Why Apple isn’t in Microsoft’s Shoes
15. October 2007If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Back in the 1970s, IBM was the biggest computer manufacturer and essentially the monolith that Microsoft is now. In the early days of Apple, Steve Jobs was a software designer and the business side to Apple. They were doing quite well into the early 1980s with their Apple II, which was quickly revolutionizing the world into one of personal computers. With Apple doing well and growing quickly, it was time to expand with partnerships and new staff.
Steve Jobs brough in two new characters that would ruin Apple for decades to come. First was a partnership with small software developer Bill Gates and his company, Microsoft. The other was a new CEO: John Sculley, then CEO of Pepsi Cola.
Bill Gates would soon leave Apple to develop his own company, now privy to top-secret Apple-eyes-only information, such as the GUI that was being developed, which would revolutionize the world yet again, and the newfangled “mouse” that went with it. Bill Gates used this information to catapult Microsoft into the Windows era. But more on that later.
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs was locked in a power struggle with now-CEO John Sculley. Jobs had developed software which would run on the Apple II and turn it into a business machine. Sculley insisted that this so-called “business machine” would canabilize sales of the Apple II. Jobs noted that the business and personal markets were entirely seperate, and that leaving the business market open was not a good idea. He said to Sculley, “do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?” However, reason does not always prevail, and Sculley won the struggle. Jobs left Apple.
Over the next decade or so, Sculley would transform Apple from what should and could easily have been the world’s supplier of computers and developer of the mainstream Operating System into a small niche company which made its sales only to graphic designers, and less and less of even that as Sculley’s reign continued.
Of course, Microsoft had no such idiot in power to hinder them. They had Bill Gates, who, when it comes to marketing at least, is pure genious. Microsoft grew while Apple shrank, and when they ran out of ideas, they just stole Apple’s already existing ideas. With Apple getting smaller and smaller, people began to think Microsoft actually had come up with many of these ideas, and we approach the early 2000s era where Microsoft is practically undisputed.
In 1996, however, Jobs had quietly returned to Apple, and was beginning to lay the foundations of an entirely new era, one which we have yet to see. In 2001, the iPod revolutionized the world and brough its attention back to Apple. Over the last 5 years, Apple has improved upon their products in ways that give Microsoft nausea.
Recently we have seen changes begin to take place that will lead to a day when Apple finally gets the audience it deserved from day 1. EA has announced simultaneous release for all major titles on Mac and PC. Bungie has announced an end to their exclusive partnership with Microsoft. Apple has an estimated 46% of the high-end personal notebook market share. These are just a few of the things that are happening that will ultimately lead to Apple’s return to world technology authority.
Until that day, I will continue to fight for the cause! Long live Apple, and death to Microsoft!!!
Tags: Nerd, Designer, Nerd News, Anti-Microsoft, Software, Gaming, Design News |
Quote: “Bill Gates would soon leave Apple to develop his own company.”
What? Dude, BG never worked for Apple.
Get your facts straight. You say, “Jobs noted that the business and personal markets were entirely seperate (sic), and that leaving the business market open was not a good idea. He said to Sculley,’do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?’ However, reason does not always prevail, and Sculley won the struggle. Jobs left Apple.”
Jobs RECRUITED Sculley from Pepsi by asking that famous question. It had no connection whatsoever with any later differences the two may have had about business vs.personal computer markets or why Steve lost out to Sculley and Apple’s Board.
Fog City Dave: Like I stated in the article, Bill Gates had a partnership with Apple which made him privy to Apple-Eyes-Only information. No, he wasn’t considered an employee of Apple, but he was in a partnership with them.
Chris: You’re right, I apologize for the confusion However, I never stated that it did have any connection with later differences or the board decision…I was merely quoting something Steve Jobs said, because I believe it has more than one meaning.
Whoa. How much wrong information can you put into one place?
“Bill Gates would soon leave Apple to develop his own company”
No. Bill Gates never worked for Apple. Development agreements with Microsoft occurred while Steve Jobs was at Apple.
When Apple introduced Macintosh back in 1984, they bought all the advertising in an issue of Newsweek. If you look at this page, you’ll see Bill Gates and other big names in the software industry.
From what I understand, Steve Jobs was the one who pushed for the “big names” (ie, Microsoft, Ashton-Tate, Lotus, etc.) to develop software for Macintosh. Apple needed “big names” to lend the machine legitimacy.
“Jobs had developed software which would run on the Apple II and turn it into a business machine.”
Sort of. Jobs was in charge of the Apple III team, which had tons of problems. When it shipped with all of it’s problems, Steve jumped ship to the Lisa team, which threw him out. So Steve jumped to the Macintosh team and turned it into a “Lisa Jr.”
“Over the next decade or so, Sculley would transform Apple from what should and could easily have been the world’s supplier of computers and developer of the mainstream Operating System into a small niche company which made its sales only to graphic designers, and less and less of even that as Sculley’s reign continued.”
It’s fashionable to bash Sculley, but most of it is untrue.
First, Apple enjoyed it’s highest market share after Jobs left. Jobs saw Macintosh as a “consumer appliance” and therefore you were limited to a little 9 inch screen and black and white displays. With Jobs gone (and Gassee in), hardware options expanded to include a new line of “Open Macs” which supported add-in cards, SCSI, color monitors, etc. Designs became upgradeable so that you didn’t have to void your warranty or buy a whole new Macintosh if you needed more memory.
System 7, HyperCard, Newton, and QuickTime were other technologies which came out during Sculley’s tenure. QuickTime, of course, is the best known.
Sculley’s mistake was in counting too much on the value proposition. Back in the early 1990s, I could buy a great Mac for $4000. I could buy an equivalently powered Windows PC for $2000. While System 7 was wonderful, it wasn’t really worth the extra $2000.
System 7 was sweet and worth every penny.
Peter: as stated in the article, and once already in comments, I never suggested that Bill Gates worked for article. There was, however, a partnership.
Perhaps I didn’t state my case very well, because it would seem you are only regurgitating the very same information I thought I had communicated. I don’t see much disagreement in our stories, aside from the idea that Sculley isn’t responsible (and that’s just a matter of opinion).
Anyway, thanks for the additions to the information in the article.
I have never visited your site before, I followed a link from macsurfer. But because of the several inaccuracies in your article, I will not be back.
Hari
The Story is good in its intent, but the content is a bit misconstrued….. no mention of Woz either.
Also…..
“Jobs had developed software which would run on the Apple II and turn it into a business machine. Sculley insisted that this so-called “business machine” would canabilize sales of the Apple II…”
How would the Apple II be capable of cannibalizing sales of itself?
As mentioned above, the sugared water comment was used to convince Sculley to join Apple, not while Sculley was already working there.
Overall, the underlying theme here ought to stress that it has been innovation which has driven Apple to attain sustained levels of success. Even after Jobs left and founded NeXt, innovation continued with the development of the Unix based NeXt OS, which had the capability to virtually revitalize Apple’s dead-end OS — this being the main reason Apple purchased NeXT and invited Steve back. (OS X) Innovation, with Jonathan Ive at the helm brought us the iMac in amazing state-of-the-art form factors, iPod, and most recently, iPhone and iPod touch.
Quick and Dirty Operating System notwithstanding, Bill Gates saw an opportunity to clone the early Mac OS, market it, license it, lease it, and force it upon the public via pre-installations of all PCs sold. A one hit wonder, Bill only lacks the most important attribute — the ability to innovate. MS will always be leagues behind the eight-ball; Vista, Zune, Web-Apps, are destined to play catch-up while companies like Apple, Google, and Sun lead the way with cutting edge innovation.
– Money alone, cannot buy it. It is no wonder, then, that Bill G decided to step down and hand the reigns over to S Ballmer….. Bill felt he’d gone as far as he can go. MS will survive, but will not likely enjoy headlines of groundbreaking innovations anytime soon.
Hari Seldon: I am sorry to hear that you feel that way. At the same time, there are no inaccuracies in my article, though obviously there could be more clarity, for which I apologize.
DMann: Curses, Woz got cut out of it. Sorry about that, I had him in there, but in a subsequent revision I must have removed him entirely. Bad idea. I shouldn’t let things like that slip and I’m sorry.
The new software Jobs developed would have been placed on an Apple II-like machine and sold as a separate product. That was the mentality back then: software and hardware were one as far as the consumer was concerned.
I agree wholeheartedly with your statements, DMann. That is rather the point I was trying to make with this article: Microsoft plays catch-up, and I’m also putting it out there that in the near future we will see Macs go mainstream.