Design canon
Best Apple Designs
A curated path through Apple objects that changed what computers, music players, phones and tablets were supposed to feel like.
Apple IIThe machine that built Apple.
Macintosh 128KLaunched by the "1984" Super Bowl ad, the original Macintosh put a friendly face on computing.
iMac G3The "i" was for internet, the colour was Bondi Blue.
iBook G3 (Clamshell)The "iMac to go." Its candy-coloured rubberised clamshell made laptops fun, and Steve Jobs hula-hooped one on stage to prove Wi-Fi had truly cut the cord.
Power Mac G4 CubeA gorgeous commercial failure, now in MoMA’s collection.
iPod (1st generation)A 5 GB hard drive, a scroll wheel and FireWire syncing turned messy MP3 players into something effortless, kicking off the device that carried Apple into the stratosphere.
iPhone"An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator" — three devices in one.
MacBook Air (1st gen)Steve Jobs slid it out of a manila envelope and the audience lost it.
iPad (1st generation)Critics called it "just a big iPhone"; buyers made it a sensation, selling a million in under a month.
Apple Watch (Series 0)Apple’s first all-new product without Steve Jobs arrived overstuffed with ideas — the Digital Crown, gentle Taptic taps, and an $17,000 gold Edition.
iMac (24-inch, M1)Apple Silicon let the iMac shrink to a striking 11.5 mm slab and bloom into seven cheerful colours, with a colour-matched keyboard, mouse and even braided power cable.
Apple Vision ProApple’s most ambitious and divisive new category in years: two micro-OLED panels with more pixels than a 4K TV each, a dedicated R1 chip for a dozen sensors, and an outward EyeSight display.Last updated: 2026-06-27