Apple Vision Pro is here. Here are Apple’s top 5 life-changing innovations.

Jun 09, 2023

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor), Brent Jabbour (Producer)

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off Monday, June 5, where the company makes a big production of its new products. Will this year’s launches change technology forever? Here are Apple’s biggest innovations throughout its history in this week’s Five For Friday.

#5: Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro will be one of the priciest headsets on the market at $3,499 when it goes to market in 2024. It’s leaning heavily on augmented reality over virtual reality.

The device, which resembles ski goggles, can be controlled with the user’s eyes, hands and voice. Apple said it will also be compatible with a number of bluetooth devices for those that prefer a more traditional input method.

With the large price tag and its presentation, Apple appears to be pushing it to business users, but it did show off some of its entertainment offerings, including a partnership with Disney+.

#4: AirPods

Before Apple’s AirPods, truly wireless earbuds were few and far between and the products that were on the market were plagued with battery life, connectivity and sound issues.

When Apple finally released the AirPods in 2016, they seamlessly connected to other Apple devices and had a charging dock small enough to fit in your pocket. After it bought Beats by Dre, Apple became the leading headphone maker in the U.S., despite concerns that AirPods would fall out of ears.

#3: iPod

Until the release of the iPod in 2001, carrying around your music collection meant lugging books of CDs or boxes of tapes. Apple’s iPod ushered in the digital marketplace era of iTunes, which is now a one-stop shop for entertainment.

True to Apple form, the iPod had multiple models, including the Shuffle, Nano and Touch. Apple also had some of the most iconic commercials that featured music that defined the early 2000s.

Apple stopped making the iPod last year, but by that time, it was just a less functional version of No. 2 on this week’s list.

#2: iPhone

It feels like a lifetime ago when BlackBerry was on top of the smartphone game. Without the iPhone’s 2007 launch, people would probably still be typing with buttons instead of a multitouch display.

Iterating on the iPod’s battery life and storage capacity made the iPhone an immediate success. It also allowed Apple to eventually introduce the world to Siri, which brought on a whole new world of AI personal assistants.

Apple continues to add features in its annual models, including multiple cameras on the device. But while Android still has more users worldwide, having green text bubbles can get you kicked out of a group chat.

#1: Macintosh

Apple II was one of the first successful microcomputers on the market, but it was the Macintosh that changed the personal computer landscape forever.

Taking features from the failed LISA (and slashing the price), Apple’s Macintosh had a mouse-driven graphical user interface. The company launched the innovation with a Ridley Scott-directed 1984 Super Bowl commercial, which is an all-time great. And the product itself was so innovative Apple filed a lawsuit against rival Microsoft for taking too much inspiration from MacOS for Windows.

Microsoft ended up having a highly lucrative decade but Apple got its groove back with the iMac in the late ’90s. Remember all of the color options? Now Apple’s Mac lineup is a trendsetter every year.

Tags: apple, Apple Vision Pro, iPhone, Tech

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

APPLE’S ALWAYS MAKING A BIG PRODUCTION OF ITS LAUNCHES, AND THIS YEAR’S WORLDWIDE DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE IS NO DIFFERENT. WE’RE RANKING THEIR BIGGEST INNOVATIONS EVER IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

IF YOU’RE GONNA BE LATE TO THE PARTY – YOU BETTER BRING SOMETHING SPECIAL. AT $3499, THE APPLE VISION PRO WILL BE ONE OF THE PRICIEST HEADSETS ON THE MARKET. BUT IT’S LEANING HEAVY INTO AUGMENTED REALITY OVER V-R. YOU CONTROL THE SKI GOGGLES WITH YOUR EYES, HANDS AND VOICE. IT’S GIVING SOMETHING OUT OF MINORITY REPORT. APPLE’S PUSHING IT FOR BUSINESS USE, AND THERE’S ENTERTAINMENT TOO, INCLUDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH DISNEY PLUS. THE HEADSET HITS THE U-S IN 2024.

BEFORE AIRPODS, IT WAS SLIM PICKINGS IN THE TRULY WIRELESS EARBUDS DEPARTMENT. THE FEW THAT WERE OUT THERE WERE PLAGUED WITH BATTERY AND CONNECTIVITY ISSUES. WHEN APPLE RELEASED AIRPODS IN 2016, IT SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED TO APPLE DEVICES AND HAD A CHARGING DOCK THAT FIT RIGHT IN YOUR POCKET. PLUS THEY HAVE THAT ICONIC APPLE LOOK. AFTER BUYING BEATS, APPLE IS THE RUNAWAY LEADER OF HEADPHONE MAKERS IN THE U-S. AND SOMEHOW THEY DON’T REALLY FALL OUT OF YOUR EARS.

IN THE BEFORE IPOD TIMES, WE’D CARRY AROUND OUR MUSIC LIBRARIES IN BOOKS OF CDS OR EVEN BOXES OF TAPES. THE IPOD USHERED IN THE DIGITAL MARKETPLACE KNOWN AS ITUNES, THOUGH EARLY USERS MAY HAVE OPTED FOR LESS THAN LEGAL MEANS OF GETTING MUSIC. TRUE TO APPLE FORM, THEY HAD MULTIPLE MODELS: THE SHUFFLE, THE NANO, THE TOUCH. AND SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC COMMERCIALS EVER. APPLE STOPPED MAKING THE IPOD LAST YEAR. BUT BY THAT POINT, THEY WERE REALLY JUST LESS FUNCTIONAL VERSIONS OF OUR NUMBER TWO.

BLACKBERRY WAS THE TOP OF THE LINE SMARTPHONE BEFORE THE IPHONE’S LAUNCH IN 2007. JUST THINK WE COULD ALL STILL BE TYPING WITH BUTTONS. ITERATING ON THE IPOD’S BATTERY LIFE AND STORAGE CAPACITY MADE THE IPHONE AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS. IT NORMALIZED THE USE OF THE TERM APP, TAUGHT US TO TYPE ON TOUCHSCREENS. IT ALSO INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO SIRI, STIRRING UP A WHOLE WORLD OF AI PERSONAL ASSISTANTS. NOW THEY KEEP ON ADDING CAMERAS UNTIL WHAT, THEY KILL THE D-S-L-R? EVEN THOUGH ANDROID IS MORE POPULAR WORLDWIDE, YOU’LL STILL GET SHAMED FOR THOSE GREEN TEXTS.

THE APPLE TWO WALKED AND THE LISA WELL, FAILED, SO THE MACINTOSH COULD RUN. LAUNCHED IN 1984 WITH THIS ICONIC RIDLEY SCOTT SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL, THE MACINTOSH WAS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL MASS-MARKET, MOUSE-DRIVEN COMPUTER WITH GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE. IT WAS SO SLICK MICROSOFT CAUGHT A LAWSUIT FOR TAKING TOO MUCH INSPO FROM MAC-OS, BUT SOON MICROSOFT SURGED AHEAD ANYWAY, AND APPLE STRUGGLED. IN THE LATE ‘90S, THE IMAC HELPED APPLE GET ITS GROOVE BACK WITH A WIDE RANGE OF COLORS. MY FAVORITE WAS TEAL. AND NOW THE MAC LINEUP IS A TRENDSETTER EVERY YEAR.

NOT EVERYTHING APPLE LAUNCHES TURNS TO GOLD, REMEMBER THE AIRPODS MAX SMART CASE OR THE DISASTROUS LAUNCH OF APPLE MAPS? AT LEAST THEY FINALLY FIXED THE LATTER, THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY, I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO, IT’S JUST BUSINESS.