Back in the 90s, when Apple were in their dog-days, few people would have imagined it would become the worlds most valuable company. In 1997, just after the return of Steve Jobs, they were even subsidised by Microsoft to the tune of $150 million, just to prevent Microsoft becoming a de-facto monopoly.
At the time I was fighting for the adoption of Apple’s Quicktime, an amazingly powerful video and multimedia tool. The BBC spent millions trying to replicate it and failed. However most PC Windows users did not download it and many believed that the days of Apple were nearly over. Microsoft had over 90% of the market and had won the fight. It was not until 2001 with the advent of the iPod and iTunes (containing Quicktime) that Apple once again became visible in retail stores, selling the integrated bondi blue iMac and white plastic iBook. All of a sudden Quicktime was everywhere, Macintosh computers were back in the game. I am still using the best one ever made, the 2009 Mac Pro.
Of course the real reason for Apple’s dominance is the iPhone, which launched in 2007. The iPhone was revolutionary for more than just the amazing touch interface design. For the first time the data was bundled with the telecom fees, previously data was only available as very expensive add-ons. Control shifted from the telecom carriers to Apple, who provided a better OS, regular updates and an App store. At one stroke it went from just being a phone to an internet enabled multimedia communicator, the first real pocket computer; the rest is history.
As we now know, Apple became a haughty behemoth, forgetting about their computers – currently selling the 4 year old Mac Mini and 5 year old Mac Pro “as new”. They also forgot about the wonders of Quicktime and the utility of headphone sockets. They plough on into the future, allegedly developing augmented reality and self driving car systems, not forgetting headphones, loudspeakers, watches and iPads. Nevertheless you have to say they are a company with vision: the world is in their pocket as we continue to purchase their premium products, which define our technological age. The best product won.
