Apple. A Love Story!
A simple Apple is the most recognizable and iconic symbol in the world today. That Apple, we all know so well, is the logo of Apple elegantly sitting on every iPhone, iWatch, iMacs and Apple ads all across the world. From SF, NY, London to Tokyo and all across the globe, like the Apple Glass Cube on Fifth Avenue in NYC the Apple logo symbolizes proximity to the center of our world at its best.
Do you know where the seeds of that iconic Apple came from?
Apple the iconic logo.
An apple has played an important, in the stories of our peoples. In the Garden of Eden, Eve and Adam took a bite from an apple, and God was not very happy about that. An apple was at the heart of Isaac Newton discovering and formulating the theory of gravity.
But our real story begins when a boy meets girl, in London England. According to legend John Lennon first met Yoko Ono, in 1966 at a gallery in London where one of the pieces she had created was an Apple gently placed on top of a plexiglass cube with the simple word "Apple" on a metal plaque screwed firmly into the side.
Yoko Ono at her exhibition at the Indica Gallery in London in November 1966 called "Unfinished Paintings and Objects". The exhibition featured a variety of Yoko's conceptual art works, including: "Apple": A single apple on a pedestal, representing the beginning of life.
John visited the exhibition one day before it opened, and he was immediately drawn to Yoko and her work. Specially, that "Apple", a single apple on a pedestal, representing the beginning of life. He later said that it was "the beginning of everything" for the two of them. How perfect.
On May 14th two years later, in the Big Apple John and Paul held a news conference to introduce a new business concept, whose goal was to enable people to mix business with enjoyment and build their dreams. The name of the company they started on that day in New York City was Apple. The logo, a beautiful simple fresh green Apple.
The original Apple logo that John Lennon and Paul McCartney presented in New York City in 1968.
During the press conference Paul McCartney said: "It's just trying to mix business with enjoyment. We're in the happy position of not needing any more money. So for the first time, the bosses aren't in it for profit. We've already bought all our dreams. We want to share that possibility with others.” That is what Apple was all about. Imagine that.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney holding Apples to discuss launching their business concept, “Apple”.
But across the pond, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, had dreams all their own and they founded Apple Computer in 1976. They dreamt about a company that would change the world. A crazy dream where two young men could start a company in a garage and grow that business to become the worlds most valuable company - a dream come true.
The iconic Apple logo evolution over the years. Steve Jobs, holding an Apple during the early days.
They wanted a logo that was simple, elegant and would reflect the company's values and aspiration. Jobs and Wozniak turned to Ron Wayne, a friend and former business partner, to design the logo. Wayne came up with a design that featured Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. However, they felt that the logo was too complicated.
They then turned to Rob Janoff, a highly regarded graphic designer that designed the Apple logo that we know today. The logo is a simple Apple with a bite taken out of it. The bite some say represents knowledge, as in "taking a bite of knowledge."
The Apple logo was first used on the Apple II computer in 1977, and it has remained largely unchanged ever since. First, it was in striped eight colors and then simpler, clear, black, white or lit up.
In hindsight, it is both amazing and surprising how similar that first Apple that Yoko had in 1966 at her exhibit on a glass cube and the simple green logo that Paul and John had when they launched Apple are to the iconic Apple logo we know today. Is it a delightful accident of history that Yoko placed it on top of a glass cube and that one of the most famous Apple store today so neatly matches that same description?
Steve Jobs in 2008 launching Apple products. Tim Cook in 2023 launching new Apple products.
Crazy!
Today, Apple is the most valuable company on earth. They can do almost anything. And it is almost certain that their story will continue to have many chapters. Unwritten new chapters, not yet imagined, new plot twists and fresh ideas.
Stop. I pause, not to halt this captivating tale, but to share a heartfelt plea. I think Apple should honor Yoko Ono's ideas and enduring legacy by naming the Apple Glass Cube in her honor. It may be an accident of history that her "Apple" piece was sitting on top of a glass cube, but it is an accident worth celebrating. This tribute would not only honor her contributions but also make Apple's place as a company that celebrates creativity, love and innovation more tangible and heartfelt.
The Apple Glass Cube on Fifth Avenue was designed by Steve Jobs & Norman Foster in 1999.
Maybe this is a crazy ask coming from someone that has never met any of the main characters in this story. Maybe it is all the time spent with that apple, maybe it is only with the heart that you can truly see. Apple used to advocate for the crazy ones,
“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.” There is that.
God knows, Apple the company and the city of the Big Apple, have been at the heart of this story for a lifetime and the people of this city would LOVE to come and celebrate with Yoko, one of the most loved New Yorker of all time.
Apple! 🍏 Close this circle and give Yoko and John the honor to name the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue the, Yoko & John Apple Glass Cube.
All love stories that make a dent in the universe this big should have a happy ending.
Why else are we here?
