Micah Manookian - 11/05/2025
At the beginning of the 90s, Apple was in a very difficult position. The company was in serious financial turmoil. The company was not competing like they hoped they would. Although the company had a great presence in schools and other creative industries; the mainstream computing world was still dominated by Microsoft and the IBM-compatible PCs. These machines were often seen as work-focused devices that should be intended for spreadsheets, business software, and dull word processing.
In the video (1998) when Steve Jobs comes back to Apple for its revival and introduces the iMac he says "It will set the new gold standard and it is beautiful". He is referring to the launch of Apple's G3 that would set the standard for what technology should be and the impact it will have on the world. Computing culture was extremely corporate, bland, and technical.
Apple still wanted to be devoted to the niche audience of designers, educators, and other early digital creatives. The issue was the company lacked an overall clear direction and struggled financially in the beginning. Internally.... the leadership conflicts and other product missteps created some uncertainty.
The huge decisive turning point came in late 1997, when the well known Steve Jobs returned to the company Apple following its acquisition of "NeXT". Jobs did not just simply restructure the entire company; he redefined its whole purpose. With that being said his approach worked.....in the article iMac leads Retail Sales (1998) explicitly states that "iMac's rankings have steadily improved, moving from fourth place in August, to third in September and second in October." This proves that his philosophy only took a few months to gain traction because his marketing was personable.
Under Steve Jobs leadership, Apple shifted from not just trying to compete directly with the industry standards to embracing a bold, creatively distinct identity. Jobs really believed technology should be intuitive, visually appealing to the mind, and empower individuals rather than intimidate them. He wanted technology to be something more than just boring office work.
The real cultural turning point of Apple came in the late 90s with the well-known launch of the "Think Different" marketing campaign. Rather than really highlighting technical specifications or other productivity features......Apple celebrated visionary thinking. The marketing included having ads with historical figures such as Einstein, MLK, and Amelia Earhart. This really positioned Apple customers not as ordinary computer users, but made them feel as individuals who challenged normal convention and reshaped the world itself.
In doing this, Apple shifted from public perception of technology to a task-oriented tool into a medium for personal empowerment and idealistic cultural expression. Actually there was a research done on Apple's ability to capture an audience and in the paper written by Paolo Magaudda he states that "The fascination that Apple's objects have exerted on contemporary society is the outcome of the interaction between various elements that are simultaneously technological and cultural, symbolic and material."
Computers were not merely productivity machines to Apple ..... They were symbols of identity and their philosophy. This revolutionary approach came in the late 90s internet environment; which was still emerging from its early boring technical and institutional roots. Apple then helped popularize the notion that everyday people could and should use computers. The internet is a place to create and express yourself in the message Apple was creating.
The most iconic embodiment of Apple's late-90s philosophy officially arrived in 1998 with the initial release of the iMac G3. At a time when most computers were very beige, boxy looking, and visually ugly......the iMac introduced transparency and playful futuristic aesthetic. The iMace felt "alive". It also really centered the internet as a primary purpose for having a home computer for the family to use.
The slogan "three steps & you are on the internet" addressed an initial major barrier of the time which was the difficulty many households had getting online. The iMac really had a simplified setup and first interactions; making connectivity really feel accessible to all families, students, and users in general.
In many schools, the iMac labs became very vibrant which led to inviting spaces where young people explored the web itself and learned great digital skills. This led to new forms of communication which actually had a huge impact on the creatine of social media. The marketing campaign was rather youthful, energetic, and just visually striking to the mind. More than just a regular product launch, the iMac really introduced the cultural belief: the internet was not only for big business users or "tech bro hobbyists" ........ it was for everyone and anything.
Apple's approach really demonstrated that aesthetics were not just superficial, but rather central to shaping how people felt about innovations such as computers and the internet. Design became a means of creating emotional connection and overall cultural belonging. For example, creating the minimal interfaces, friendly fonts styles, and colorful devices made the technology feel personalized and welcoming to the users; countering the clunky intimidating aura of many early PCs.
In the study An Analysis of Brand Culture of Apple it suggests that "semiotics may be used to make or break a brand. Culture codes strongly influence whether a population dislikes a brand's marketing, especially internationally." This creates the implication that in this time period everyone really values simplicity due to the fact that the web/tech was difficult to use.
By treating the computers as lifestyle objects rather than just boring office equipment, Apple influenced the generational shift in this realm of attitudes. Early internet culture ....... from the personal blogs to inspiring creative software experimentation; was fueled by this sense of Apple's digital personality. Therefore Apple's design ethos really encouraged users to see technology as an artistic personal canvas, contributing to the growth of such creative internet communities (media) and early self-expressions online.
The everlasting cultural impact of Apple's transformation is often clearly visible in today's internet landscape in every way. Modern tech culture will emphasize personalization, aesthetic identity, and lifestyle branding.....all ideas Apple helped really popularize decades earlier. Smart-phones, tablets, and other laptops are no longer just neutral tools; they are markers of taste, utmost creativity, and belonging.
A big implication of their impact can be seen on today's Social media aesthetics and how all brands try to create a UX that is sleek and simple. This idea came from Apple. Another point to make is that Apple has led to the creation of pretty much everything culturally significant in the tech world. With that being said the photographer for Steve Jobs actually said this about the company the "curvy translucent plastic design of the iMac was the test case for Steve Jobs' "whole-widget" strategy that led to the creation of the iPhone." This implies that Apple caused a snowball effect to take place in all of history.
In conclusion, Apple's influence on the 1990s internet culture was not defined solely by its innovative hardware or software, but rather its personal redefinition of what technology could represent itself. By connecting computing to human creativity, self-expression, and human-centered design; this led Apple to really reshape the public attitudes towards tech. The company had transformed computers from these bland business devices into meaningful cultural objects; that prompted others to participate in the widespread adoption of online connectivity.
Today's digital landscape can be seen as where identity, lifestyle, and technology are very deeply intertwined which reflects the cultural groundwork Apple intended to be laid during the late 90s. Therefore, Apple did not just participate in this evolution of internet culture as we know; it was the brand that created and propelled the internet as we know it today.
Lastly, another point to mention is the price of Apple's products. As we all know, Apple has never been cheap. There is a reason for this......You get what you pay for is the common slogan. If you want a smooth running computer that is easy for all to use, then Apple is for you. Buying an Apple product is like buying a Toyota branded car....they will last forever.