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Greatest Apple innovation EVER?

T

The Grood

macrumors regular
Original poster
The MacIntosh? Original iMac? iPod? iTunes? OSX?

Or something else altogether?

Which has made the greatest difference to the world? And why?
 
D34th said:
No doubt the iPod in terms of its effects on the world and the music industry...
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Based on the criteria, probably the ipod combined with itunes. Given its market penetration, it's as revolutionary as the walkman ~25 years ago. But it's not just the iPod, it's also itunes, which showed that online music could be done legally and at a reasonable price. the music cos. still probably hate it, but they have to admit that it's legitimized online music distribution.

Although it's not really Apple's invention (probably Xerox), the graphical user interface (GUI) of the Lisa and first Mac probably is also as revolutionary. Indeed, it took microsoft nearly 10 years to copy it and market it well--it was that far ahead of its time. But who other than really hard-core computer folks, who are a bit older, can conceive of command lines and whatnot as in DOS?
 
iMac + firewire + iMovie

Eaaaassssyyyy home movie editing. Something that PC's still struggle with. When my friends see how quickly I knock up great looking clips in iMovie they all get a little green with envy. So far 3 out of 6 of them have switched on this basis alone.

John
 
I know it's not an Apple innovation, but the innovation which has helped the profile of Apple the most is undoubtedly Windows 😛 .

I know everyone is going to say iPod, but I'd actually argue it was the original iMac in 1998. Even in my youthful naivety, it caught my eye. Completely changed my opinion of Apple. Before I saw the iMac adverts (I still remeber them vividly) I thought Apple was just another type of beige box computer.

The iMac redefined the Apple image. Without it, I don't think they'd ever have been capable of making the iPod (or at least incapable of popularising it).
 
Le Big Mac said:
Although it's not really Apple's invention (probably Xerox), the graphical user interface (GUI) of the Lisa and first Mac probably is also as revolutionary.
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awfully hard to argue with that... what could be more important than the GUI?

but if you want to credit that one to xerox, then I'll go with... the original imac.
 
The Greatest Apple Innovation. Putting 'i' in front of everything. Seriously, though, I'd have to agree with FluerDuMal and the iMac. I remember even when I was hardcore PC/Windows, I thought the iMac G4 looked pretty nice.
 
Hmmm. Original iMac. It caught my eye... the colors...

It made apple exciting again. They were fast, pretty, and ran everthing you could ever want. And... I was quite impressed with the design. Squeezing the computer around the monitor like that was pure genius. It perfectly summed up the new apple. Design and aesthetics of the hardware as part of the user experience. Nobody came close to that before, and Apple has really ran with it, making space-age stuff with the a classic simple design. They have now revolutionized electronics in general. But I think it all started with the iMac.
 
Stea^H^H^H^H Borrowing the GUI from Xerox 1st, and 2nd blending the worlds most beautiful GUI with a UNIX like OS. OS X how I love thee! 3rd making the GUI network aware just like X11 so I can run PPC apps from a PPC machine over the network on my MBP at native speed... oh wait you haven't done that yet Apple oh well maybe in time for the next poll?
 
i have to agree with the original iMac. it generated all the interest, financing, and trust the company has today.
 
risc said:
Stea^H^H^H^H Borrowing the GUI from Xerox 1st, and 2nd blending the worlds most beautiful GUI with a UNIX like OS. OS X how I love thee! 3rd making the GUI network aware just like X11 so I can run PPC apps from a PPC machine over the network on my MBP at native speed... oh wait you haven't done that yet Apple oh well maybe in time for the next poll?
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Apple did not borrow the GUI from Xerox. But to the point, sushi is correct. The Apple ][ was the first preassembled personal computer. It bought the computer into the classroom, the small business office, and the home. It started the revolution that IBM took another four years to join.
 
I say the imac too. Though now I think they're ugly, at that time they were truly innovative. I don't think the ipod is that innovative actualy.
 
The Grood said:
The MacIntosh? Original iMac? iPod? iTunes? OSX?

Or something else altogether?

Which has made the greatest difference to the world? And why?
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Steve Jobs🙂

If it weren't for him, the Apple would probably never have been built. All Woz cared about was working for HP, he didn't care much about "changing the world" etc, like Jobs. Jobs is the one who convinced him to go into business with him.

But the best Apple product, in my opinion, is OSX and the iPod.
 
I would have to say making the GUI as mainstream as it is today.

Closely followed by the original iMac.

Closely followed by the Quicktake, the first consumer digital camera. EDIT:just checked, and it was one of the first consumer digital cameras. Whatever...
 
If you are talking about the greatest innovation, and not the greatest product, I would have to say Cocoa.
 
...or perhaps the texturised rubber jar gripper?

but for me, the greatest Apple innovation is the entire 'think different' ethos - from which all the other innovations flowed.
 
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the macintosh portable changed my life. and at a portable 15lbs kept me in shape! 😉
 
medea said:
magsafe.
seriously.
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That one does have a ton of future potential.

I think such advanced software integration throughout the system (iLife, Address Book, Mail, Calendar, FCS and Shake). I'm sure you couldn't say Apple invented this idea, but surely they've carried it out far better than anyone else. And I expect more from them in the future.
 
The Macintosh and its ideas of personal computing for everyone. Hands down. Everything else would be worthless without it.
 
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