How Apple’s iconic products reshaped everyday life: A look back at decades of innovation

Apple products have reached a certain stratosphere among consumers, a level that's enviable and somewhat unattainable by other technology firms. 

When Apple pushes a product, consumers immediately flock to stores to grab it – so much so that crowds attract media attention. It's not only because of their design, but how Apple products have seemingly revolutionized everyday life. 

Timeline:

Here's a look at the list of Apple products through the decades and how they transformed daily life:

June 1977, the Apple II

The Apple II was an improved version of the Apple I computer kit, and started the boom in personal computer sales, according to the National Museum of American History. 

It was also the first computer to be widely used in schools across the U.S. For millions of today's adults, their first experience with a computer of any kind came with a version of the Apple II in their classroom – often playing Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego, or Odell Lake.

January 1984, the Macintosh Computer

Heralded by a now-most famous TV commercial, the Macintosh computer lived up to the revolutionary promise made by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs during its 1984 unveiling. Among other things, the Mac ushered in the era of the graphical user interface (known as "GUI" in tech parlance) and the mouse. 

In many ways, it was the first realization of Jobs’ vision to turn computers into "a bicycle of the mind."

August 1998, the iMac 

Apple redesigned the desktop computer when it released the iMac. The all-in-one colorful egg stood out in bright contrast to the beige, rectangular PCs that Apple was competing with, and was one of the first products that helped rebrand Apple as a hip alternative for a new generation.

From a technical perspective, it was the first mainstream computer that did not include the traditional floppy disk drive. Instead, it was an early adopter of the USB port. 

October 2001, the iPod

Although it wasn’t the first of its kind, the iPod changed the way people thought about digital music players just like Jimi Hendrix changed the way people thought about the guitar. 

The iPod was compact, stylish, and initially capable of storing up to 1,000 songs (the capacity would extend far beyond that of the first model in 2001). 

It then spawned the iTunes store, which provided a legal way to buy and download music at a time of rampant MP3 piracy. The device also signaled Apple might evolve into something more than a computer maker.

January 2007, the iPhone

It’s difficult to overstate how much the iPhone has changed the world. In technical terms, it introduced the convenience of touchscreens at the time that a physical keyboard was still all the rage on the top-selling smartphone – the BlackBerry – when Jobs first took out what was all-in-one computer, camera and music player out of his pocket in 2007. 

A year later, Apple would open a store that would make it common to think there must be an app for just about anything, render the BlackBerry obsolete and make smartphones indispensable.

RELATED: Apple reportedly working on foldable and thinner iPhone models

September 2014, the Apple Watch 

The Apple Watch created a device that made it possible to wear something akin to a smartphone on your wrist because it included cellular capability.

It also offered some of the same apps people use on their smartphones. Apple initially marketed its smartwatch almost like a fashion accessory before pivoting once it realized that its fitness and health-tracking features were the tools that people seemed to find most valuable.

RELATED: Watch: Apple Watch SOS alert leads rescuers to injured skiers after 1,000-foot fall

September 2016, Airpods 

The AirPods helped popularize wireless headphones with an Apple chip that provided more reliable and stable connections with devices while making it easy to shift from one gadget to another. 

The product also served another key purpose for Apple: AirPods quickly muted the initial outrage of the company’s decision to remove the headphone jack from iPhones in 2016 while creating another lucrative sales channel.

Apple's influence on generations 

Big picture view:

Apple has a long history of designing products that aren’t the first to be introduced in a particular category but still redefine the market.

FOX 4's Steve Noviello has covered consumer products and said Apple has garnered a brand loyalty that none of its competitors have achieved, even though they push similar products. 

"I use my iPhone or really any phone at this point to make payments," he said in an interview with FOX Television Stations. "I pay my mortgage on it. I book my airline travel. I send pictures, I take pictures, I communicate with people. It monitors my heart health.

"I mean, it really is amazing what technology has done," he continued. 

However, he said there is a downside as technology and humanity continue to evolve with each other. 

"What's even more amazing is how disconnected this younger generation of people feels, even though they live in a world where everybody is just a tap away," he said. 

But Apple has taken steps to curb smartphone addiction. Apple said it regularly considers how the iPhone and its other products affect the people who use them.

LiveNOW & ThenTechnologyAppleConsumer