Back in 1996, Apple did not equal success or future. It was a drowned company, losing money, and with an operating system that was no longer up to par. Today this is something that seems somewhat strange, taking into account its fame and sales, but almost 30 years ago it was on the ropes.
The company’s big problem was its operating system. Macs ran on old, unstable software full of bugs and temporary patches. The project to create a new one, called Copland, had failed after years of work and millions spent. There was no other option: technology had to be purchased abroad, no matter what.
At that time, Steve Jobs had been away from the company he had created for more than ten years. He had founded NeXT after being fired from Apple, but his new company didn’t sell many computers.
Still, he was developing something much more valuable: a very advanced software system. What no one knew is that this project would end up saving Apple.
The $125 million mistake that changed everything for Apple
At this precise moment is when two old Apple acquaintances entered the scene: Jean-Louis Gassée, creator of BeOS, and Steve Jobs himself, with his NeXTSTEP platform.. For pure quality, the favorite was BeOS. Everyone within Apple saw it clearly.
BeOS was fast, modern and perfect for working with video, sound and heavy apps. Technically, it was better than any Apple system at the time, so he made a direct offer: $125 million for Gassée’s company.
But Jean-Louis Gassée fell a bit. He knew Apple was desperate and thought it could get a lot more. He rejected the offer and asked for more than double. I was convinced that they would end up going through hoops.
And that’s when everything calculated failed. Apple did not accept, considered the negotiation broken and went to look for the other option it had in the bedroom: Steve Jobs.
Taking into account his past, he played his cards differently. Instead of focusing on the money, he focused on showing the potential of his creation. He showed how NeXTSTEP allowed us to create programs much faster and with fewer errors.
So to speak, he sold the idea of rebuilding the Mac from the ground up, done right from the ground up.
Apple ended up paying about $429 million for NeXT. Much more than what had been offered by BeOS. But he didn’t just buy an operating system: he bought an entire team of top engineers and, of course, the great Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs returns home and power changes hands
With him back at Apple, specifically Jobs returned as an advisor. Gil Amelio remained the executive director. But everyone knew that this was going to change sooner rather than later.
Within a few months, Gil Amelio was fired. Steve Jobs took control and, from that moment, the company took a new and, now, good direction. He cut absurd products, canceled useless projects, simplified the catalog and returned Apple to its essence of less is more.
The system that had arrived with NeXT became Mac OS. And that same base that brought him back is the heart of what continues to work today within current Macs, the iPhone, the iPad and even the Apple Watch.
Products that you surely remember were born from that stage. First came the iMac, which put Apple back at the center of the conversation. Then the iPod, which changed the music industry. Then iTunes, and later the iPhone, which you know what even today continues to provoke among its fandom.
Meanwhile, BeOS was disappearing from the map. His technology was good, but without a large company behind him he never managed to carry out his great project.