The best Apple products aim to make a dent in the universe. We explore the most iconic — and a few flubs where we wonder what went wrong

Written by Craig Grannell

What makes an icon? What is good design? What are the criteria that lead you to believe an item is the very best a company has created throughout its long and successful history? We at MacFormat don’t claim to have all the answers, but this feature aims to shine a light on key products Apple’s made since 1976 that still give us a giddy feeling in our tummies — and a handful of stinkers that leave us with an entirely different giddy feeling…

On reading through these pages, we hope you’ll notice themes and ideas that extend throughout Apple’s history. Even with products that no longer look cuttingedge, or that were commercial failures at the time, you’ll spot key insights Apple subsequently baked into its DNA. Through this, even products that didn’t make the grade — or that today look comparatively archaic — deserve their place being listed among the icons.

It’s also interesting during this trip to the past to ponder where Apple might head next. In a world increasingly obsessed with minimalism and making technology as invisible as possible, what room is left for differentiation and character? Whatever space exists, we hope Apple will continue to find and make use of it.

Apple II

Proof sequels can be far better than their predecessors

› Beige and brown, with chunky keys, the Apple II might not be irresistible to modern eyes. But this was the 1970s — brown was in. On-screen, you mercifully got other colours — and, elsewhere, audio and game controllers. These things were unusual at the time, and were reportedly included so lead designer Steve Wozniak could show off a version of the Breakout video game to his chums.

The Apple II’s nature informed Apple’s future. In being preassembled and plug-and-play, it was the first computer ‘for the rest of us’ — a sentiment that echoed down the ages, with Apple ever keen to take the cutting edge, make it accessible and use it to unlock people’s potential.