The Effects Apple has had on American and Popular Culture

[montypython]

For a college research paper I am looking at the effects that innovative companies like Apple, Google and 3M have had on our every day lives here in the US and around the world. Apple obviously has made a large impact with the iPod and Google with the “Google search technology”, but I am looking for more than just that. If you have any ideas on how any one of these three companies has altered our lives that would be great. Any links or suggestions on where to look would be welcome. Also if there is an innovative company that I haven’t thought of please tell me.

In addition to looking at how they changed culture around their products I am also looking at why. Why did their product change culture and why are these companies so successful at making these changes? My thoughts so far are that the open and creative atmosphere that these companies have created leads to a product line that attracts successful business. I know that Apple is not so much creative as it is cooperative, but it is a unique environment that may be the key to their success.

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Marky_Mark]

Um... try

Macintosh (generally)
First GUI in mainstream
First Mouse in the mainstream
Birth of desktop publishing
First Laser printer in the mainstream
First WYSIWYG in the mainstream
Completely different approach to industrial design standards in computing and technology devices
Concept of 'Computer as an appliance'
Radical redesign of laptop form-factors - keyboard at back, mouse and wristrest at front
Laptop Trackpads in the mainstream
Handwriting recognition on Newton PDA

EDIT: I forgot the first peer-to-peer networking in the mainstream - AppleTalk

Need I go on?

 

[mms]

First check out the recent TIME cover story on Apple if you haven't already. It was just a couple of weeks ago so it shouldn't be that hard to find.

Other than that, it's probably pretty easy to argue that Apple was the single most important company in bringing the computer to the mainstream. I would particularly cite the effects of the first G3 iMac in that it was the first to bring this colorful and easily approachable design to a computer. Ive's designs alone are a wonder to look at and, after being imitated (often unsuccessfully) by competitors, led a revolution in the way we think about a computer. Just the pretty design itself was a stark contrast to the dull beige ubiquitous before the introduction of the iMac. As the entire industry began to appeal to customers with well-designed exteriors, the perception of the computer began to change from that of a workhorse to an integral part of the people's lives. And that's just the public's view based on the magnificent designs.

The iMac came internet-ready, and Apple really made an effort to make it easy for everybody to set up. Though it by no means started the trend towards connectivity, it did go a long ways in making the internet more accessible in the eyes of the people.

The visual appeal both in the design of the hardware (particularly by Ive) and the general user interface of Mac OS X, along with arguably the prolonged emphasis on the one-button mouse are examples of how the company kept trying to be user-friendly. Whereas the many problems with Windows made Microsoft a generally disliked brand, the attractiveness of Apple made people want to use a computer. And that alone is the most important part of the industry today. Apple has always kept its sights not as much on profits (the way Microsoft does) but on the user.

 

[puckhead193]

you have to mention the ipod that changed how we buy and listen to music you can talk about that for about a good 2 pages