Apple Developments in 2014

Apple are one of the biggest companies in the world, a giant of the technology sector that annually turns over an amount that some small countries can’t even achieve. This tech giant has come a long way, from being a bit player for much of its life, to narrowly avoiding going bankrupt and then to becoming one of the biggest, most desirable and most innovative companies in the world.

The first release in the “new-wave” of Apple products, the ones that firmly established this company as one of the biggest and best, were in 2015. That means that in five short years Apple was able to grow from a second-rate technology company, into perhaps the biggest technology company in the world. Every year people look to Apple to see what new designs, models and innovations they can come up with, and although there is plenty more to see from this exciting brand, 2014 was one of their most exciting years to date.

Apple Products Released in 2014

2014 was the year that saw the release of the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro and the standard MacBook had been one of Apple’s biggest sellers, standing at the very head of the market in terms of the most desirable laptops. The aim of the MacBook Air was to create a laptop that was smaller, thinner and much more streamlined, all while maintaining the same power, battery life and aesthetics that had made the Macbook Pro so popular.

The MacBook Air achieved what it had set out to achieve, quickly becoming popular with professionals and jet-setters, those who are constantly on the move and need a laptop that isn’t heavy or cumbersome, but still does everything that they need it to do. The machine that was created during this initial release has since been discontinued, due to be replaced by a better model in 2015, but it still serves its purpose and is still one of the best laptops on the market.

Before the release of the MacBook Air, the iPhone 5C was pushed out. This was created alongside the 5 and the 5S, aimed at the Easter market who tend to prefer more choice of colours. The phone came in a rainbow of colour choices and was also a little cheaper, but to make up for this the hardware wasn’t quite as impressive as the 5S model, and the 5C never really took off, certainly not like Apple had hoped.

A new 21.5 inch iMac was launched in the middle of the year, followed by the fifth generation of the iPod Touch. This was one of the first Apple devices to become hugely popular, picked up by those who wanted a device that could do everything the iPhone could do (albeit without phone capabilities) and didn’t have such a huge price tag. The iPod maintains the same ideals, but rather than being a phone-less copy of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 6, it has since managed to stand on its own.

Speaking of the iPhone 6, this was released later in the year, after the 3rd generation of the MacBook Pro and the latest edition of the Apple mobile operating system, iOS 8. The iPhone 6 offered the latest technology in a slim and beautiful design, only this one was a little bigger than previous models. iPhone released two versions of the iPhone 6, with the standard version and the plus version, which signalled their first foray into the “phablet” market, which is the term used for a device that is bigger than a phone but smaller than a tablet. This release wasn’t entirely expected, as the trend had seemed to lean towards smaller devices, but with the release of the iPhone 6 Plus Apple and other developers had signalled their intentions to make bigger devices. This meant that within days of the release of the 6th edition of this iconic phone, fans were already speculating as to what the next one would look like, and how big it would be.

After the iPhone release and the hysteria that it caused (as is always the case) the next release was an update of the OS X, followed by an iMac with a 5k retina display. The Mac Mini, which is a tiny desktop computer, was next in line for the 2014 releases, and then it was the turn of the iPad. This hugely popular tablet is what started the current tablet-craze, opening the doors for many other companies to get involved and creating a world where everyone is always connected, even though they rarely use desktop PCs and laptops anymore.

The iPad Air 2 got its release first, becoming the lightest and most visually stunning iPad to date, because the iPad Mini 3 was pushed out. It is the latter that will no doubt go on to sell the most, as the iPad Mini has always been a huge hit, which is why it is already on its 3rd edition, despite the fact that the first edition was released less than 2 years before it.