Apple’s 50th Anniversary Global Celebration Kicks Off in New York; Alicia Keys Performs, Event Reportedly Filmed on iPhone 17 Pro

Celebration opens at Grand Central Terminal

Apple opened the first stop of a month-long global series to mark its 50th anniversary with a high-profile event at the Apple Store in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The headline act was Alicia Keys, standing on the store’s iconic steps and performing several signature songs for a live audience. According to Chinese tech site IT Home (IT之家), Apple released photos from the event alongside its announcement.

Alicia Keys, Apple ties and the iPhone 17 Pro angle

Alicia Keys — a multi-Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer — was presented as a fitting inaugural guest: an artist whose career spans genres and eras and who has previously collaborated with Apple on spatial audio releases. It has been reported that Apple’s crew recorded the entire performance using the new iPhone 17 Pro, a detail the company is likely to use to showcase the device’s recording and production capabilities.

Tim Cook attends; global rollout planned

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared at the event and joined Keys onstage to greet attendees, underscoring the company’s executive-level commitment to the anniversary programme. Apple says it will continue holding commemorative events around the world throughout March, turning the milestone into a public relations tour that doubles as product storytelling.

Context: a celebration inside a complicated global footprint

The celebrations come as Apple navigates a complex geopolitical landscape. The company’s hardware supply chains and market access are deeply entangled with China, and it operates under increasing scrutiny from both U.S. trade policymakers and international regulators. Can a public-facing cultural moment like this shift attention from those pressures? For now, Apple is using performance, photography and its flagship handset to tell a simple story: half a century of design and innovation.