I've tracked Apple for nearly 50 years: How a garage rebel became a multitrillion-dollar empire - ZDNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Opinion: On Apple's 50th anniversary, here's a look at what the company gained - and lost - on its journey from a tech geeks' dream to a luxury device brand. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Apple turns 50 on April 1, 2026. You’d think this would be a celebration not only of the company and its many landmark products — the Apple II, the Mac, and the iPhone — but also of its legendary founders, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. In neither Apple’s official 50th-anniversary announcement nor CEO Tim Cook’s birthday letter are either of the two founders mentioned. While Cook praises “The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently,” he doesn’t mention the original misfit pair that set Apple’s course for its first 40 years. When asked about this oversight, Apple didn’t reply. I hope Apple will correct it. In my view, since the Jobs era, Apple’s success has not come from thinking differently, but from two major factors. The first of these is its locked-in ecosystem, which keeps its user