Back in 2014, I wrote a short piece wondering if Apple still had “the magic” after Steve Jobs passed. At the time, it felt like innovation had slowed down. Here is a link to that article. Sure, the iPhone was getting better every year, and rumors about a new Apple TV were swirling — but it didn’t seem like anything truly game-changing was on the horizon.
I asked a simple question:
“Does Apple have another revolutionary product in it, or are we just going to see endless improvements to the same lineup?”
Fast forward to 2025, and it turns out… I was both right and wrong.
Where I was wrong:
Apple didn’t just sit still. Not even close.
In the years that followed, they dropped some huge hits — the Apple Watch (which basically owns the smartwatch market now), AirPods (which became iconic), and the incredible shift to M1 chips that made Macs faster and more efficient than anyone expected.
They also moved into services in a big way — Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, and more.
And let’s not forget the Apple Vision Pro — a mixed reality headset that could end up being as important as the iPhone was back in 2007. (We’ll see.)
Where I was right:
Not every year felt exciting.
There were definitely stretches where it seemed like we were getting “just another iPhone” with slightly better cameras or slightly faster processors. The wild, surprising “one more thing” moments we got used to with Jobs became rarer.
But maybe that’s just how tech works now — giant leaps take longer, and in between, we get small, steady steps forward.
The bottom line:
Apple didn’t lose its ability to innovate — it just changed how it shows innovation.
Instead of chasing constant “wow” moments, Apple played the long game: building an ecosystem, slowly reshaping industries, and launching new categories when the time was right.
Looking back, I’m glad I asked those questions in 2014 — and I’m even more excited now to see where Apple goes from here.
Because if history is any clue, they’re probably working on something right now that we don’t even know we need yet.
