January 24th 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Macintosh.  A landmark anniversary for a company, Apple Inc, that is just beginning to show off its third gear as a commercial success story.

The launch of the Macintosh in 1984 was significant in that it introduced, at a reasonable price, the worlds first GUI operating system, and was the first commercially successful computer to use a mouse.  More importantly however, it set the stage for Apple to begin a trend of innovation that has continued to gain momentum, even after two decades of stiff competition and setbacks.

In modern times it’s easy to look at Apples 6% market share in the computer industry with some skepticism. When comparing it to the competing PC market, they are but a small fish in a larger pond. But it’s difficult to overlook Apples importance in the overall scheme of things, especially in the consumer electronics industry as a whole. With both the IPod and IPhone the quintessential standards by which all small computing appliances are measured. The continued expansion of ITunes in the media market. A host of miscellaneous successes such as Apple TV, Final Cut Pro, the Macbook Air, and the Mac OS. And the entrance of the traditional Macbook into the $500 dollar range, bringing Macs, once billed as high performance workstations, well into the price range of the average household consumer. To put it simply, Apple is the sexy choice for a whole new generation of computer geeks and main stream users alike.

The key ingredient behind all of these products has been in making them accessible, and in making the consumer feel as though they are part of a movement. The IPhone for instance has connected people in a very tangible way, and integrated some of the best aspects of the internet, texting, email, and applications in doing so. The IPod, as well, has allowed consumers to come together and share what they liked about music and media. In this way, Apple has taken their niche movement to the next level, creating a whole new style of consumer that rallies around a singular concept: the idea of a shared media experience.

In a world muddled in recession, Apple, like most other companies faces challenges, but as the company evolves and grows, I’m expecting to see even bigger ideas emerge. With it’s culture becoming more along the lines of Sony and Google than the traditional computer companies of the past, Apple has evolved into a company that defies the boundaries of physical products and brings consumers into a new millennia of media integration.

The future of Apple is in making products for the rest of us…not just creating a product for the masses, but defining what the masses want. After that, it’s just a matter of making it better than everyone else.