TIME Magazine today released its list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time and Apple appears on the list more than once. At the top of the list, however, is the iPhone. TIME says the iPhone is the most influential gadget of all time because of it “fundamentally changed our relationship to computing and information.”
TIME argues that we’ll be feeling the changes brought about by the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 for decades to come. The magazine, however, believes that the software and App Store are what truly set the iPhone apart from previous smartphones:
Apple’s presence on TIME’s list doesn’t stop there. Coming in at #3 on the list is the Macintosh. The Macintosh makes the list thanks to its graphical interface, user-friendly mouse, and “overall friendly design.” “It forever set the standard for the way human beings interact with computers,” TIME writes.
At #9 on the list is the iPod, originally introduced in 2001. TIME says the iPod is what ultimately drove Apple to being the most valuable company in the world as people would buy an iPod, then slowly immerse themselves in the rest of company’s ecosystem.
Apple’s iPad comes in at #25 thanks to it being “radically different” from any tablet the world had seen before and having an interface optimized for touchscreens. Finally, the iBook comes in at #38 with TIME praising the device for being the first laptop to offer WiFi:
You can view the full list of the top 50 most influential gadgets of all time here.
