Whenever Apple releases a new or updated product, the reaction can be anywhere from excitement to cynicism. It’s either a fantastic upgrade that brings new features and functions to the masses or it’s an incremental upgrade designed to compel the Apple faithful to replace perfectly serviceable hardware annually and extract more money.
The reality is that when we look at annual product refreshes, we miss the massive steps that have been taken.
I pulled a couple of older devices out of my cupboard the other day and it struck me that Apple was, at times, so far ahead of the curve that we forget how much innovation and progress it has made.
The MacBook Air
When Apple revealed the First MacBook Air in 2008, it was during the era of the netbook PC. Netbooks were ultraportable computers running Windows that had small displays, usually around seven inches measured diagonally, and keyboards that were about 75% the size of a regular keyboard.
At the time, Apple was expected to release a similar device as netbooks were extremely popular. But Steve Jobs had no desire to make so many design compromises. Instead, Apple came up with the MacBook Air. The reveal of the First MacBook Air was a classic piece of Jobs’ showmanship
The first MacBook Air was thinner and lighter than any netbook on the market with a well-sized screen and full-sized keyboard. Within a couple of years, the netbook was dead and new, ultraportable laptops became popular.
There have been many changes made over the last 17 years. The original 13-inch version was complemented by an 11.6-inch version in 2010. The smaller model was discontinued in 2016 but a larger 15-inch version was introduced in March 2024.
When I sit my 11.6-inch MacBook Air next to my M3-powered 13-inch MacBook Air, the differences are apparent. But there’s some familiarity as well. They are about the same thickness (although the older model has a tapered design that means the front edge is remarkably thin) and they have two USB ports (USB-A on the older model has been superseded by USB-C), a headphone port and MagSafe power connectors.
The iPad, iPhone and MessagePad
It has been over 30 years since Apple introduced the MessagePad (most people call the MessagePad ‘Newton” after the operating system it runs). For its time it was a remarkable device. And I marvel that mine still works just like it did back then.
The development of the iPhone and iPad has been documented by many people – notably by Jobs in his posthumously released biography penned by Walter Isaacson. While Jobs dumped the MessagePad in 1998 when he returned to Apple and drastically rationalised the company’s product portfolio, it’s clear Apple has been working on touchscreen user interfaces for a very long time.
When I sit my MessagePad alongside my iPad Pro, it’s hard to imagine these came from the same company. But there have been thousands of incremental improvements and technological advancements that have brought us to the modern smartphone and tablet. And while Palm may have started the handheld computer revolution, the MessagePad upped the ante significantly.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.