Apple Launches 50th Anniversary with Alicia Keys Event

Apple launched its global celebrations for the company's 50th anniversary on March 13, 2026, with an impromptu performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys at its Grand Central store in New York City. The event marked the beginning of a series of gatherings planned throughout the month to honor the tech giant's founding on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

The performance took place on the iconic steps of the store, where Keys played a set of her hits on a bright pink Yamaha grand piano. Apple described the initiative as a way to highlight "human creativity and ingenuity in action" and to showcase what people can achieve with its products. The gathering was open to the public and included invited content creators and journalists. Among the attendees were Apple CEO Tim Cook, senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus, senior vice president of marketing Greg Joswiak, and senior vice president of retail Deirdre O'Brien.

Alicia Keys, a 17-time Grammy winner known for her work across genres, has a history of collaboration with Apple. She was among the first artists to release her music catalog in Spatial Audio on Apple Music and has headlined an...