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  • Jobs Reached out to Compaq to License Mac OS
    by
    Phillip Swanson
    Published on 10-23-2011 07:13 PM
    10 Comments Comments



    File this under revelations not leaked from Walter Isaacson's upcoming Steve Jobs biography.

    According to Ben Rosen, former chief executive office of Compag, Jobs expressed interest in licensing the Mac operating system to Compaq in 1999, which was after Jobs terminated the Mac clone contracts in 1997.

    Jobs called Rosen and suggested the two meet to talk about an "important matter." Rosen goes into great detail about the meeting in a blog post he authored and published today.

    After we finished with the amenities and reminiscences, we got to the purpose of the meeting. Steve wanted Compaq to offer the Apple operating system on its PC line, adding to the Microsoft OS that had always been our sole OS. At the time, Compaq was the world's largest manufacturer of PCs. Our adopting the Apple OS would be seen as a feather in Apple's cap (and a pretty visible slap at Microsoft).

    The catching up with Steve was fun, the food was great, but the OS idea never gained traction. Upon further analysis, it didn't make sense for either Compaq or Apple. Compaq wasn't about to declare war on Microsoft, our partner from our birth in 1982, and Steve had second thoughts about licensing their crown jewels. — Rosen
    What a different world it could be if Apple and Jobs successfully negotiated a deal with Compaq to license Mac OS. A large part of Apple's success apart from producing quality products, is the perceived exclusive nature of owning a Mac. Apple's brand is synonymous with being on the cutting edge of technology, the epitome of cool. If Apple licensed their OS out, sure they could still have their line of laptops, desktops, and mobile devices, but the perception of exclusivity would be watered down. It would be Android. It would be Windows. Apple has complete control over the way people perceive the entire range of their products. Licensing software and the user experience out to others waters it down.

    However, the email exchange between Rosen and Jobs in 2007 seems to fully realize the impact and influence of Jobs' return to Apple.




    This was Jobs response about 6 weeks later.





    It's hard to imagine Apple taking a different path than the one they're currently on, or rather a path where they're more successful. Still, one has to wonder what an Apple licensed Compaq PC would look like.

    *Shudders*



    Source: Through Rosen-Colored Glass
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Jobs Reached out to Compaq to License Mac OS started by Phillip Swanson View original post
    Categories:
    1. iOS,
    2. Apple,
    3. OS X,
    4. Mac,
    5. Software
    Comments 10 Comments
    1. badass1469's Avatar
      badass1469 - 10-23-2011, 07:43 PM
      woulda been kool, cuz then id finally buy a mac os comuter. atm the macs r way overpriced, im not rich wtf...
    1. jbardi's Avatar
      jbardi - 10-23-2011, 07:53 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by badass1469 View Post
      woulda been kool, cuz then id finally buy a mac os comuter. atm the macs r way overpriced, im not rich wtf...
      I am sick and tired of Winblows user spouting the same tired excuse for not buying a Mac. The idea that only the rich own them is childish and stupid.

      They are affordable for what you get and payments are available so stop with the crap and just admit you don't own one because you are a Microcrap fan.
    1. mutethoughts's Avatar
      mutethoughts - 10-23-2011, 08:03 PM
      I'm happy that Apple took the path it did. I appreciate both Mac and Windows for what they are and I even have love for Android at least the Nexus line of phones, but (in my experience) manufacturers tend to take something good and screw it up (example Android fragmentation). When I got my first iPhone and then Mac it was refreshing to say the least with both I've had the most seamless experience ever.
    1. PeeceKeeper's Avatar
      PeeceKeeper - 10-23-2011, 08:27 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by jbardi View Post
      I am sick and tired of Winblows user spouting the same tired excuse for not buying a Mac. The idea that only the rich own them is childish and stupid.

      They are affordable for what you get and payments are available so stop with the crap and just admit you don't own one because you are a Microcrap fan. Btw, how does Ballmer's d*ck taste?
      @Jbardi, I am afraid you're wrong here. I know many people who want a Mac, but can't afford it. It is outrageously over-priced. I for one prefer Microsoft, but do want a Mac to learn it in a more technical point of view. I'm just starting to get in to IT and can see that Mac OS X and Apple products in general are growing in popularity. Hence my wanting to learn Mac; for future involvement. At this moment in time I cannot afford a Mac - or even an iPad for that matter! I AM fortunate enough to own an iPhone and I am an iPhone fan-boy (kinda, I like Android too, but still prefer iOS.)

      I see you mentioned the fact that they offer monthly payments. Apple does in fact offer monthly payments, I'm not denying that. What I am denying is that even with the payment plan - it is still too expensive. When you make as much as my family and I do (as well as the majority of the working class,) you'll see that there are other things higher on the priority list than a Mac. So although we WANT a Mac, we unfortunately cant HAVE a Mac; that is unless we skip out on groceries, mortgages, electricity bills, or cell phone bills.

      Please excuse me for asking, and you need not reply if you prefer not to, but how much money do you make? I can tell you with no shame that I make $9.50 per hour, and do not receive tips or commission (nor do I have health insurance.) Even though I am VERY frugal and handle my money well, I can't get by on this wage by myself, especially since I'm attending college. I do admit, I'm very curious as to what your response will be.
    1. ThuD Muffin's Avatar
      ThuD Muffin - 10-23-2011, 08:46 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by PeeceKeeper View Post
      @Jbardi, I am afraid you're wrong here. I know many people who want a Mac, but can't afford it. It is outrageously over-priced. I for one prefer Microsoft, but do want a Mac to learn it in a more technical point of view. I'm just starting to get in to IT and can see that Mac OS X and Apple products in general are growing in popularity. Hence my wanting to learn Mac; for future involvement. At this moment in time I cannot afford a Mac - or even an iPad for that matter! I AM fortunate enough to own an iPhone and I am an iPhone fan-boy (kinda, I like Android too, but still prefer iOS.)

      I see you mentioned the fact that they offer monthly payments. Apple does in fact offer monthly payments, I'm not denying that. What I am denying is that even with the payment plan - it is still too expensive. When you make as much as my family and I do (as well as the majority of the working class,) you'll see that there are other things higher on the priority list than a Mac. So although we WANT a Mac, we unfortunately cant HAVE a Mac; that is unless we skip out on groceries, mortgages, electricity bills, or cell phone bills.

      Please excuse me for asking, and you need not reply if you prefer not to, but how much money do you make? I can tell you with no shame that I make $9.50 per hour, and do not receive tips or commission (nor do I have health insurance.) Even though I am VERY frugal and handle my money well, I can't get by on this wage by myself, especially since I'm attending college. I do admit, I'm very curious as to what your response will be.
      I think you really hit it on the spot for how many of us feel about Macs. While we'd love to own one there are other things at the moment which take priority. I'm happy enough with just owning an iPhone.
    1. DayumQuitPlayin's Avatar
      DayumQuitPlayin - 10-23-2011, 09:07 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by jbardi View Post
      I am sick and tired of Winblows user spouting the same tired excuse for not buying a Mac. The idea that only the rich own them is childish and stupid.

      They are affordable for what you get and payments are available so stop with the crap and just admit you don't own one because you are a Microcrap fan. Btw, how does Ballmer's d*ck taste?
      Was all that even necessary? All he said was that Macs are expensive and that he's not rich.
      You seem to be the fanboy in using those overly used Microsoft disses. I swear some people take the Internet a little too seriously lol. You're the one that come off childish and stupid, you should probably go back to killing zombies in Black Ops.
    1. viperstarpoint9's Avatar
      viperstarpoint9 - 10-24-2011, 02:13 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by jbardi View Post
      I am sick and tired of Winblows user spouting the same tired excuse for not buying a Mac. The idea that only the rich own them is childish and stupid.

      They are affordable for what you get and payments are available so stop with the crap and just admit you don't own one because you are a Microcrap fan.
      Now that the insults have been equaled on to the point. I have a 1200 lap top that play games quite nicely. It has 8 gb or ram, one terabyte of hard drive space, a hyper threaded quad core i7 possessor, and an nvida graphics card with 2 gb of dedicated ram. lets see what you get from apple for the same price from apple in a laptop. Ok base mac book pro ($1,199.00). That comes with 4gb ram, 320, gb hard drive, a dual core i5, and the graphics don't show up on the Apple's page for customization.

      Still think Apple is a good value for the price you pay? Although I will give you the fact that Apple does have great customer service and cellphones. Apple is not for the rich but it helps to be better monied. However it is for those who are willing to buy quality instead of horsepower. Also you Apple fan freak you will notice I did not say crapple once. Apple computers have their uses. and remember that Micocrap as you put it still rules in the realm of making almost all of your home entertainment even Dsiney used PC to create The Frog Princes. Windows users are also able to choose from a wider selection of games and software. So the next time you want to insult a person for preferring Win to Mac look into what you actually get weigh the pros and cons of both sides then make your insults. Also you Apple fan freak you will notice I did not say crapple once.
    1. TheOrioles33's Avatar
      TheOrioles33 - 10-24-2011, 02:11 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by viperstarpoint9 View Post
      notice I did not say crapple once.
      You said it twice!
    1. syedsufyan's Avatar
      syedsufyan - 10-24-2011, 04:55 PM
      I like how Steve accepts that he is biased, unlike most other people.
    1. kleptonooch's Avatar
      kleptonooch - 10-27-2011, 11:44 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by syedsufyan View Post
      I like how Steve accepts that he is biased, unlike most other people.
      That's called having class. Unlike all the other classless trash that you see going back and forth and name calling. And over what exactly? Trivial nonsense like who's better, Microsoft or Apple? It's all so ridiculous. You know, it used to be that a person prided him or herself on the way they held and conducted themselves. It's a shame that's such an outdated concept these days.