2 HN users recommended this talk2 months2016–2026score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN shares it for a firsthand view of Apple's near-bankruptcy moment and the crowd's booing of the Microsoft deal.
Recording of Steve Jobs's 1997 Macworld Boston keynote, in which he reviews Apple's status and announces the partnership with Microsoft, including a $150 million investment and a five-year Office commitment. The audience reaction is part of the draw.
“Worth watching for the crowd reaction” (HN, 2022)
Basically, you get a corporate drama, a human drama and a tech drama all wrapped up in one series of presentations: Jobs' return (as a consultant) 1997, promoting technologies from NeXT. Watch basically everyone asleep at the wheel except Jobs, the man with a plan. [link] WWDC Q&A - 'the art of saying no' [link] Jobs' hostile takeover in July by doing a (probably illegal?) stock dump [link] Announcing a Deal with Microsoft as de facto CEO in August, booed by the crowd [this video] Internal meeting in September 1997 [link] iMac introduction 1998 - Apple is back [link] Macworld 1998 - Apple is essentially saved as a company [link] OSX Strategy reveal (if you only have time for one presentation, watch this one) [link] 1999 - OSX Server launch [link] 2000 - OSX launch [link]
Jobs announcing the Microsoft deal, part of a Jobs-return presentation series.
I copy from a comment of mine from last week. In case you wanna procrastinate on a fascinating story about how Apple transitioned to NextStep's stack without completely annihilating their already weak developer base, here's a few links: You get a corporate drama, a human drama and a tech drama all wrapped up in one series of presentations: Jobs' return (as a consultant) 1997, promoting technologies from NeXT. Watch basically everyone asleep at the wheel except Jobs, the man with a plan. [link] WWDC Q&A - 'the art of saying no' [link] Jobs' hostile takeover in July by doing a (probably illegal?) stock dump [link] Announcing a Deal with Microsoft as de facto CEO in August, booed by the crowd [this video] Internal meeting in September 1997 [link] iMac introduction 1998 - Apple is back [link] Macworld 1998 - Apple is essentially saved as a company [link] OSX Strategy reveal [link] 1999 - OSX Server launch [link] 2000 - OSX launch [link]
Jobs announcing the Microsoft deal, booed by the crowd.
> This idea of creatives being the core market for Apple during its early years is often floated. I'm not questioning its veracity, though I'm curious if anyone knows of references that backs this up with numbers or research? Check out Steve Job's first keynote after returning to Apple in 1997 starting at 18:35. He enumerates the assets the company still has at its disposable to claw its way out of almost imminent bankruptcy. He specifically mentiones creative proffesionals and educators and backs them up with some interesting stats. [this video]
Jobs lists Apple's remaining assets including creative professionals and educators, with stats.
I’m gonna keep my expectations in check, but this would be a good opportunity to get back to live presentations. I just watched a 1997 Macworld recording and the audience has really been something that I missed since COVID. [this video]
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