Not many of us feel celebratory when we turn 50, but Apple is in good spirits today — the tech giant was founded on April 1, 1976, and it's feeling uncharacteristically nostalgic with some star-studded 50th anniversary festivities.
In those 50 years, Apple has left a massive mark on the tech world, so we'll be covering all of today's events and surprises in this liveblog, alongside our own musings on Apple's biggest successes and failures over the past half century.
What started with the original Apple Computer later brought countless other devices like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, the full expansion of the Mac lineup, and even the Vision Pro — not to mention a polishing cloth — and a growing suite of services.
Join us here for a look back at Apple's historic run, a gaze into what the future might hold, and the landmark gadgets that made Apple what it is today (plus the ones it'd rather you forgot about).
Apple is also preparing its own celebration at its main Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, after kicking off the 50th anniversary at Apple Grand Central in NYC and countless other stores across the globe. So to follow all of the action, join us here in this liveblog...
Apple's 50th anniversary — read our coverage
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- I saw Steve Jobs give his last WWDC presentation — and that was when I knew Apple could last for 50 years and beyond
- ‘A genuine masterpiece’: The 15 best Apple gadgets of the last 50 years, according to you
- How Apple accidentally destroyed the record business — and why I wish we'd stuck with iPods
- 'You've tarnished Apple's reputation': 11 things Apple got horribly wrong over the past 50 years
- I’ve used a Mac in every decade since the 1980s — Apple’s 50-year journey still feels magical
- 'The Apple graveyard': 7 mythical Apple products from the past 50 years that never saw the light of day
- 12 irresistibly boxy and beige Apple accessories that'll transform your shiny new gadgets into retro tech in seconds
Apple Park is getting ready for big celebration
Apple, it seems, is saving the best and biggest for last, as just hours after hands-on with the AirPods Max 2 dropped, it seems that Apple Park is getting ready for a true party to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. Likely one that will start in the evening and continue into April 1, 2026.
Judging by a post on Reddit (r/apple), the Rainbow Stage is being put to good use in the center of Apple Park, and employees – including CEO Tim Cook and SVP of hardware John Ternus – will be treated to a performance by none other than Paul McCartney.
Paul live at Apple from r/PaulMcCartney
The festivities did kick off earlier in the day, though, as the NASDAQ brought the opening bell to Apple Park and let Apple CEO Tim Cook ring it, ultimately starting the 50th celebration very early in the morning California time.
Welcoming @apple [APPL] to the @NasdaqExchange Opening Bell in celebration of their 50th founding anniversary. #Apple50 pic.twitter.com/mdgmDLg58HMarch 31, 2026
Apple Park has some special displays
Apple Park is clearly getting in the spirit of the 50th anniversary as the team at Apple has set up some pretty neat displays around the campus, according to images shared on X (formerly Twitter).
First up is a real-life version of the 50th Anniversary Apple logo as a statue in a spot in the main ring building. It's the classic Apple colors mixing together as if drawn with an Apple Pencil on an iPad within the logo, and it looks pretty sizable.
Apple's 50th anniversary sculpture pic.twitter.com/SEhOUXloIQMarch 31, 2026
Elsewhere within Apple Park, there's a walk down Mac memory lane showing off the many versions of the iMac. It starts with the iMac G3 and works its way to the modern iMac with the M4 chip inside.
Apple 50th anniversary installation at the office featuring classic Mac lineup pic.twitter.com/bxX1y9yGdrMarch 31, 2026
And similarly, potentially closer to Cafe Mac, Apple has every iPhone on display from the original, first-generation to the most recent iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.
It’s a beautiful day at Apple Park 🌈 pic.twitter.com/auwD3tzTzbMarch 31, 2026
Test your Apple knowledge
If you're keen to test your knowledge about Apple and the many, many devices and software it has shipped since its inception in 1976, look no further than TechRadar's Big Apple 50th anniversary quiz.
It was crafted and created by our Editor-in-Chief, Marc McLaren, and let us know how you do in the comments below.
Apple employees are scoring some free 50th gifts
Apple's no stranger to serving up some exclusive swag, usually in the form of pins or clothing, to its employees, and it's safe to say the 50th stuff is pretty sweet.
According to a post on X, Apple employees are receiving a poster, a t-shirt, and an epic enamel pin to commemorate the 50th Anniversary.
Apple 50th Anniversary employee gifts!🎁Each employee gets a 50th T-shirt, limited edition poster and enamel pin! pic.twitter.com/EpvT9no3YhMarch 31, 2026
A message from Tim Cook
50 years of Apple, 50 years of innovation.Thank you to our teams, our users, and everyone who’s been part of the journey. #Apple50 pic.twitter.com/YYkMN24VzcApril 1, 2026
Apple's CEO has just posted the post on X above to kickstart the 50th anniversary celebrations — it's a rewind through most of Apple's big releases from the last half century.
I couldn't help but notice an appearance from the Apple Card, which seems an odd inclusion among such illustrious company. It also reminds me of the time that Tim Cook reportedly saw his application for an Apple Card rejected in 2019.
The music in this promo clip is something of a mystery though. Any ideas what tune is lurking behind the distortion? Let me know in the comments below.
A glimpse into Apple's musical past
Apple has lined up quite the headliner for its Apple Park celebrations, with Paul McCartney due to take the stage later for a private gig for Apple employees — and that's got us musing about Apple's musical past over the last 50 years.
If you remember the pre-iPod era, or if you just want a taste of what life was life before Spotify, make sure to read TechRadar contributor Carrie Marshall's excellent account of how Apple completely changed music in the early 2000s — and why it's an era she still misses.
- Read the full story: How Apple accidentally destroyed the record business — and why I wish we'd stuck with iPods
What's happened so far?
Apple actually kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations way back on March 13, with a performance from Alicia Keys at the Apple Grand Central store in New York.
Since then, Tim Cook has been on something of a global tour, most notably in China. I'll bring you photos from those recent celebrations — plus some videos from Paul McCartney performing at Apple Park.
The spectacular show below took place during Shanghai Fashion Week and was created by designer Feng Chen Wang for Apple's 50th anniversary celebrations. I'll take the luminous green dressing gown, thanks.
Below that, you can see Feng Chen Wang greeting fans at the Apple Jing’an Store, with futuristic fashionistas dotted among the crowd.
More recently, the Apple celebrations took over London's Battersea Power Station (below) with a surprise concert from Mumford & Sons.
Below that, you can see a video from the show, if you're a fan of the so-called 'Stomp, clap, hey' folk rock era from the early 2010s.
That private Paul McCartney show
A few of the billion shots I took of the Apple 50th Anniversary Celebration pic.twitter.com/bhNVGURQxVApril 1, 2026
Apple's big 50th birthday party at Apple Park actually took place last night, with Paul McCartney being the impressive (and very apt) headliner.
There are several videos floating around from Instagram, showing what it was like inside the private event. This one, for example, shows the queues before it kicked off and Tim Cook introducing McCartney before his set.
"Over the past few weeks, we’ve been celebrating with people who 'Think Different'. People whose creativity has shaped culture and changed the world. It only felt right to invite someone who’s done exactly that," Cook said.
‘Steve loved, I mean loved, The Beatles. And he often said he built Apple to be like them. A team where great people come together, challenge each other, and create something greater than any one person could do alone," he added.
According to Setlist FM, it was quite the concert too, encompassing 25 songs from across The Beatles' and McCartney's solo career.
What's your Apple era?
Before we delve further into Apple's celebrations and its 50-year history, it's time to pause for an important question — which Apple era do you belong in?
We've set up a short quiz to help you figure this out below. I'm pleased to announce that I'm firmly in the 'Trendsetter' category centering around Apple's golden era, which I think also just means I'm really old.
Have a play and let us know if you agree with your result in the comments...
Apple's homepage is looking different
Obsessed with Apple's 50th birthday homepage video pic.twitter.com/b3UUMstBCZApril 1, 2026
If you head to the Apple homepage today, you'll be greeted with the rather lovely animation above — which takes you through the Macintosh, macOS, iMac, iPod and more.
You can sense Apple's hesitation to plunge too deep into nostalgia, with the message below the '50 years of thinking different' header stating: "At 50 years, it’s only natural to look back. But Apple has always looked forward, building tools and delivering experiences that enrich people’s lives."
It's hard not to read that in Tim Cook's voice — but unfortunately, there are no special 50th anniversary discounts when you go further into the store.
This slightly beats our office Christmas party
It’s one thing to have Paul McCartney at work, but it’s another thing to have a display like this at the same time pic.twitter.com/MAF21f2kJ2April 1, 2026
Here's another impressive view from inside the big Apple Park show last night, courtesy of Apple developer Steven Peterson.
It shows some serious pyrotechnics accompanying the coda to McCartney's live version of 'Live and Let Die'.
Is it curmudgeonly to suggest that a drone light show might have been a better fit for Apple's 2030 environmental vision? Maybe — you can't say that on Apple's birthday...
Tim Cook gets reflective
Esquire landed an engaging interview with Tim Cook ahead of Apple's 50th anniversary, where he talks about everything from Steve Jobs to working with the Trump administration.
Cook is too well media-trained to reveal anything hugely insightful, but he is in a more reflective mood than we typically see him.
On Jobs, he said: "I think about him often — and in the last few months, thinking about the fiftieth anniversary, even more so, honestly,” Cook says. “You think about the things he believed in. He believed in the simple, not the complex. He believed in collaboration, that if you put a small group of people together, the output of that small group would be much greater than any individual among them.”
The slightly thornier questions around Trump are met with a masterful neutrality, and echo his previous "I'm not political" comments. "The Trump administration is very accessible," he said. "So you can talk with them about your point of view on things. They may not agree, but you can engage. You can be heard. You may not, in the end, be able to convince," he added.
The Apple gadgets we never got
Like Tim Cook, we've been in a reflective mood today about Apple's last 50 years — in particular about the rumored Apple gadgets that never arrived.
And there's been a lot of those — from the Apple Car to AirPower wireless charging and a mysterious mash up of a computer, a fax machine, scanner and telephone called the Paladin, we've rounded up the company's biggest gadget unicorns below.
- Read the full story: 'The Apple graveyard': 7 mythical Apple products from the past 50 years that never saw the light of day
Tim Cook's been busy
Hypebeast has combined another nice visual trip through Apple's history with some celeb birthday messages below, with Tim Cook making a surprise appearance at the end.
At this rate, I'm half expecting Cook to pop up from behind my TV later and exclaim "here's to 50 more years of thinking different'...
One more thing...
Apple has had a serious knack for both 'breakthrough' marketing slogans and, thanks to Steve Jobs, memorable turns-of-phrase. But they haven't always worked in favor of Apple.
We thought it'd be fun to tell the story (below) of Apple's last 50 years through those well-worn phrases, from its early slogans ('The computer for the rest of us') to the episodes ('You're holding it wrong', 'Bendgate' and more) that its detractors love to hark back to. Just be wary of the 'reality distortion field'....
- Read the full story: 'You’re holding it wrong': 11 iconic phrases that define Apple's last 50 years, from genius highs to embarrassing lows
Watch our favorite Apple keynote moments
If you're anything like us, there's likely an Apple keynote that stands out the most to you – maybe it was the iPhone reveal, the original Macintosh, or the iPod.
Whatever your favorite is, take a stroll down Apple keynote memory lane and see our favorite picks of the best moments that Steve Jobs introduced.
Tim Cook shares a note with Apple employees recognizing the 50th
Thanks to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, we're getting a look at Tim Cook's memo celebrating Apple's 50th anniversary that was shared with employees earlier today. In it, he reflects on the first 50 years, a quote from Steve Jobs that's been on his mind, and teases that 'what comes next' is what excites him most.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s memo to staff today to mark its 50th Anniversary. “The opportunities ahead of us are among the greatest we have ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/qLshaEyC7TApril 1, 2026
Apple's 50th Anniversary swag apparently shows up on eBay
It was only a matter of time.
From all indications, Apple’s big 50th Anniversary bash featuring a live performance by Sir Paul McCartney was an exclusive, employee-only affair. That also means that the only people who got the really cool swag were Apple employees.
To refresh your memory, the swag included a t-shirt, a poster, and a “50” enamel pin.
Well, guess what just showed up on eBay? One of the pins. There are some huge caveats here. First of all, this might be a fake. It could also be someone grabbing someone else’s pin image and posting it, in hopes of luring unsuspecting bidders. Who knows what the winning bid will actually receive?
But what if it’s real? Would you pay $100 for a souvenir pin? Even a really cool one like this, complete with paperwork that indicates the date of Apple’s founding? Maybe. As of now, the pin has no bids but six watchers, who probably know better.
