Steve Jobs made the biggest mistake in history?

[Eric5h5]

Microsoft stock price $28.41
Apple stock price $194.18

So? How many shares are there? Would you rather have a company that has 10 shares of stock for $10,000 each, or a company with a million shares for $10 each?

--Eric

 

[MisterMe]

Hmmm ... let's see. Today we hava choice of Mac OS, Windows, and a few flavours of Linux. If Apple had gone under, then we would basically be stuck with Windows.

...

Hmmm ... but Steve Jobs didn't return to Apple today. He returned in 1996. In 1996, the Mac was a PPC-based system running System 7.5, Windows was Windows 95, and Linux was CLI for the most part. Amiga had sold out to the Germans after going bankrupt two years earlier.

As I said in my previous post, Apple had tremendous strengths and assets. In 1996, Apple had already survived the personal computer business for 20 years—eleven years (the majority) without Steve Jobs. Most of the things that we loved about the Macintosh were developed without his input.

My point is that you can't just change one event and assume that everything else evolves as before. This holiday season, view and understand the implications of It's a Wonderful Life. Without Steve Jobs, Apple would be a different company. However, so too would be Microsoft and the Linux distributers.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Here we go again. Whatever you want to believe.

 

[notjustjay]

The other one is Microsoft.

Doh. When you said "personal computer company" I was thinking hardware (PC) manufacturer.

 

[PracticalMac]

Microsoft take over the industry

IBM was THE computer companies of the 1970's
IBM licensed the operating system for their PC from Microsoft.
Industries purchased MILLIONS of IBM PC's replacing their perfectly good Apple ]['s.
Why? becuase it was IBM

If Compaq had not created the "IBM Compatible PC", it would be IBM vs Apple, and Microsoft would be about the size of Adobe.
And making better software too.

 

[iOrlando]

too many variables in the question to answer. The question is basically an opinion, and any sensible answer can probably be accepted.

 

[t0mat0]

A friend of mine doesn't believe Steve Jobs is a successful business man because he created the biggest mistake ever by letting Microsoft take over the industry and take away so much money and market share from Apple. I was boasting about how Steve Jobs is the best business man in the world while Steve Ballmer just runs around screaming and he claimed that the 1 mistake Steve Jobs made caused him to lose over $3B in profits every year. Help in combating his argument?

He made a mistake. So what? He's moved on, unlike Ballmer (who's been recently given a hatchet job - he's likely on his way out if MSFT doesn't do better). Would you give up on Ive if he made a cube? I wouldn't, because I know he can do an iPhone, an iMac etc in design - they aren't one trick ponies.

Microsoft doesn't make PCs. Apple owns the high end profitable market - Look at the dominance in >$1,0000 machines, laptops/desktops.
Jobs isn't all about the money, or just putting a beige box in every room. He and the large amount of the company he's helped build, is about stylish, well designed, well integrated machines for a start.

If the friend still grumbles - show the stock price of AAPL since Jobs return vs MSFT. Or market share of high end PCs. Or how Dell vs Apple has been going. Could your friend suggest a better CEO from Microsoft?!