Apple at 50: 7 iconic products that proved everyone wrong

Humans are typically averse to change. When something defies expectations with a dramatic shift, they tend to react negatively, holding onto familiar concepts. Sometimes, radical changes eventually become the new norm. People evolve with the objects surrounding them when they realize how they elevate their lives in unprecedented ways.

Apple has a long history of thinking differently. During its past 50 years, the company has repeatedly defied traditions through products that don’t initially make sense to everyone. Critics would attack said products… until the sales paint a different picture. These are some of the products that seemed doomed to fail at launch but quickly proved to be ingenious.

iPod

While the iPod (RIP) remains one of Apple’s most iconic products of all time, its initial 2001 introduction was met with lots of criticism. The $399 device debuted with several restrictions at a time when customers could buy generic CD or MP3 players for a fraction of that price. The iPod required a FireWire connection and iTunes for music transfer, making it exclusive to the Mac—which accounted for less than 5 percent of the desktop market share back then.

In the years that followed, Apple made several improvements to the iPod, like releasing multiple variants that catered to different needs, swapping FireWire for USB, and bringing iTunes to Windows. The product flourished, popularizing digital music purchases and miniature media players. It also acted as one of the iPhone’s three key selling points.

iPhone

The iPhone is Apple’s most widely recognized product, dominating the U.S. smartphone market and swiftly expanding its global reach. That hasn’t always been the case, however. When Steve Jobs launched the original iPhone in 2007, critics naturally had some unkind words to say.

Microsoft’s then CEO, Steve Ballmer, famously expressed how the virtual keyboard was nearly impossible to use, suggesting the overpriced device was doomed to fail. The folks at BlackBerry similarly questioned the device’s seriousness and productive capabilities. That’s not to mention the unforgiving headlines and technology journalists’ negative takes. Market analysts predicted that Windows-based phones would capture nearly all market share within a few years. Remind me, what’s a BlackBerry, and where does one find a Windows Phone again?

iPad

The most popular tablet line similarly had a controversial start. When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPad in 2010, many critics described it as just a large iPhone with no distinct purpose. The device largely mimicked the iPhone’s OS, offering no file management system, multitasking features, or Adobe Flash support. Its hardware was also perceived as limited due to the lack of an SD card slot, USB port, and camera. Despite that, Apple still sold millions of iPads by the end of that year.

Today, Apple sells a wide range of iPads, featuring different sizes, processing powers, and exclusive perks. The OS has matured to support proper multitasking, including Mac-like windowing and a menu bar, in addition to professional, desktop-class apps. While the tablet still has a long way to go, it certainly proved not to be just a large iPhone. By some estimates, about half of all tablets in the world are iPads.

Apple Watch

When the Apple Watch debuted over a decade ago, it wasn’t the independent miniature iPhone it is today. The wearable heavily relied on the paired iPhone for basic features, including GPS, texting and calling, using third-party apps, and more. It also lacked a clear direction, as Apple was trying to sell it as a luxury item (remember the $17,000 gold edition?) that also tracked your activity and doubled as a communication hub; the identity crisis was real.

At this point, the battery lasts a full day on a single charge, the design has been slimmed down to perfection, and the above-mentioned flaws have been dealt with. The Apple Watch is now perceived as the best smartwatch for most casual users, featuring advanced, life-saving sensors, several models to pick from, and a mature OS that functions autonomously. It is, by far, the best-selling watch of any kind in the world.

AirPods

Likewise, the AirPods’ birth was accompanied by a ton of criticism and concerns revolving around pricing, design, functionality, and more. In 2016, Apple retired the iPhone’s headphone jack, pushing users to dongles or the $159 AirPods. At the time, many critics compared the AirPods’ design to electric toothbrush heads and dental floss cases. Users were concerned about losing them and needing to regularly charge yet another device. Some reviewers also questioned their value, given that their sound quality was similar to that of wired EarPods—despite costing eightfold more.

Compatibility was also a frequent complaint: they worked as bluetooth headphones with other devices, but all their main features were only enabled with other Apple products.

Nowadays, AirPods have become the go-to wireless earbuds for many iPhone users, offering immersive audio technology, precise location via Find My, seamless integrations with other Apple devices, multiple product tiers, health features, and much more. They’ve also moved the industry forward, pushing rival brands to enhance their own wireless earbuds.

M-series chips

In 2020, Apple kickstarted the Mac’s transition from Intel processors to its own in-house chip designs. The move was questioned by many critics, raising concerns around software compatibility, performance, and energy efficiency. It turns out Apple was fully prepared for the overhaul, however.

To avoid breaking apps, Apple introduced Rosetta 2—a tool that runs software designed for Intel chips on M-series Macs. While macOS 27 will likely be the last version to support Rosetta 2, all relevant app developers have already updated their apps to run natively on Apple silicon. Otherwise, the M-series chips have proved to be more capable and energy-efficient than their Intel counterparts, as today’s Macs boast the longest battery life ever and manage to obliterate competitors in many benchmark tests. That’s not to mention that Macs can now run iPhone apps, and iPads have Mac chips in them—all thanks to this historical transition.

MacBook Neo

One of the most recent Apple products to attract skepticism is the MacBook Neo. Prior to its launch, many critics doubted Apple would ever sell a new MacBook as cheaply as $599 (and even $499 for education). They also had doubts about its performance, given that it’s powered by the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chipset. Many onlookers proclaimed that a laptop with 8GB of RAM was useless.

Apple proved them wrong by actually embracing the affordable price tag and delivering a comprehensive desktop experience that can handle everyday tasks without any lag. In fact, Tim Cook recently said the MacBook Neo set a new all-time record for first-time Mac buyers, popularizing macOS among younger generations. In performance tests against similarly-priced Windows laptops, the RAM limitation has proven to be a non-issue.