Apple's 11 Greatest On-Stage Moments Ever

Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after being fired by the board in 1985, and it was a huge moment for the company. Apple was in trouble — the Mac was tanking and the company was on the cusp of bankruptcy. You could tell just by the crowd’s energy that Job’s return to Apple seemed to indicate that a big change was about to come.

Jobs introduced the first iMac by pointing out all of the issues with computers that were current at the time in 1998 — a lot of them were slow, ugly, and difficult to use. That’s why the original iMac was pitched as the first truly user-friendly computer. The translucent colorful design is still memorable today.

At an event in 1999, Jobs showcased the iBook’s Wi-Fi capabilities by picking it up and moving it while he was still browsing the web. That’s an every day task in today’s world, but about 16 years ago it seemed like magic.

The iPod was nothing short of a groundbreaking device — one that’s largely responsible for the shift from CD players to MP3 players to storing music on our phones like we do today. The crowd was pretty silent when Jobs initially introduced the iPod and explained what it does. But when he pulled the device out of his pocket and showed the world what it looked like, the crowd erupted in cheer.

When Jobs announced the first iPhone, he initially made it sound like Apple was going to announce three new devices:

“An iPod…a phone…and an internet communicator.”

He then showcased the iPhone, which he pitched as all three gadgets rolled up into one device. The audience loved it.

After Jobs officially took the wraps off the new phone, he famously prank called Starbucks and asked for 4,000 lattes to go. The demo was meant to show how easy it is to find a specific location on a map and then call that place seamlessly using the new iPhone.

“Just kidding, wrong number!” he said after the crowd laughed and applauded.

The unveiling of the iPad itself wasn’t too much of a surprise — as is the case with tech news cycles today, many had speculated back in 2010 that Apple was indeed working on a tablet computer. But many had expected the iPad to cost around $1,000, which is why it was a bit of a shock when Jobs revealed that the starting price was actually $499.

Jobs loved to tease specific demos, products, and announcements that he was particularly proud of by saving them for last and telling the crowd there was “one more thing” he had to show them.

One of the most memorable of these was when he demoed FaceTime for the first time on the iPhone 4 by calling Jony Ive back in 2010. Back then, the ability to have clear face-to-face phone calls that worked seamlessly was a game changer.

“It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough,” Jobs said on stage when Apple unveiled the second iPad in March 2011. “That it’s technology married with liberal arts married with the humanities that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”

The image became iconic because it sums up Apple’s values so well. It’s not all about how powerful the technology is — it’s about how simple and easy it is to use.

The Apple Watch was the first new product category that Apple has unveiled since Jobs’ passing in 2011, and Cook introduced the device with Jobs’ own famous catch phrase. The unveiling was also significant because the watch had been anticipated for more than a year before its official introduction. Although it wasn’t surprising to learn that Apple had been working on a watch, no one had known what it would be called or what it would look like until last year’s keynote in September 2014.

When Apple bought Beats Electronics for $3 billion last year, Dr. Dre and renowned record executive Jimmy Iovine were brought on as official Apple employees. They’re titles at Apple are simply “Jimmy and Dre,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

More from Business Insider:

• A couple planning to retire at age 33 explain how much money they have to save
• Here’s how much you need to earn to live comfortably in 15 major US cities while still saving money
• 15 things you can stop wasting your money on
• The 14 smartest purchases to make in your 20s
• The incredibly simple way I’m saving $100 a month on coffee