Best Apple Product Ever: Our Top Pick | [Year]

Apple’s iPhone, launched in 2007, is arguably the company’s most influential and lucrative product, fundamentally reshaping the mobile phone market and how people interact with technology. This assessment comes from a recent ranking of Apple’s top 50 products by The Verge, where readers overwhelmingly selected the original iPhone as number one.

The Verge’s ranking, published on April 3, 2026, highlights the iPhone’s lasting impact. According to the report, the device wasn’t simply an iteration on existing phone technology; it redefined the category.

This is not three separate devices — this is maybe the most influential, and unquestionably the most lucrative, gadget Apple ever made. When it launched in 2007, the iPhone instantly remade the phone market in its image, and helped change the way we interact with technology.

The Verge

The ranking follows a celebration of 50 years of Apple, prompting a retrospective look at the company’s most significant products. While Apple has a rich history of innovation, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and iPod, the iPhone stands out for its broad and enduring influence.

Beyond the iPhone: Other Key Apple Innovations

The Verge’s ranking also identified other pivotal Apple products. The M1 chip, released in 2020, secured the second spot, marking Apple’s transition into a “silicon powerhouse.” The M1’s combination of power and battery efficiency continues to be a benchmark in the industry. The original Macintosh, released in 1984, took third place, lauded for popularizing the graphical user interface and the mouse, laying the foundation for modern computing.

The original iPod, launched in 2001, came in fourth. It revolutionized portable music, offering a capacity of 1,000 songs and setting a new standard for music players. Mac OS X (now macOS), which powers Apple’s hardware ecosystem, secured the fifth position, recognized as the software backbone of decades of Apple innovation. The iPhone 4, with its Retina display and introduction of video calls, rounded out the top six.

Apple’s 50-Year Legacy

CNET also recently published a retrospective on Apple’s 50-year history, echoing the sentiment that the company has consistently pushed the boundaries of technology. CNET’s list of 13 notable products included the Apple-1, the computer that started it all in 1976, and highlighted Apple’s ability to not only create successful products but also to continually seek out the “next thing.”

Though computers existed before the Apple II, that chunky beige wedge found its way into homes and sparked interest among the same kids who later grew up to design successive waves of products.

CNET

The Apple-1, which sold for $387,750 at a Christie’s auction in 2013, exemplifies the company’s early foundations. CNET also noted the impact of the iPod, which, combined with its innovative advertising, transformed how people consumed music.

Stuff.tv also recently published a ranking of Apple’s greatest products, further demonstrating the ongoing interest in evaluating the company’s contributions to the tech landscape. While the specific rankings differ across publications, the iPhone consistently appears at or near the top, solidifying its position as Apple’s most significant creation.

As Apple continues to innovate with products like the M-series chips and ongoing developments in its software ecosystem, its legacy of groundbreaking technology remains firmly intact. The company’s ability to anticipate and shape consumer needs has been a defining characteristic throughout its 50-year history, and the iPhone serves as a prime example of this success.