For many years Apple has been at the leading edge of technology, software, branding and web design. A strong and instantly recognisable Apple style is maintained across the company’s applications and Internet exposure, with several key aspects in its approach to design. Strong, bold icons are used to define and navigate; great product and screenshots reveal the goods; cleanly-gridded typography with various sizes of text makes large amounts of content readable; and a cool colour scheme of white, blue, grey and black is used with plenty of open space between the content. Understandably, people working outside of Apple attempt to emulate this style, and it is fascinating to see how designers have tweaked the style to fit their products. This post brings together 25 of the best websites that take Apple as their inspiration.

1. Cultured Code

Clean typography, generous use of blank space, great icons and clutter-free pages throughout Cultured Code’s website design are impressive examples of Apple-style design. The developer produces efficient task management software for Mac and iPhone.

2. Versions

Version’s website uses dark space rather than Apple’s characteristic white pages, but the design is undeniably Apple-inspired with clean grid typography, eye-catching icons and graphics.

3. Snowtape

Snowtape is a neat application for listening to and recording Internet radio and exporting to iTunes along with related artwork. The website uses accessible and plain pages with pleasant Apple-style graphics and text.

4. Panic Coda

It is essential for web developers such as Panic to make websites beautiful and functional, and their site for the Coda application is no exception. Great typography, icons and navigation make for an accessible and attractive site.

5. Pixelmator

Pixelmator is an easy-to-use yet powerful image editor allowing Mac OS X users to enhance their photographs through simple steps. The website uses a dark colour scheme with plenty of Apple-style lay outs and iconography.

6. Invoice Machine

Invoice Machine is a web application created with the aim of simplifying online invoicing. The design of the website, and the application itself, takes all its cues from Apple’s graphics and page lay outs.

7. Tapbots

Tapbots are utility robots for the iPhone and iPod Touch; their website is clearly inspired by Apple with bold icon graphics and cool white, blue grey and black colour scheme.

8. NPrinting

NPrinting allows users to create sophisticated reports and the website aims to reflect that sophistication. Screen grabs of the application in action are laid out in a way reminiscent of Apple’s product photography.

9. Transmissions

Transmission’s website for the Logbook app is created with a pure Apple aesthetic of clean white text laid out in simple grids on a grey and black background.

10. Potion Factory

A beautiful website with great icons and graphic touches provides an ideal showcase for three of Potion Factory’s applications: Voice Candy, Tangerine and Hit List.

11. Warehouse

Warehouse is a web-based Subversion browser reflecting Apple’s stylings in its graphics, icons and layouts.

12. Icon Dock

Icon Dock is simply bursting with stock icons inspired directly by Apple products, represented in the website’s welcoming design.

13. Symphony

The key aspects of this open source content management system are presented in Symphony’s website with crisp minimalist white pages and simple grid typography.

14. Realmac Software

Realmac Software develop products for Mac OS X users, showcased in a sparkling, colourful and Apple-themed website.

15. Cellar App

Cellar is an iPhone and iPod Touch app for wine connoisseurs to keep track of what they’ve got stored in their wine racks, store and share images of labels and archive all their wine-related data. The app website has Apple typography with a luxurious brown colour scheme.

16. Tea Round

This website uses a charming tea theme with distinctive Apple-style text and layout. Tea Round helps settle brew-related arguments by deciding whose turn it is to make the cuppas.

17. AteBits

AteBit’s website is wonderfully designed with bold icons, subtle shadows and text.

18. Cocoa Dev Central

Cocoa Dev Central’s website offers tutorials, articles and forums for Mac OS X programming, set in simple, crisp, Apple-themed platform.

19. Icon Designer

Sebastiaan de With is the designer, founder, and currently the sole employee of his company Cocoia. On his website, de With showcases his design work with great Apple-style icons and interfaces.

20. Tao Effect

Tao Effect is a company comprised of web developer and designers Greg Slepak and John Ashenden. Their website clearly reflects the Mac focus of their software.

21. Billings

This professional quoting, invoicing and time tracking application for Mac and iPhone has powerful features and stylish Apple-inspired design, expressed within the app and its website. Characteristically, the site has expansive white spaces, clean typography and great product and screenshots.

22. Checkout

This is another website that uses crisp layouts and clear product shots, this time to present the Checkout application, easy and affordable retail software for Mac.

23. 280 Slides

280 Slides is a web app that allows users to create, access and share presentations. The application’s website uses strong layouts, icons and colour scheme in typical Apple style.

24. Task Mate

This simple website uses little more than four screenshots, limited text, download and donate buttons to present TaskMate, the to-do list application.

25. Midnight Apps

As with all the websites we have looked at, Midnight Apps financial management tools for Mac and iPhone are showcased in an accessible and attractive design unashamedly influenced by Apple.