If you’re a big Apple fan like I am then you’ve probably spent a good amount of time
browsing their website, which is perhaps one of the best designed and well optimized sites
in the industry.
But what you may not realize is that Apple’s website also serves as a historical timeline
of the company, since how the website looks and works is defined by the design trends
of the period.
So in this video we’re going to explore the history of Apple through the lens of their
website.
This is Greg with Apple Explained and I want to thank Squarespace for sponsoring this video.
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Now I want to start off the video by breaking down the six eras we’ll be exploring.
Before Steve Jobs, Platinum, Aqua, Aluminum, Glass, and finally, Flat.
So let’s start off with the first era of Apple’s website: Before Steve Jobs.
Now Steve Jobs was Apple’s co-founder and eventual CEO so what do I mean by “before”
Steve Jobs?
Well, there was a period from 1985 to 1996 when Jobs wasn’t with the company.
He had been forced out of his leadership position at Apple by its board of directors, after
the unimpressive launch of the original Macintosh in 1984.
A project which Jobs had led.
And it was during that period when the internet became popular and Apple had to make a website.
So in 1994 apple.com made its debut, and here’s what it looked like.
Now it certainly wasn’t the pinnacle of graphic design, but it did represent where
Apple was at that time.
They had no clear direction, and the company’s leadership was changing hands frequently.
The role of CEO went from John Sculley, to Michael Spindler, to Gil Amelio in a period
of five years.
And Apple’s website during that time reflected the company’s lack of vision.
Here’s was it looked like in 1994, then in 1996 it changed to this skeuomorphic design,
and then in 1997 we have this text-heavy approach.
But it wasn’t only Apple’s website that suffered during this era, it was also their
products.
With Jobs gone, the company began a race to the bottom.
Foregoing the philosophy of building a small number of premium, high-priced computers in
favor of a new business strategy: Trying to make as many cheap computers as possible in
order to stimulate sales and grow revenue.
Apple’s product line grew so large and fragmented that they actually had to send salespeople
flowcharts explaining which model out of dozens would be suitable for which customer.
As you can imagine, this business approach failed miserably and helped push Apple to
the brink of bankruptcy.
It was then when, to his credit, Gil Amelio decided to buy Next, a computer company Jobs
had founded while away from Apple.
It was a good decision not only because it brought Steve Jobs back to Apple, but it provided
the company with the foundations of a modern operating system that they’d been trying,
and failing, to develop for years.
Now with Jobs back at Apple, the company was reinvigorated with the same product philosophy
that led them to success in the early days.
Focus your best resources on a few great products.
And their website during this period reflected that mantra.
It went from this in 1997, to this in 1998.
The homepage changed from being wordy and busy, to being simple and visually appealing.
And again, Apple’s products reflected this change as well.
The iMac G3 was the most bold computer the company had ever made.
And it marked a new era of Apple that restored their reputation of being a premium computer
company with a focus on great design.
The iMac went on to become the best-selling product in Apple’s history at the time,
and helped save the company from financial ruin.
This is the second time period that I call platinum, since Apple’s website resembled
the platinum user interface of Mac OS 9.
And while we’re on the subject of websites, I want to share some information about mine.
If you guys haven’t noticed I do have a website that directs visitors to my channel
and social media accounts, and although it isn’t full of content, it does have a very
important purpose.
It allowed me to buy the appleexplained.com domain before anyone else, and therefore claim
a custom email address, info@appleexplained.com.
And I was able to claim my domain name, build my website, and create a custom email address
all with the same service.
And that’s Squarespace.
I’ve been using Squarespace for over a year now after switching between other services,
and I’m really happy with what they have to offer.
Squarespace had the highest number of website templates to choose from and they’re all
optimized for mobile so I didn’t have to do any extra work for that.
And when I wanted to sell a merch product I was able to add an e-commerce store to my
site without starting from scratch.
Plus the payment processor was built in and I could print shipping labels straight from
Squarespace as well.
When I say it’s an all-in-one platform, I really mean it.
And you can get all this for cheaper than you might think, especially if you use the
link squarespace.com/appleexplained since you’ll get 10% off your first purchase,
you can find that link in the description.
Now back to the iMac G3, which was just the beginning for Apple, since Jobs had a plan
to release three more products.
A pro desktop, a pro notebook, and a consumer notebook.
By 1999 that goal had been achieved with the Power Mac G4, PowerBook, and iBook.
All of which featured a glossy design that Apple eventually carried through to its new
operating system, Mac OS X.
In 2000, Apple debuted this new user interface called Aqua, and applied it to their website
the same year.
This began what I call the Aqua era, and it had a big influence on how the website looked
and worked.
Introducing a new tabbed toolbar with a pinstriped background.
Now Apple stuck with this design language for about seven years until the aluminum era.
That’s when many of their products began transitioning from glossy plastic to matte
aluminum, and Apple’s website did the same.
Just look at how much aluminum Apple began using in their products during this time.
I actually remember a childhood friend of mine saying “I can’t believe Apple made
an aluminum iPod classic, that’s just wrong.”
And many others echoed this sentiment, since this transition to aluminum was the first
major design language change Apple had experienced since the glossy plastic days of the original
iPod and iMac.
As you can see the website toolbar changed from a glossy aqua tabbed design, to a simpler
gray layout that reflected the new designs of their products.
But something interesting happened next that I still can’t fully explain.
In 2011 Apple decided to modify the toolbar to a glossy glass texture, rather than the
matte finish.
And while I’m not sure what prompted this change, I do have some theories.
It could be that glass touch screens were becoming the focus of Apple’s product line
with the addition of devices like the iPad and touch screen iPod nano.
But I think the more likely reason is that Apple’s web designers were taking cues from
the iOS interface, which featured glossy icons, a glossy dock, and glossy menu buttons.
After all, iOS was exploding in popularity during this time, and I think Apple was capitalizing
on this trend.
Now the final era of Apple’s website, and the one we’re currently in, is what I simply
call Flat.
It debuted in 2014 soon after iOS 7 was released, and it took its design cues from that operating
system.
Which famously marked Apple’s transition from a skeuomorphic UI, to a flat UI, which
removed all the glossiness, reflections and shadows that had defined the appearance of
the iPhone’s operating system since its introduction in 2007.
And as you can imagine, it was a very controversial move that many users disagreed with.
But Apple pressed on and doubled down by updating its website to the design we’re familiar
with today.
The toolbar became less of a bar and more of a rectangle that stretched from one end
of the browser window to the other.
This actually marked the first time Apple had a website that was truly responsive to
window resizing and had an optimized appearance on mobile.
The photos featured on the homepage were full-width, and the store interface was reorganized and
simplified to featured product icons and banners, rather than trying to fit every product onto
a single page.
But as I mentioned earlier in the video, Apple’s website is indicative of the company as a
whole, and I think it’s important to reflect on where Apple is at today.
Just like their website is more simplified and focused than ever before, I think the
same can be said for Apple’s product line.
They discontinued products like the iPod shuffle, nano, and classic, and even exited the internet
router market by ending production of their AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme.
All in an effort to focus their resources on products that have the biggest effect on
their customers and business.
They’ve also been very deliberate when entering new product categories.
Many people have been begging Apple to make a game console for years, but they’ve refused,
understanding that such a product wouldn’t be conductive to their business goals.
On the other hand, every new product category that Apple has entered in the last five years
has been largely successful, including the Apple watch, AirPods, and HomePod.
This hasn’t always been the case, since there were products under Steve Jobs that
failed to go anywhere at all, like the iPod Hi-Fi.
So with Apple’s website in the best shape it’s ever been, I think the same can be
said for the company itself.
And I look forward to the new changes they have in store for us in the near future.
Alright guys thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.