Daring Fireball: David Pogue’s ‘Apple: The First 50 Years’

Thursday, 2 April 2026

Pogue was my visitor on The Talk Show just a few weeks in the past to speak about his new e book, Apple: The First 50 Years, and the present was plenty of enjoyable. But the e book is so good, so complete, so enjoyable that it feels important to hyperlink to it while we have a good time Apple’s fiftieth yr. I’m a print man, typically, however the print version of this e book is particularly good — it’s a stunning e book printed in full coloration all through (not simply, say, 16 coloration pages within the center). Apple’s historical past is each actually and figuratively colourful, and the pictures and screenshots Pogue contains are terrific.

The e book is nothing wanting an prompt basic — concurrently a really gratifying learn, and a meticulously-researched reference for the many years to come back. Pogue each covers well-known floor and stories umpteen nuggets, anecdotes, and particulars which have by no means been instructed earlier than. For instance, everyone knows that Steve Jobs was immune to opening the iPhone to third-party apps. But Pogue interviewed Scott Forstall and obtained this story, about simply how far Steve Jobs thought Apple might go to broaden the iPhone’s software program library whereas not opening it to third-party builders:

“I would like you to make an inventory of each app any buyer would ever
need to use,” he instructed Forstall. “And then the 2 of us will
prioritize that record. And then I’m going to jot down you a clean
verify, and you’ll construct the most important growth crew in
the historical past of the world, to construct as many apps as you may as
shortly as attainable.”

Forstall, doubtful, started composing an inventory. But on the aspect, he
instructed his engineers to construct the safety foundations of an
app retailer into the iPhone’s software-“towards Steve’s data
and needs,” Forstall says. […]

Two weeks after the iPhone’s launch, somebody discovered easy methods to
“jailbreak” the iPhone: to hack it in order that they might set up
customized apps.

Jobs burst into Forstall’s workplace. “You have to shut this down!”

But Forstall didn’t see the hurt of builders spending their
efforts making the iPhone higher. “If they add one thing
malicious, we’ll ship an replace tomorrow to guard towards that.
But if all they’re doing is including apps which are helpful, there’s
no cause to interrupt that.”

Jobs, troubled, reluctantly agreed.

Week by week, extra cool apps arrived, out there solely to jailbroken
telephones. One day in October, Jobs learn an article about a number of the
coolest ones.

“You know what?” he stated. “We should build an app store.”

Forstall, delighted, revealed his secret plan. He had adopted in
the footsteps of Burrell Smith (the Mac’s memory-expansion
circuit) and Bob Belleville (the Sony floppy-drive deal): He’d
disobeyed Jobs and wound up saving the challenge.

The e book is just below 600 pages, together with a complete index, and it isn’t padded. It is a veritable encyclopedia of Apple historical past. Just a exceptional, important, and distinctive work. If you haven’t ordered a replica, it is best to, and in the event you do, listed here are some make-me-rich affiliate hyperlinks: