Apple's 2011 saw the expected release of a new iPad and iPhone, both of which helped the company fend off more robust challenges from Google Android and a host of new competitors. Even as Apple gained strength and prominence, however, it faced the illness and death of co-founder CEO Steve Jobs. Many of Apple's releases were widely anticipated. In January, it announced the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless. Apple's second big unveiling of 2011 came March 2, when Jobs took a San Francisco stage to unveil the next-generation iPad 2. "Is 2011 going to be the year of the copycats? I think if we did nothing, maybe a little bit," he told the audience. "But we haven't been resting on our laurels." Both the Verizon iPhone and iPad 2 sold well. Apple's laptops and desktops also began to take on characteristics of the company's mobile products, with the introduction of a Mac App Store that clearly took its cues from the App Store for iOS. That Mac App Store came as part of Mac OS X Lion, Apple's latest Mac OS X upgrade, which it released in mid-July. At the same time, Apple also terminated its iconic white MacBook, making the lowest-priced MacBook Air the entry-level laptop. In October, Apple continued its blockbuster sales run with the iPhone 4S. Steve Jobs died Oct. 5, following a long battle with cancer. His influence on the company will be felt for some time.
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Verizon iPhone 4
In January, Apple whipped the curtain back from one of tech's worst-kept secrets: the iPhone 4 on Verizon. With the exception of tinkering with the antenna to make it Code Division Multiple Access-applicable (CDMA-applicable), the Verizon version of the iPhone 4 offered precious little difference from the AT&T version in both hardware and software.
iPad 2
Apple's second big unveiling of 2011 came March 2, when Jobs took a San Francisco stage to unveil the next-generation iPad 2. The 9.7-inch tablet featured a dual-core processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, and a thinner body.
Massive Lines
The iPad 2 hit store shelves March 11. In New York City, hundreds of people lined up at Apple stores, anxious to get their hands on the tablet.
Mac OS X Lion
By the end of February, Apple had released a developer preview of Mac OS X Lion, the next version of its PC operating system. In June, Jobs and other executives took to the stage at San Francisco's Moscone Center to profile the operating system's new features.
Mac App Store
Apple's Mac App Store also launched in January, starting off with more than 1,000 free and paid applications for Mac OS X.
MacBook Air Becomes Default
Apple released Lion in mid-July. That was combined with the termination of the company's iconic white MacBook, which made its lowest-priced MacBook Air the company's default entry-level laptop.
iPhone 4S
Instead of the long-anticipated "iPhone 5," Apple's new iPhone in 2011 was the "iPhone 4S," which seemed virtually identical in appearance to the iPhone 4. Nonetheless, it boasted a more powerful processor along with Siri, a "personal digital assistant" that responded to the user's voice queries.
iOS 5 and Siri
The iPhone 4S also came loaded with iOS 5, a significant upgrade to the company's mobile operating system.
Market
Apple's robust device sales, and the increasing size of its retail footprint, allowed it to fend off various rivals seeking to eat substantially into its smartphone and tablet market shares.
Steve Jobs
On Oct. 5, Apple announced Steve Jobs' death, its Website opening with a black-and-white photo of him. The accompanying statement read: "Apple has lost a visionary and a creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being."
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Apple's 2011 saw the expected release of a new iPad and iPhone, both of which helped the company fend off more robust challenges from Google Android and a host of new competitors. Even as Apple gained strength and prominence, however, it faced the illness and death of co-founder CEO Steve Jobs. Many of Apple's releases were widely anticipated. In January, it announced the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless. Apple's second big unveiling of 2011 came March 2, when Jobs took a San Francisco stage to unveil the next-generation iPad 2. "Is 2011 going to be the year of the copycats? I think if we did nothing, maybe a little bit," he told the audience. "But we haven't been resting on our laurels." Both the Verizon iPhone and iPad 2 sold well. Apple's laptops and desktops also began to take on characteristics of the company's mobile products, with the introduction of a Mac App Store that clearly took its cues from the App Store for iOS. That Mac App Store came as part of Mac OS X Lion, Apple's latest Mac OS X upgrade, which it released in mid-July. At the same time, Apple also terminated its iconic white MacBook, making the lowest-priced MacBook Air the entry-level laptop. In October, Apple continued its blockbuster sales run with the iPhone 4S. Steve Jobs died Oct. 5, following a long battle with cancer. His influence on the company will be felt for some time.