Jonathan Zufi was looking up old Apple products on eBay, where he was struck by the disparity between how the products looked then, photographically, and how they look today.
"I thought, wouldn't it be cool to see all these old photos, but showcased like they are today on Apple's website," says the Atlanta based software engineer.
He set out on a journey to photograph every Apple product ever created as pieces of art — from the first Apple 1 computer to the latest iMae put them together in a self-published coffee table book,Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation, ($75, iconicbook.com) with 500 Apple products featured.
He even got Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to write an introduction.
Zufi, who works for SAP in Atlanta, spent four years photographing Apple products in his basement, using a Canon 5D Mark II camera with 24-105mm and 100mm macro lenses and three Alien Bee lights (using two on the side, and one underneath the products) to capture the Apple gear.
He put so much detail into it that he even bought himself every iPod ever made, in every color. He won't say how much he spent on the project, except that it's "considerable."
The most innovative Apple product ever? Zufi picks the original iPhone. "The design, and the way it completely disrupted the industry."
Take a look at the accompanying gallery of Apple images from the book, as well as a video interview with Zufi.
Follow Jefferson Graham on Twitter: @jeffersongraham.