‘50 Years of Thinking Different’

Apple on Thursday posted a letter written by Tim Cook in which the company’s chief executive waxes romantic about Apple tuning 50 soon. As he says, the milestone birthday will come on April 1; it’s a significant event for a company that prides itself not on retrospecting the past, but instead focuses on pioneering the future above all else.

“Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The most meaningful chapters are written by all of you—the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. You’ve made breakthroughs and launched businesses. You’ve cheered up loved ones in the hospital and captured your toddler’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and rekindled friendships. You’ve chased your curiosity, found your new favorite song, and shared stories that connect us all,” Cook said in his brief essay. “In your hands, the tools we make have improved lives, and sometimes even saved them. And that is what inspires us—not what technology can do alone, but everything you can do with it.”

As a lifelong disabled person and longtime Apple fan, never mind an objective technology journalist, improved lives obviously resonates deeply with me.

Apple’s accessibility efforts is an exemplar of its “make the world better” ethos.

In related news, Ryan Christoffel reports today for 9to5 Mac Apple has a new Instagram account. The @helloapple account is described as showcasing “our stories and yours,” with the account already amassing nearly 50,000 followers. As Christoffel notes, @helloapple joins the canonical @apple space and its over 36 million followers.

“The new ‘Hello Apple’ account currently has just six posts, all of which started appearing today,” Christoffel writes. “They range from a reel showing various Apple logo designs to a MacBook Neo promo, a repost of an Apple TV-F1 video, and more.”