Depending on when you start counting, today’s desktop computers trace directly back to 1984’s original Mac, and arguably to 1977’s Apple II.
In the ensuing 50 years, desktop machines have become vastly more powerful and capable, but the basic form endures.
An iMac today would be instantly recognizable to anyone magically transported from the mid-‘80s to the mid-2020s.
Same holds true for laptops: Their basic design hasn’t changed much since the early ‘90s.
But what about the future? Will laptops and desktops endure? What about iPhone and other smartphones? What if AI becomes the primary interaction model? Will people still want to do the same things they do currently, on very similar devices?
It’s a question Cult of Mac writer Ed Hardy addresses in today’s top post: What will the next 50 years of Apple look like?
Also in today’s newsletter:
I’m one of the few Brits who couldn’t care less about football — I mean soccer. However, the World Cup always gets me excited. It’s a fantastic tournament. And almost every time, there’s some underdog team to root for that advances further than it should. Apple Sports just got updated for the upcoming competition, adding some great features to enhance the games.
I need one of these.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Ed reviewed Twelve South’s 120W PlugBug charger (“I really do love that charger,” he just typed in Slack). It comes with built-in Find My and foldable prongs — and it’s a hefty 58% off.
A “Lovecraftian” fishing game? Winner of iPad Game of the Year? Fire up your tablet, and dive into Dredge.
People used to rave about Pandora and its music-discovery “scrobble” algorithm. Apple just brought a similar feature to Apple Music called Playlist Playground. Here’s how to use it.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
Don’t take it all too seriously. If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away.
Today’s poll
What will dominate the next 50 years of Apple?
Results from yesterday’s poll: Will Apple be around in another 50 years?
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