Apple - The First 50 years

Lately, I’ve been about halfway through 50 Years of Apple by David Pogue. More as a casual listen than a deep study, but it’s been surprisingly reflective.

As someone who spends most of his time building iOS apps while simultaneously pushing more of my personal data and services into a homelab, I find myself in a slightly conflicted position with Apple. Hardware-wise, I’m still very much invested. The ecosystem is hard to beat. But philosophically, I’ve been drifting; wanting more control, more ownership, more independence from closed systems.

Still, diving into Apple’s history hits a certain nostalgia. I vividly remember watching keynotes as a kid. Steve Jobs pulling the first iPhone out of his pocket or unveiling the MacBook Air from that iconic envelope. Those moments weren’t just product launches; they felt like glimpses into the future.

What I appreciate about Pogue’s audiobook is the collection of smaller anecdotes, the kind you either forget over time or never come across unless you’ve consumed everything Apple-related. Even after going through the Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs and years of following Apple news, there are still stories here that feel fresh.

Interestingly, this all comes at a time where I just bought a new MacBook for my wife (she needs it for her studies). It’s a bit ironic: while I’m gradually decentralizing my own setup, I’m still happily bringing new Apple hardware into the household.

I guess that’s where I currently stand: somewhere between admiration, nostalgia, and a slow shift toward autonomy.