In just the last fifteen years, a lot has changed for Apple. The company has transformed itself from a dying corporation teetering on the brink of bankruptcy into the most powerful technology company in the world, a giant that has revolutionized pretty much every aspect of technology.

Given the extraordinary changes that have happened to Apple in the last fifteen years, you’d think that the Apple.com homepage would have gone through a lot of changes too. But it hasn’t. Why not?

Going back through fifteen years of Apple.com homepages, it is clear that for Apple, their website is just another product, just like an iPhone or iPod. When Apple wants to make a new product, they first find the ideal form they think that object should be, and then endlessly iterate upon it over successive generations to bring the function of that form into sharper relief.

Apple’s website is no different. Here’s how Apple has refined it over the years.

Hey, thanks Apple! Order online right now from the U.S. official Apple Storeand you get free 2-3 day shipping. Usually, Apple only offers free shipping if you spend more $50. That will make it a little easier to get a last minute stocking stuffer for your loved ones, don’t you think? Source: Apple Store

Try to make a reservation for the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store for a problem with your iPhone, and you’ll now have to complete an important step before you’ll be allowed to see a Genius: you’ll need to turn your iPhone off then on again and see if the problem goes away.

Nike has announced a duo of new colors for its Nike+ FuelBand, which are now available to purchase from Apple retail stores across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom from today. The new colors are “Black Ice” and “White Ice,” and like the other models, they’re priced at $149.95.

The new 4-inch, fifth-generation iPod touches aren’t out yet, and Apple will only stubbornly insist that they are shipping sometime this month, but Sam Adams at Today’s iPhone noticed yesterday that the Australian Apple website listed ship dates for the new iPod touch as being between two-three weeks.

Not a long time to wait, certainly, but still disappointing considering they were announced three weeks ago and still won’t be shipping out until the end of October.

Source: Today’s iPhone

Time, it just keeps on slipping. Just a couple of days after delivery times slipped to March 19th, the average wait time for any new iPad ordered off of Apple.com is now 2-3 weeks.

Last year, the waiting time slide didn’t end here, and iPad 2 delivery times slipped to greater than a month for quite a while. So if you haven’t ordered a new iPad yet and can’t wait in line for one at launch, you might want to pull out that credit card already.

If you haven’t ordered a new iPad yet, better get going: my guess is before the weekend is out, we’ll see shipping times of 4 weeks or more for all models.

Well, the shortage finally appears to be over: a quick check of Apple’s online iPhone 4S order page shows that all models of iPhone 4S are “in stock” and available for immediate dispatch for the first time since the device’s debut in October.

Still haven’t done your Christmas shopping? No need to go on a panicked last-minute expedition to the local gas station like I usually do (“Ho ho ho! Santa brings cartons of cigarettes, Bic lighters and air fresheners!”). Apple has upgraded its free holiday shipping offer in the United States to include next-day shipping for all in-stock products, guaranteeing that as long as you don’t procrastinate past tomorrow, you’ll get your gifts in time for December 25th. Merry Christmas!

[via MacRumors]

We’re a couple weeks from Black Friday yet, but it’s never too early to start Christmas shopping, which is why Apple’s online store has already launched their annual Holiday Gift Guide section, full of curated picks of the best Apple gear to get friends, loved ones or yourself this holiday season.