20. The 2010 MacBook Air

Thin is in, and flash is fast.

Apple’s TV spot for the MacBook Air boasts that everything it's learned about design has culminated in these gorgeous little 11- and 13-inch laptops. And you know what? We believe it. We drank the Kool-Aid. And our iPads sit neglected ’cause we can’t keep our paws off the Air.

19. Art for the Masses

iMovie's great for so capturing smiling children and sharing those videos with their prom date 11 years later.

There was a time when only professionals or dedicated hobbyists could publish their own works, cut their own movies, or record their own tunes. In 1985, Apple and Aldus launched the wave that changed all that by releasing the LaserWriter printer and PageMaker, a powerful one-two punch that ignited desktop publishing. Throughout the 1990s, Macs earned their rep as the platform for digital publishing with support from software like QuarkXPress, Photoshop, and Illustrator -- and for an encore, they branched out into other media with iMovie in 1999 and GarageBand in 2004. Yes, plenty of other apps covered those bases (and some of them first), but only on Macs was the learning process cut so dramatically short. The effect was gigantic. Pretty much anyone with a hankering to create learned they could easily make movies, music, and much more, giving today’s and tomorrow’s artists a powerful way to get started.

18. “It Just Works”

A simple thing that conveys so much about how Apple computers are designed to help, not hinder. (Photo by Rama, Wikimedia Commons, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr)

Sure, Apple devices sometimes glitch and crash, but if you’ve ever dabbled in “other” platforms, you know how easy it is to start taking it for granted that Apple’s creations are mostly plug and play. There’s almost no arguing with drivers or control panels -- everything from Wi-Fi networks to iTunes/iDevice integration to software updates and beyond is as painless as can be -- and to us, that’s priceless.

17. The iPad

Anybody still think it's just a big iPod touch? We didn't think so.

“Come see our latest creation” read Apple’s humble invitation to the iPad unveiling. Since then, the iPad has taken the world and our hearts by storm, becoming one of the fastest-selling gadgets of all time while changing the way we read books and play music, movies, and games.

16. The Apple II

The computer that spawned a million Mac geeks.

Many of us got our starts on the venerable Apple II in a classroom. Before the Mac, there was the boxy Apple II and its expansion slots, green monochrome screen, 4KB of RAM, and 5.25-inch floppy drives. Oregon Trail has never been better. B-A-N-G-B-A-N-G.

15. The Bondi Blue iMac

Beige is dead, long live Bondi Blue! After all, that color adorned the all-in-one Mac that brought Apple back from the brink. After years of hiding your computer under your desk, it was time to make it the centerpiece of the work area. This iMac was the first in a long line of beautifully designed Macs that told the world that a powerful, easy-to-use computer didn’t have to look like a cardboard box with ports.
 
Ads with Jeff Goldblum “lamented“ the ease of setting up the new iMac. Plug it in to the wall and in to a phone jack, and you were ready for a brave new world of computing. The iMac has seen a multitude of designs since the Bondi Blue took center stage, but this bubble-shaped Mac will always have a special place in our hearts.

14. Mac OS Isn’t Windows

Life is about choices: iPhone or Android. Mac|Life or Macworld. Mac OS X or Windows 7. And though we love to have options, we’re happy Apple made that last decision a no-brainer.

OS X’s superiority is clear from the moment you buy it. It’s $29 for a single license and $49 for a family pack -- you don’t have to decide if you’re Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate. There’s no activation code. No upcharge to add additional features. No confusing User Account Control dialogs.

Setup takes just minutes. The plain-language System Preferences are easy to understand. We could go on and on, but since you use a Mac too, we don’t have to. You already know.

13. Impact on the Music Industry

Apple made digital downloads simple and legal.

In the olden days (pre-2003), acquiring digital music online meant settling. You could have poorly organized illegal MP3s of dubious quality, or monthly subscriptions to complicated sites with skimpy catalogs of minor-league music. Apple’s answer -- then called the iTunes Music Store -- was the first to bring together the five major labels in a simple interface. Clearly, they were onto something.

Since the debut of the Music Store, paid album downloads continue to climb -- and recent estimates put iTunes’ share of those downloads around 90 percent. That kind of clout is game-changing.

In 2007, Apple pressured the labels into eliminating cumbersome digital rights management (DRM) after years of complaints from fans, musicians, and even Steve Jobs himself. Apple proved what fans have been talking about for years -- give people a simple way to get music online, and they’ll gladly pay for it. Even old-school holdouts like the Beatles get that now.

12. The Apple Store

Our country’s financial outlook might be less than rosy, but you would never know it if you wander into an Apple Store. After relying on mail-order, mom-and-pop stores, and deals with places like Sears, Apple finally decided it was time to create its own retail experience. And it’s so cool and groundbreaking that even Microsoft has copied it. Again.

11. Jonathan Ive

This fellow can be credited for the design of a majority of Apple’s greatest hits.

These days, almost everything you love about the look and feel of Apple devices can be credited to Apple’s superstar designer, Jonathan Ive. His highlight reel includes the iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod, iPhone, and iPad…no wonder he’s nearly as famous and important as Steve himself.