Apple turns 50 — we’re live-tracking the celebration, surprises, and more

That private Paul McCartney show

Apple’s big 50th birthday party at Apple Park actually took place last night, with Paul McCartney being the impressive (and very apt) headliner.

There are several videos floating around from Instagram, showing what it was like inside the private event. This one, for example, shows the queues before it kicked off and Tim Cook introducing McCartney before his set.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve been celebrating with people who ‘Think Different’. People whose creativity has shaped culture and changed the world. It only felt right to invite someone who’s done exactly that,” Cook said.

‘Steve loved, I mean loved, The Beatles. And he often said he built Apple to be like them. A team where great people come together, challenge each other, and create something greater than any one person could do alone,” he added.

According to Setlist FM, it was quite the concert too, encompassing 25 songs from across The Beatles’ and McCartney’s solo career.

More recently, the Apple celebrations took over London’s Battersea Power Station (below) with a surprise concert from Mumford & Sons.

Below that, you can see a video from the show, if you’re a fan of the so-called ‘Stomp, clap, hey’ folk rock era from the early 2010s.

The spectacular show below took place during Shanghai Fashion Week and was created by designer Feng Chen Wang for Apple’s 50th anniversary celebrations. I’ll take the luminous green dressing gown, thanks.

Below that, you can see Feng Chen Wang greeting fans at the Apple Jing’an Store, with futuristic fashionistas dotted among the crowd.

What’s happened so far?

Apple actually kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations way back on March 13, with a performance from Alicia Keys at the Apple Grand Central store in New York.

Since then, Tim Cook has been on something of a global tour, most notably in China. I’ll bring you photos from those recent celebrations — plus some videos from Paul McCartney performing at Apple Park.

A glimpse into Apple’s musical past

Apple has lined up quite the headliner for its Apple Park celebrations, with Paul McCartney due to take the stage later for a private gig for Apple employees — and that’s got us musing about Apple’s musical past over the last 50 years.

If you remember the pre-iPod era, or if you just want a taste of what life was life before Spotify, make sure to read TechRadar contributor Carrie Marshall’s excellent account of how Apple completely changed music in the early 2000s — and why it’s an era she still misses.

A message from Tim Cook

Apple’s CEO has just posted the post on X above to kickstart the 50th anniversary celebrations — it’s a rewind through most of Apple’s big releases from the last half century.

I couldn’t help but notice an appearance from the Apple Card, which seems an odd inclusion among such illustrious company. It also reminds me of the time that Tim Cook reportedly saw his application for an Apple Card rejected in 2019.

The music in this promo clip is something of a mystery though. Any ideas what tune is lurking behind the distortion? Let me know in the comments below.

Apple employees are scoring some free 50th gifts

Apple’s no stranger to serving up some exclusive swag, usually in the form of pins or clothing, to its employees, and it’s safe to say the 50th stuff is pretty sweet.

According to a post on X, Apple employees are receiving a poster, a t-shirt, and an epic enamel pin to commemorate the 50th Anniversary.

Test your Apple knowledge

If you’re keen to test your knowledge about Apple and the many, many devices and software it has shipped since its inception in 1976, look no further than TechRadar’s Big Apple 50th anniversary quiz.

It was crafted and created by our Editor-in-Chief, Marc McLaren, and let us know how you do in the comments below.

Apple Park has some special displays

Apple Park is clearly getting in the spirit of the 50th anniversary as the team at Apple has set up some pretty neat displays around the campus, according to images shared on X (formerly Twitter).

First up is a real-life version of the 50th Anniversary Apple logo as a statue in a spot in the main ring building. It’s the classic Apple colors mixing together as if drawn with an Apple Pencil on an iPad within the logo, and it looks pretty sizable.

Elsewhere within Apple Park, there’s a walk down Mac memory lane showing off the many versions of the iMac. It starts with the iMac G3 and works its way to the modern iMac with the M4 chip inside.

And similarly, potentially closer to Cafe Mac, Apple has every iPhone on display from the original, first-generation to the most recent iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.

Apple Park is getting ready for big celebration

Apple, it seems, is saving the best and biggest for last, as just hours after hands-on with the AirPods Max 2 dropped, it seems that Apple Park is getting ready for a true party to celebrate the 50th Anniversary. Likely one that will start in the evening and continue into April 1, 2026.

Judging by a post on Reddit (r/apple), the Rainbow Stage is being put to good use in the center of Apple Park, and employees – including CEO Tim Cook and SVP of hardware John Ternus – will be treated to a performance by none other than Paul McCartney.

Paul live at Apple from r/PaulMcCartney

The festivities did kick off earlier in the day, though, as the NASDAQ brought the opening bell to Apple Park and let Apple CEO Tim Cook ring it, ultimately starting the 50th celebration very early in the morning California time.