Throughout human history, we’ve jotted down our experiences in one way or another, leaving clues for future generations. Prehistoric people made cave paintings. Ancient civilizations inscribed their stories on delicate sheets of papyrus. For centuries, scholars have analyzed these sources to discover how societies once lived. When the historians of the future try to unravel the mystery of modern humanity, however, they will not have to go spelunking for answers. No, they will have Apple’s Notes app.
For a half century, Apple has rolled out one groundbreaking innovation after the next. While the iMac and iPhone get plenty of hype, the Notes app is more of an unsung hero. Since its 2007 debut, the feature has become an extension of the human brain.
Always at my fingertips, my Notes app is a window into my soul. Someday, my great-great-grandchildren will read my half-empty Moleskine and think, “Wow, what a thoughtful, reflective young woman she was.” Then, they will upload my Notes app to their brain chips and realize that I was someone who wrote multiple drafts of every text I sent a romantic partner, and never bothered to memorize my Social Security number.
When your friends are tired of hearing about your ex, or when you’re awake in the wee hours of the morning with no one to tell about that very strange dream, you know where to turn. Your Notes app has seen it all, from your most mundane daily tasks to your grandest delusions.
Beyond its functionality, it’s also iconic — the same app I use to write out my grocery list, Ariana Grande used to screenshot her statement re: the infamous doughnut-licking scandal. The Notes app connects us all.
In honor of Apple turning 50 today, let’s take a scroll through my Notes app:
- All-time favorite baby names
- Baby names (that sound great with Adam’s last name)
- A game of M.A.S.H. I played with my friends (adults)
- GREAT IDEA??? 3:27 a.m.
- Things I want and should not buy
- F*ck list
- Groceries
- Celebrities I believe would be my bestie if we ever met
- “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (MY VERSION)”
- An idea for a tweet, which surely would have made me Twitter-famous if I had just posted it
- Chris from Hinge (finance, 5’10”): pros and cons
- Funny things Laurel says
- Emma’s dream engagement rings (save for when Ryan asks!!!)
- My SSN
- All of my passwords; last updated 11/08/20
- Reasons we broke up — read during Mercury retrograde
- Every Taylor Swift song, ranked
- The Traitors cast if it was just people I went to high school with
- Generic rejection message: 3 dates or less
- Things to tell Dr. Francis
- Therapy Notes: Anxious Attachment Style???
- Lindsay’s ex-boyfriends, ranked
- MEATBALL RECIPE
- Weird dream I had 7/25/21
- Idea for a podcast
- Notes for my future self after 4 glasses of wine
- New Note*
*There are upward of 20 “New Notes”, all with no additional text when clicked on. I enter New Note, and wonder, “What genius idea, what revelation, did I have, that I did not write down?” I will never know the answer.
