Apple

The First 50 Years

By: David Pogue

Narrated by: David Pogue

Instant New York Times Bestseller

In time for Apple’s 50th anniversary, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue tells the iconic company’s entire life story: how it was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world. The book features new facts that correct the record and illuminate its subversive culture and fresh interviews with the legendary figures who shaped Apple into what it is today.

On April 1, 1976, two scruffy twentysomethings, both named Steve, founded a startup. Their goal: To bring the revolutionary power of computers to everyone.

Over the next five decades, Apple reshaped the technology and cultural landscapes, introducing the public to breakthroughs like the mouse, laser printing, CD-ROM, WiFi, digital video, home networking, touchscreen phones, and tablets. Jobs’s obsessive eye for detail set the stage for products—Mac, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch—that married advanced technology with beauty, simplicity, and fine design.

Deeply researched, Apple: The First 50 Years includes new interviews with 150 key people who made the journey, including Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Jony Ive, and many current designers, engineers, and executives. The book busts long-held myths; goes backstage for both the titanic successes (450 million iPods, 700 million iPads, 2.2 billion iPhones) and the instructive failures (Lisa, Apple III, MobileMe); and assesses the forces that challenge Apple’s dominance as it enters its second half century.

Bursting with tales of frenetic all-nighters, engineering genius, and creative rebellion, this book is a true testament to Apple’s unique and innovative vision, and a must read for anyone whose life Apple has touched.

Depth and Scope of History Covered

I grew up in Cupertino, was an Apple user since the mid-late 80's, and found myself working there from 1991 through 2009 as a contractor and an employee. I remain as embedded in their ecosystem as the six colors that still course through my veins. Many of my friends and colleagues and I were watching so much of this history play out from the sidelines, and often from the fields themselves. Hands-on.
To be walked through all of this history feels like revisiting a substantial chunk of my life's passions and passages. I feel so very fortunate to have all of these invaluable memories. I only wish I still had the stock. :-/

Comprehensive and a lot of fun

I wish it had a companion PDF with illustrations from the book, the author sings in the audiobook, that could be consider a very modest compensation.

Still, I just ordered the hardcover…

Loved every second of it. It just works

Apple: The First 50 Years is exactly what it promises to be, a 50-year clear and detailed journey on how Apple grew from a small idea into one of the most influential companies in the world. With Apple turning 50 on April 1st, this audiobook feels perfectly timed and it takes you through the key moments, the people, and the decisions that shaped Apple, in a way that is easy to follow.

For me, this story is personal, because I’m totally blind, and Apple is the only company in this world that truly makes a huge difference in my everyday existence. Their products allow me to live a life that is as close to normal as possible. I can pick up an iPhone or a Mac, turn on VoiceOver, and use it independently from the very first minute. No extra tools, no special versions, no workarounds. As the tagline goes, it just works. That level of accessibility is built into everything they do, and it’s something I rely on every single day and I even have a job teaching other blind, low vision, or students with other disabilities on how to make the best of Apple products. Although I already knew a lot of the stories, I was pleasantly surprised by the high-quality audio production and excellent narration by David Pogue.

The audiobook is performed by the author himself, David Pogue, and his journalistic experience and love for Apple really show. He’s been covering the company from Cupertino for decades, following its evolution from the early days to where it is now. His narration is enthusiastic, engaging, entertaining, clear, and easy to follow. The audio production feels natural and Mr. David Pogue‘s reading feels like someone who knows this story inside out is simply guiding you through it.

The structure of the audiobook works really well. It starts with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak looking for ideas on how to build something new, then moves through the early success of the Apple II and the ambition behind the Macintosh. From there, it gets into the more difficult years, when Apple struggled to find its direction, followed by the return of Jobs and the shift into what we now think of as modern Apple. The big successes are all here, the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, but the book also makes space for the failures like the Lisa, the Newton, and MobileMe. That balance makes the whole story feel honest and complete.

Another welcome addition to the audiobook is the inclusion of real recorded interviews. You hear directly from people who were part of Apple’s journey, and that adds a lot of depth. There are also musical cues used for side notes. They’re fine, but they stand out a bit too much. A simpler, more minimal sound would have worked better here. Something subtle and clean, more in line with Apple’s own design philosophy. It’s a small detail that doesn’t detract from the experience in any way, but worth mentioning in case the author wants to make the listening even more immersive and seamless.

David Pogue has done a tremendous job with writing, gathering all the interviews, chronicling all the events, and last, but definitely not least, with bringing to life in his own voice Apple: The First 50 Years in audiobook format. If you, like me, love Apple and want to know everything about the company and the people behind it, then I highly recommend you to pick up Apple: The First 50 Years.

Like I already said in the beginning of this review, Apple has changed the world for the better, so I can’t wait but be excited for the future. Listen to this and get your extremely entertaining history lesson, and here is to the next 50 years!

For flawless writing and perfect narration, Apple: The First 50 Years by David Pogue receives my highest praise: the Editor’s Choice Award for Excellence in Entertainment.

A golden ribbon with the site's logo and the text Editor's choice award for excellence in entertainment.

Great Apple history filled with a lot of new stuff, but WHY THAT AWFUL SIDEBAR SOUND?

Overall, this is a great book and maybe one of the best books about Apple ever written. David Pogue did an outstanding job writing AND narrating.

However, there is one huge problem with the audio book. The sound it plays for every sidebar is WAY too loud and jarring!! I was listening to the book out loud the other day and when it came to another sidebar (every few minutes, by the way) and played that sound, my wife said, “WHAT WAS THAT SCARY SOUND?!” It’s honestly like the Sosumi sound on steroids… a horrible, dissonant, loud, musical sound which actually makes me jump a little every time I hear it. I would NOT recommend listening to this book while lying in bed or without earbuds.

It’s actually surprising, given David Pogue’s musical background. Did he really think this was a good idea, or did he just listen to someone else who gave him terrible advice? A soft, gentle bell sound would have sufficed and it would have made for a much more pleasant listening experience.