These 10 Key Moments From The Apple Event Changed Everything

For Apple enthusiasts, Apple events are must-see events, not just because of the products involved, but also because of the small moments that happen there. They may be just a few seconds or minutes of a larger presentation, but they are remarkable for their depth: the “aha!” moments that open your eyes to something bigger.

These moments are often mentioned when discussing Apple’s history or analyzing the company’s actions. In many cases, they are the moments that define the event, or even an entire era.

We could make a list of dozens of these moments, but we wanted to narrow it down to the top 10. We decided to limit the list to standalone events, so no FaceTime, Apple silicon, or other WWDC keynote announcements. (We have a separate list of our favorite Mac moments from WWDC keynotes.) And we kept things chronological to avoid any arguments over which announcement was the most important (although it’s obviously the iPhone). Without further ado, here are the top 10 moments in Apple’s special event history

1984: Welcome to Macintosh

It takes about 45 minutes before Steve Jobs (who kicks off the event by reciting the second verse of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin'”) finally gets to the moment that started it all: the reveal of the Macintosh. After Jobs inserts a boot disk, “Chariots of Fire” begins playing in the auditorium (in the 1980s, any staged dramatic moment would feature Vangelis’ song in the background), and after a few seconds, the word “MACINTOSH” scrolls horizontally across the all-in-one’s screen, followed by a splash screen with “incredibly awesome” written in cursive across the screen.

A few minutes later, the Macintosh itself spoke: “Hello, I’m Macintosh. It’s really cool to get out of this bag.” It was a moment that changed everything, not just for Apple, but for all of technology.

A personal anecdote: I was not at this event (I was in middle school), but I was in a reenactment of the event for the Steve Jobs The film “Chariots of Fire” was not shown at this event.

1997: The return of Steve Jobs

You’re probably familiar with Steve Jobs’ departure from Apple in 1985 and the company’s struggles in the mid-1990s. “The last year in the Mac business has been an emotional roller coaster,” said Colin Crawford, then CEO of igamesnews, during the 1997 igamesnews keynote address. Apple acquired Next Inc. earlier that year, the company Jobs started after leaving Apple. NeXTSTEP laid the foundation for Mac OS X, and Jobs laid the foundation for everything else.

Jobs’ speech was one of the most important moments in the company’s history, if not THE Most importantly, Apple and its customers needed a glimmer of hope, and Jobs provided it as soon as it appeared. At that point, everyone thought that if anyone could save Apple, it was Jobs.

1998: The Matrix and the iMac

Here’s a question for you longtime Apple users: Remember Apple’s Mac lineup in the early and mid-1990s? It was a disaster: Apple had too many models. (You’ll get points if you can describe the difference between Apple’s classic Mac lineup and the Performa Macs.) A few years after Steve Jobs returned, he decided that the Mac lineup needed to be simplified into four sections: consumer desktops and laptops, and professional desktops and laptops. It was a moment that brought clarity to Apple’s lineup and an approach that helped drive sales. It’s a philosophy the company still uses, for the most part, today.

During that same speech, Jobs unveiled the first iMac G3, which was intended to complete the consumer desktop portion of that matrix. It was a one-of-a-kind computer that graced the covers of magazines and became an instant icon. It had the spirit of the original Macintosh and cemented Jobs’ legacy in business and popular culture.

1999: “One more thing…”

At the 1999 igamesnews Expo keynote, Steve Jobs introduced the iBook that brought wireless connectivity to the masses. He seemed about to wrap up the show, but then he paused and said, “There’s one more thing,” before introducing the AirPort, Apple’s first Wi-Fi router that looked like a UFO.

This was the first in a long line of “One more thing” announcements. Later that year, Jobs used it again in the Seybold Seminars keynote to introduce the Apple Cinema Display. This time, he made it more dramatic, and his delivery of the phrase made it clear that “One more thing” was going to be a reality. Apple finally realized that to add some spice to “One more thing,” it needed to be used for more impressive announcements than a new router or display. It was recently used to introduce the Apple Vision Pro. Today, at the end of Apple’s keynotes, we all wonder if that’s all there is to it and wait to hear those three fateful words.

2001: Your entire music library in your pocket

The original iPod launch event was reserved for media, analysts, and special guests, and this was before the advent of streaming video. The crowd’s reaction was subdued throughout the event, but there was an audible chuckle and applause when Jobs pulled the iPod out of his pocket. The small crowd didn’t know how big a moment it was, but Steve did.

Another personal anecdote: I didn’t attend the iPod event, but my wife was there, sitting next to Philip Michaels and behind Jason Snell as a igamesnews representative. Like the other attendees, she left the event with an iPod in her pocket and showed it to me later over dinner, which remained cold while I marveled at the scroll wheel and user interface.

2006: Intel arrives

At the 2006 igamesnews Expo, Paul Otellini, dressed as a rabbit, made a grand entrance and greeted Steve Jobs with a chip wafer, letting everyone know that the two companies were ready for the transition.

This wasn’t Apple’s initial announcement of the move to Intel processors, which had come six months earlier at its WWDC 2005 keynote. The 2006 announcement showed Apple’s market that it was indeed happening. It also let the world know that Apple was going to do whatever it took to not only stay in the game, but to advance its technology, even if that meant converting rivals into partners.

2007: Three revolutionary products

The rumor of an Apple mobile phone had been circulating for some time before it was officially unveiled, so those of us who follow Apple closely were always on the lookout. Yet when Steve Jobs declared, “An iPod! A phone… you’ll have it!” It was one of Jobs’ greatest moments, and it was easy to get caught up in the excitement, even if some of us had an inkling of what was coming.

I was lucky enough to attend the iPhone announcement, which took place during the igamesnews Expo keynote. In retrospect, the funny thing about that moment is that when Jobs started announcing that there were three new products, “the large-screen iPod with touch controls” and “the revolutionary mobile phone” got a huge response from the audience, but “the revolutionary Internet communications device” got only a few rounds of applause. If we had known then what we know now (instant messaging, FaceTime, social media, etc.), the reaction would have been very different – ​​the response to the Internet device would have been thunderous.

2008: The envelope, please

Steve Jobs was a master showman. What made him great was that he didn’t do things like that. just for the show – he was excellent at giving context to what he was doing on stage. His actions had a profound effect on the understanding of the message he wanted to convey. A good example of this happened at the reveal of the MacBook Air in 2008.

Jobs explained how thin the Air was by providing his measurements and comparing it to the thinnest laptop on the market. Most presenters would have thought that was enough, but to make the experience real and tangible for the audience, Jobs had the Air slide smoothly out of a cross-desk envelope. This gave people better context for the Air—the “oohs,” “ahs,” and laughter from the audience were all saying, “I get it.” It was genius.

2014: Observe and learn

The Apple Watch launch was actually “another item” at the end of the 2014 iPhone event. Monday’s “Glowtime” event will take place exactly 10 years later. It was the first time Apple CEO Tim Cook launched a major new product. “We believe this product will redefine what people expect in its category,” he proclaimed. And it did.

2020: the beginning of a new era

At WWDC in June 2020, Apple announced that the Mac would be moving from Intel processors to Apple silicon. The WWDC announcement was a big moment in itself, but the introduction of the M1 chip and the first Macs to feature Apple silicon was even bigger.

For about 10 minutes of the 49-minute event, Apple explained the components of its M1, explained how each one is implemented, and showed how each one performed compared to the Intel chips it replaced. It was eye-opening and exciting, and it really felt like the Mac was entering a new era. Like in 1984, it gave the Mac a new voice.

Bonus Moment: Kanye West at the 2005 Apple Music Event

Apple would hold music events to announce new iPods and iTunes features. These events would have a musical guest at the end, and in 2005, the guest was Kayne West. West performed uncensored versions of his hits ““Gold Digger” and “All Falls Down,” and the audience of journalists, analysts, and special guests remained motionless and silent throughout the entire performance, save for one couple who awkwardly danced down the aisle. I’ve never winced as many times at an Apple event as I did at this one. (The “Mother Nature” sketch in 2023 came close.)