• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Apple

Video: A drone’s eye view of Apple’s spaceship at the 1/3 point

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 10, 2014, 11:39 AM ET

Aerial videos of the 176-acre construction site in Cupertino, Calif., where Apple is building its new headquarters, are getting slicker.

The one we posted in August was pure drone documentary — 8:31 minutes of uncut video that opened and closed with the operator’s sneakers in the frame.

This one, published Sunday on YouTube, is shorter and more polished: 1:27 minutes, with titles, transitions and a space-age soundtrack.

437328550062
When Steve Jobs pitched the project to the local city council, he described the main building as looking “like a spaceship has landed.”

That may have been a clever bit of misdirection. He must have known that the finished HQ was going to bear an even more striking resemblance to “The Doughnut” — headquarters of the spy organization that is Britain’s version of the National Security Agency.

The video below was shot, like the last one, from a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/HszOdsObT50]

See also: A drone’s eye view of the Apple spaceship (August 2014)

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Lists Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Lists Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Andy Jassy
SuccessCareers
Forget LinkedIn—Amazon’s Andy Jassy started a chicken wing eating club to network when he first moved to Seattle for work
By Preston ForeApril 24, 2026
2 minutes ago
Meta’s chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth
Successwork-life balance
Meta executive says he only gets stressed five times a year and that it’s actually a ‘useful signal’
By Emma BurleighApril 24, 2026
8 minutes ago
larz
CommentarySocial Media
Gen Alpha can’t write emails to grandma without ChatGPT. It’s time for a ‘Digital Harm Tax’
By Larz MayApril 24, 2026
54 minutes ago
dario
CommentaryAnthropic
Mythos access by Discord group reveals real danger of AI-powered hacking
By Stefanie SchappertApril 24, 2026
54 minutes ago
black cabs
EuropeRide-Hailing
‘This is very transformative for the business’: Lyft’s head of growth on taking a big step into London’s black cab sector
By Nick LichtenbergApril 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Current price of gold as of April 24, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of April 24, 2026
By Danny BakstApril 24, 2026
1 hour ago

Most Popular

Despite nearing their 60s, nearly four in 10 Americans heading towards the end of their careers don’t even have a retirement account
Success
Despite nearing their 60s, nearly four in 10 Americans heading towards the end of their careers don’t even have a retirement account
By Emma BurleighApril 23, 2026
23 hours ago
When interest on national debt overtook military spending, it triggered a limit where the U.S. may ‘cease to be a great power,’ warns Hoover historian
Economy
When interest on national debt overtook military spending, it triggered a limit where the U.S. may ‘cease to be a great power,’ warns Hoover historian
By Eleanor PringleApril 23, 2026
1 day ago
‘Don’t leave’: Jensen Huang challenges billionaire class as he insists ‘highest taxes in the world’ are OK with him
Big Tech
‘Don’t leave’: Jensen Huang challenges billionaire class as he insists ‘highest taxes in the world’ are OK with him
By Jacqueline MunisApril 23, 2026
17 hours ago
The Iran war is pushing Southeast Asia to debate the once unthinkable: Whether ships will need to pay to transit the Strait of Malacca
Economy
The Iran war is pushing Southeast Asia to debate the once unthinkable: Whether ships will need to pay to transit the Strait of Malacca
By Angelica AngApril 23, 2026
1 day ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just inked a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just inked a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 22, 2026
2 days ago
The Gen Z Pout and the Gen Z Stare are both a warning to Fortune 500 CEOs
Future of Work
The Gen Z Pout and the Gen Z Stare are both a warning to Fortune 500 CEOs
By Nick LichtenbergApril 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.