s astonishing success — and Apple’s tight control over the marketplace — gives antitrust regulators around the world a ripe target. Apple faces potential regulation at home and abroad.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act already forced Apple to make changes to iOS and the App Store. iOS 17.4, released in March 2024, opened up the iPhone to allow third-party app marketplaces and sideloading on iOS devices.

It also opened the iPhone’s NFC chip to third-party payment and banking apps, giving users an alternative to Apple Pay. These and other measures are designed to loosen Cupertino’s grip on the App Store.

Can you recall the first app you ever downloaded from the App Store? Let us know in the comments below.



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iBeetle car pairs Apple with Volkswagen: Today in Apple history

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April 22: Today in Apple history: Apple teams with VW for the iBeetle. It's the first Apple car! April 22, 2013: The world gets its first Apple car. Well, kind of. In reality, the iBeetle is a collaboration with German automaker Volkswagen that offers a car “stylistically linked” to Apple.

This means Apple-inspired colors, a built-in docking station for your iPhone, and a special app that lets you control the car’s features.

The iBeetle: An iPhone on wheels? Sort of.

The iBeetle debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show. At the time, the world was very excited about a possible Apple car. Apple had been interested in getting into the automotive game since all the way back in 1980. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs seemed keen on the idea, although he died before the iBeetle became a reality.

Unfortunately, the iBeetle — like some of Apple’s other half-baked collaborations — didn’t quite live up to the hype.

It came in several different muted exterior colors reminiscent of the iPhone. These included Candy White, Oryx White Mother of Pearl Effect, Black Monochrome, Deep Black Pearl Effect, Platinum Grey and Reflex Silver.

It also boasted a built-in iPhone dock and custom Beetle app. Features included the ability to stream songs from Spotify and iTunes; check lateral acceleration; monitor oil and coolant temperature gauges for the engine; and access a compass.

A “Trainer” feature, meanwhile, allowed iBeetle owners to compare drive times, distances and fuel economy on routes. “Postcard” let them send their current location to friends. “Photo” sent photos inside the car to social networks. “Reader” read new text messages and social media posts.

Inside the VW iBeetle, a collaboration between Apple and Volkswagen
Inside the VW iBeetle, a special dock put the iPhone at the heart of the driving experience.
Photo: Volkswagen

Secret Apple car project ends

Ultimately, the world viewed the iBeetle as a missed opportunity. Apple clearly remained interested in automotive technology, however. The following year, the company introduced an improved in-car operating system called CarPlay.

In 2017, the company published a research paper describing how neural networks can improve accuracy in lidar technology used in autonomous vehicles.

The company reportedly wanted to develop next-gen lidar sensors — which would help autonomous cars make their way down busy streets — that were smaller, cheaper and easier to manufacture than existing options. Oh, and Apple wanted its “revolutionary design” for lidar sensors to look better, too.

Apple also operated a fleet of self-driving cars, and reportedly used a former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles facility in Arizona to test autonomous vehicles.

Meanwhile, Apple reportedly talked with several potential partners for manufacturing an electric vehicle. The company pursued patents related to futuristic vehicles and poached key executives from automakers.

A March 2022 rumor indicated Apple’s automobile team had been “dissolved for some time” — but said the company hoped to “achieve the goal of mass production by 2025.”

Eventually, the company scaled back its grand plan to produce a totally self-driving car. “The company is now planning a less-ambitious design that will include a steering wheel and pedals and only support full autonomous capabilities on highways,” Bloomberg wrote in late 2022.

More than a decade after the iBeetle, Project Titan comes to an end

However, Apple’s automotive dreams came to a crashing halt in 2024. After spending a decade, and a reported $10 billion, in its secret effort to produce a self-driving electric vehicle, Apple pulled the plug on Project Titan.

Still, Apple continues to work on making CarPlay an advanced software framework for other automakers.

Were you excited about the possibility of an Apple car (other than the iBeetle)? Let us know your thoughts below.

The iBeetle isn't the end of Apple car experimentation.
The iBeetle wasn’t the end of Apple car experimentation.
Photo: Volkswagen



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Canon might buy Apple, rumors say: Today in Apple history

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April 21: Today in Apple history: Rumors fly that Canon might buy Apple April 21, 1995: Rumors swirl that Canon (yes, the Japanese camera company!) might take over Apple in either a partial or complete acquisition.

Speculation grows about a possible deal after Apple reveals its latest earnings, which show big improvement but still fall far short of Wall Street’s expectations.

Canon buying Apple?!?

Although Canon denied interest, and neither Canon nor Apple ever publicly confirmed any such negotiations, the rumor mill in April 1995 buzzed about the possibilities. With AAPL shares trading at $35, Canon reportedly offered a not-insignificant $54.50 a share. That represented a total valuation of $6.5 billion for Apple. (To put that in perspective, today Apple is closer to a $2.6 trillion market cap.)

Canon might seem like an unlikely candidate to buy Apple, but in fact the company was a pretty major tech player in the 1980s and ’90s. After Macintosh project founder Jef Raskin left Apple, Canon scooped him up and gave him the opportunity to develop his vision of the Macintosh. Released in 1987 as the Canon Cat, the computer failed to take off — despite critical acclaim and decent sales.

Not long after, in June 1989, Canon paid $100 million for 16.67% of Steve Jobs’ post-Apple company, NeXT. Canon later provided another $10 million to $20 million in 1991, and extended a $55 million credit line in 1992.

Canon also manufactured the NeXT Computer’s optical disc drive, and Jobs ultimately sold NeXT’s hardware business to Canon in 1993. (Apple acquired NeXT in 1996, bringing Jobs back to Cupertino in the process.)

Apple acquisition rumors made sense

Therefore, the idea that Canon might acquire Apple wasn’t totally unreasonable. The rumors came at a time when Apple CEO Mike Spindler was desperately trying to offload the company.

Other potential (serious) purchasers included IBM and the now-defunct Sun Microsystems. Apple also approached Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Philips and Toshiba, although those discussions never went far.

Ultimately, the Apple-Canon deal (obviously) never happened. In April 1995, Apple was enjoying a brief respite from the “bad old days” of the 1990s. Thanks to increased demand for Macs in the second quarter of 1995, Apple earned $73 million. That was more than four times the $17 million it made the same quarter a year earlier.

Before too long, Spindler was out at Apple. New CEO Gil Amelio, who harbored a different strategy for turning the company around, replaced him. Then, by the end of 1996, Steve Jobs returned. Amelio got ousted, and Apple was primed for its comeback. Things could have been very, very different, though.

Any longtime tech fans want to speculate on where a Canon-run Apple would be today? Leave your comments below.



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