1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,959 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: tech stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hey kids, 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. My name is Chris polettom an 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: editor here and How Stuff Works, and sitting next to 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: me as always is senior writer Jonathan Strickland. Hey there everyone, 7 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: We were gonna, i don't know, take it down a notch, 8 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: you do, mill out with a couple of guys from 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: born in Yeah, a couple of guys who you know, 10 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: they sort of had that typical experience of the growing 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: up during the whole counterculture movement, tried college for a while, 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: decided it wasn't for them. They both are college dropouts, 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: and yet they both managed to have a you know, 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: somewhat significant impact on the tech world. Well, you know, 15 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: if you use a Microsoft product or an Apple product. Yeah, yeah, 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: that's a pretty minor impact. Where talking here about William 17 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: Billy Gates and uh Stephen Paul Jobs PAULA Yeah that's 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: his name. Yeah, Okay, okay, um, Yeah, both of these guys, uh, 19 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,559 Speaker 1: you know, they've been uh they've been sort of grouped 20 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: together for a very long time. In fact, there was 21 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: even a movie starting Noah Wiley and Anthony Michael Hall 22 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: called Pirates and Silicon Valley made about these two. And 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: you know, really when you look at them together, yes, 24 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: they were. They were both born in the same year 25 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: they were they both dropped out of college, and they're 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: both huge people in the tech industry. And they both 27 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: founded their their own companies in nineteen Yeah, there you go. 28 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: So both when they were twenty years old, they they 29 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: founded a company. Dropped out of college to found a company. 30 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: It's pretty crazy. Yeah, I've just lost them. I've never 31 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: found them. No, Yeah, I've been very fortunate in finding 32 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: companies either. So anyway, so we were thinking about starting 33 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: with Mr Jobs. I was, and, um, there are a 34 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: lot of interesting parallels, but I think the more interesting 35 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: parts are sort of the places where jobs and gates 36 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: are are are not alike. Yeah, but you know, I'll 37 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,839 Speaker 1: start with jobs. Okay, So came from born in California 38 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 1: and went to school. You know, it didn't seem to 39 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: be a huge enthusiastic student, I guess you could say, Um, 40 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: but he did go to some Hewitt Packard electronics lectures 41 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,679 Speaker 1: that that he really got interested in Um, that's where 42 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: he met a certain fellow by the name of Stephen Wozniak. 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: The yeah, jobs actually worked at HP for a while. 44 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: I'm yeah, yeah he did, and they the two of 45 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: those guys went to uh Atari. Right. Yeah. Between his 46 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: HP experience and his Stari experience, he did attend one 47 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: semester of college. Um. Yeah, he went to uh He 48 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: went to Read College, Oregon, which is famous for its 49 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: counterculture or semi famous for counterculture. Yes, and we have 50 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: to mention something. We had a specific request for this podcast. Yes, 51 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: our our colleague Josh Clark wanted us to point out 52 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: that one thing that sets jobs apart from Gates is 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: that jobs apparently dropped acid. So this is according to 54 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: our colleague Josh Clark. You can direct all iro at him. Um. Yeah, 55 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: from what I understand, he even, um, after he dropped 56 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: out of college, went to India for a while to 57 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: explore some spirituality and yes, and so he was really into, 58 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: you know, learning more about the spiritual side of life. Sure, yeah, 59 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: he's he's definitely, he's considers himself a Buddhist. He's, Um, yeah, 60 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: he's very much in touch with that part of his life, 61 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: which is kind of interesting if you learn a little 62 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: more about his personality, because it doesn't seem like the 63 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: typical I don't know, Buddhist sort of approach to life. 64 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: Say not, but we we're getting ahead of ourselves. We 65 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: should we should go a little more slowly. I guess. Yeah, 66 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: So so was and Uh and Jobs are over ATITORI 67 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: and they're designing video games. And after a while, Uh, 68 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: Jobs gets this crazy idea. He thinks, hey, you know 69 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: what we should do is build a computer that could 70 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: be used in the home. Because up to that point, 71 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 1: computers were pretty much these enormous devices that really existed 72 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: only in the realms of the government and large universities. Yeah, 73 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: and the people who were interested in ideas like like 74 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: Jobs and wise were at this point where hobbyists we're 75 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: talking radio shack boxes of switches and diodes and electronics 76 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: that you wired together to make a very rudimentary machine. 77 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: They like the al tear. Yes, so we'll come back 78 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: to yes. So so Jobs ends up convincing Wozniac that hey, 79 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: this is a great idea. Let's actually try and do this. 80 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: Because here's here's the other interesting thing about Jobs is that, um, 81 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: he's a brilliant man. There's no denying the fact that 82 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: Jobs is brilliant. I mean, you can't get around it. U. 83 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: But he is not the engineer. When it comes down 84 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 1: to the whole Apple story, that would that would pretty 85 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: much fall on Wozniak's shoulders, at least in the early years. Yeah, 86 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: I mean the two of them were both interested in 87 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: electronics and engineering, but was is really the I mean, 88 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: he was the phone freak. He was. He was definitely 89 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: into the technology and fiddling with electronics end of it. 90 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: Where I think for for Stephen Jobs, it was more 91 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: a means to an end. Yeah. Jobs. Jobs recognize the 92 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 1: potential of creating a brand new product market uh, and 93 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: he could saw that it could be very lucrative, and 94 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: he knew that Wozniak had the ability to to bring 95 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: this into life as it were, so together, the two 96 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: of them worked on building some computers, and they got 97 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: a local UM computer store interested in their products, and 98 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: the computer store actually ordered uh several It depends on 99 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: the sources you read. I've read everything from twenty five 100 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: to fifty five machines UM. And with the money they 101 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: made from that, that's where they decided to create the company. Apple. Yeah, 102 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: we're we're in the realm of the Apple One, which 103 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: was very much the pictures I've seen of it are 104 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: pretty rudimentary compared to what you would see on your desktop. Um, 105 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: you know, wooden box and it's got you know, the 106 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: electronics inside of it, and you'd hook it up to 107 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: a TV. Um. And of course they chose, being being 108 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,679 Speaker 1: jobs and wise, they chose a very interesting price point. Yes, 109 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: six and sixty six dollars. It was the computer of 110 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: the Beast. Yes, yes, and they actually sold they sold 111 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: quite a few of these machines. Yeah, this was in 112 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: so that's a pretty good chunk of change. You know, 113 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: you think today like a six computer isn't that expensive, 114 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: but in seventy six dollars it's snows. Yeah, it was 115 00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: a healthy purchase. Yeah yeah. And so um, a year 116 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 1: after they introduced the Apple One, they go back, they 117 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: retool it. They and they introduced the Apple Too, which 118 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: was a little bit more advanced as you would expect, 119 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: and uh incorporated some other technologies, including a monitor. And um, 120 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: this is where my story about computers kind of comes 121 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: into play, because my first real experience with computers was 122 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: with an Apple to eat. I see ye see, well 123 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: lots of uh, I'm willing to bet to lots of 124 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: the people listening to the podcast at this point had 125 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: an apple too of some kind, any in our age range, Yeah, 126 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: or at least they know what they are, and they're 127 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: probably seen one thinking about those giant five and a 128 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: quarter inch floppy disk drives, right, Yeah, an Oregon trail 129 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: and lemonade dand trail uh nostalgias so sweet. But this, 130 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: but the apple too is really where a lot of 131 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: people first came in contact with computers, and it spurred 132 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people to start pro gramming, start fiddling 133 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: around with the idea of having computers on desktops for 134 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: work or you know, for their for their home, for 135 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: educational purposes. And in fact, that's why we had one. 136 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: My father is an author, so he purchased the computer 137 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: as a way so that he could, you know, write 138 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: books and he should store them on discs. And suddenly, 139 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: you know, you don't have to worry about a paper 140 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,679 Speaker 1: copy suddenly being ruined by your five year old sons 141 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: spilling coffee all over it. Although I should add that 142 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: his um son, being me, did once turn off his 143 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: computer before he had saved his chapters and so I 144 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: am personally responsible for deleting I think it's three chapters 145 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: of my father's work. Yeah, it was good times so 146 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: um but yeah, within three years of the Apple two 147 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: coming out, and it earned almost a hundred forty million dollars. 148 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: That's a lot of money. And uh, and so that's 149 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: when Jobs and Woznia decided to to go public with 150 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: the company, So Apples public and UH and the shares 151 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: where I think at twenty two dollars a share when 152 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: it first went public and then shot up to twenty 153 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: nine dollars by the end of the first day. So yeah, 154 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: it was a lot of people were really excited about 155 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: this company. And uh. It was right around this time 156 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: that IBM started to try and make headway into the 157 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: consumer market. Now IBM had been producing machines for years, 158 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,839 Speaker 1: but yes, exactly, so these are these machines though were 159 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: mainly these large machines used in mainframe computers, not like 160 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,719 Speaker 1: personal computers. UM, but they decided to try and get 161 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: into the personal computer business. And they were taking a 162 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: slightly different route than Apple and um using a completely 163 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: incompatible operating system than Apples at uh. At certain points, 164 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: so uh, there were a lot of strong decisions that 165 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: need to be made. Jobs had to decide whether or 166 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 1: not to stay the course and continue doing what he 167 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: was doing, or to try and find a way to 168 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: merge Apple with IBM, like some sort of operating system 169 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: that could work on both. And there were some serious 170 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: attempts at that for many years, it never happened, at 171 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: least not on any large scale. Right. And and for 172 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: those of you playing at home who weren't around during 173 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: this time, we're talking a lot of this stuff is 174 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: you know, we didn't have mice really for the most 175 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: part for a lot of these early years. We're talking 176 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: keyboard commands and the disc operating system that the IBM 177 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: PC ran on. UM. You know this, it's very clunky 178 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: for those of you who weren't there to see it. UM. 179 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: So some of the changes that came up UM were 180 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: sort of the result of Apple successes because they got 181 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: so large that they started branching off into different products UM, 182 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:59,079 Speaker 1: including some that started using mice. UM. That's Lisa. Yeah, Well, 183 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,679 Speaker 1: the Apple Lisa, many of which are in landfills now, 184 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: were extremely expensive machines. Yes, exactly, we're all in ones UM. 185 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: And they also had controlled they did have mice and uh, 186 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,679 Speaker 1: there was another product that came out right about the 187 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: same time as the Lisa that Steve Jobs was working on. 188 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 1: The The CEO had put him on the project because 189 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,839 Speaker 1: he had become one of the uh, one of the 190 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: directors in the company, but he was no longer directly 191 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: in charge of Apple at that point. Are you are 192 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: you thinking of the Macintosh computer? That would be the 193 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: one because we totally skipped over the Apple three. I'm sorry, 194 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: I forgot about the Apple Yeah, well most people did. Oh, 195 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,320 Speaker 1: that's right, because the Apple three ended up. Here's the 196 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: thing about the Apple three. There was a problem early 197 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: in the production and Apple had to recall around fourteen 198 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: thousand units, and after that it just couldn't get a 199 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: grip on the market because no one trusted it. I wonder, 200 00:11:56,559 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: can you think of any current products that people have 201 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: of a growing mistrust about, even though it seems like 202 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:07,839 Speaker 1: all the problems have been fixed. Uh, yeah, I'm thinking 203 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: of I'm thinking of we can talk about that when 204 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: we get the gates. I guess, because there's there's a 205 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: it's interesting that right now there's a product that is 206 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: experiencing the same problem. Early on, it had problems, They 207 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: fixed the problems, and yet no one wants to use it. 208 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: Um suppose it depends on your outlook or so. Back 209 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 1: to the Macintosh you have now, the Macintosh was really 210 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 1: designed to compete directly with the PC. So now we've 211 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: got we've got our our classic matchup here, the Mac 212 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 1: and the PC UM. And the Mac had an advantage 213 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: because it used a graphical user interface and yes, which 214 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: was very similar to one that Xerox created, wasn't not Yes, 215 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: it was almost identical. But that's funny because future versions 216 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 1: of a program called Windows, people would accuse accuse Microsoft 217 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: of creating Windows to essentially recreate the macin toosh experience, 218 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: and the Macintosh experience was kind of recreating the Xerox experience. Well, 219 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: you know that shrewd guy over at Microsoft I can't 220 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: remember his name. Yeah, we'll get to him managed to 221 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 1: convince Alpha to let them license the micro the Macintosh 222 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: operating system so that they could build Windows. And and 223 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:23,559 Speaker 1: the Macintosh was, at the time of its arrival, a 224 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: superior machine to the PC. It was it had a 225 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: better memory, had a better processor, UM, but it was 226 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: also more expensive, which you know what, Hey, some thing's 227 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: never change. And um also around this time was the 228 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: infamous Super Bowl add the nineteen four Super Bowl add. Now, 229 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: that was a Macintosh ad that was very Orwellian in nature. 230 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: It was this very dreary world where everyone was bald 231 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,559 Speaker 1: and which you know I identify with, and um sitting 232 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: at desks and stuff. And then you had the female 233 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: athlete run in and her a hammer essentially through a 234 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: giant screen and it was very dramatic. Well, that was 235 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 1: the thing was that in three there weren't graphical user interfaces, 236 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: at least not on everyone's desktop. So um, that was 237 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: the point of the ad was that wouldn't be like 238 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: the book. Um So this was the big introduction for 239 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: the McIntosh in general. Was the the famous ad, right 240 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: and and surround this time also that um, Steve Jobs 241 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: brings in a guy to help run the Apple Company 242 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: to make it, you know, more successful against the PCs, 243 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: a guy named John Scully who was from Pepsi. And 244 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: this turned out to not be such a great decision. 245 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: I mean, in the end, I guess it was, but 246 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,960 Speaker 1: not in the short term. Um So Jobs brings in Scully, 247 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: and Scully by five thinks Jobs is more of a 248 00:14:55,640 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: problem than an asset for Apple. Yeah, that that's true. Um, 249 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: you see jobs is Uh, he's got a bit of 250 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: a strong personality. Yeah, that's a that's a light way 251 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: of putting it. Yeah, very Yeah. He's known for um, 252 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: throwing things and people around. No, he's he's known for 253 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: throwing tantrums. He's known for he's known for throwing town 254 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 1: or maybe that's probably the wrong term for it, but 255 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: he is known for getting very very angry and making 256 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: sure people knew about it. Well, it's no secret that 257 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: in his days at Apple, when he takes someone off, 258 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: and he has been known to fire people, uh, with 259 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: a very hair trigger sort of spirit, it's called getting 260 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: steved um. And that's that's really no surprise. Here's the 261 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: thing was that Steve got steved so in n he 262 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: gets steved well sort if he decided they basically it 263 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 1: relegated him to second class or maybe even fifth class. 264 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: They pretty much stripped him of all his power. They 265 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: put him in a totally different building, which he dubbed Siberia, 266 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: and they put him on meaningless projects and nothing of 267 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: important has ever seemed to cross his desk. So eventually 268 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: he said, you know what, I get the message loud 269 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: and clear. I've done what I set out to do here, 270 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: and I'm not getting to do the things I want 271 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: to do. And if I can't do them here, I'll 272 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: do him somewhere else. So he took a little bit 273 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: of a break. He resigned from Apple, and then he 274 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: founded the Next corporation. Yeah. Now, uh, Steve had been 275 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 1: working on some different educational projects at Apple, and Next 276 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: was designed, or at least conceived in in Steve Jobs 277 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 1: had to be an educational computer system UM, and it 278 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: was more advanced. It was supposed to run cross platform 279 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: on different processors UM, and they actually did. They produced 280 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: hardware UM, an actual box plus an operating system. Right. 281 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: The problem though, was again the computer. The physical computers 282 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: were consider a lot of people consider him to be 283 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: too expensive, so they never really found a foothold UM 284 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: in the market. I mean they sold some, but they 285 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: didn't sell as many as they needed to and have. Ventually, 286 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: Jobs made the decision to get away from hardware and 287 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: concentrate mainly on software and operating systems. Although that machine 288 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: was pretty sexy looking, it was kind of bored cubish. Yeah. Um. Meanwhile, 289 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: at Apple things were going downhill and that's putting it 290 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: very mildly. They had come out with a whole string 291 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:23,360 Speaker 1: of products that didn't make any sense. Um model numbers, 292 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: the quality that the box, the actual computers themselves, they 293 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: were not always they didn't meet they didn't meet the 294 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: earlier standards than Jobs hadn't demanded back when he was 295 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: in charge. And then so a decade goes by and uh, 296 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: and Apple is on the brink of bankruptcy. They the 297 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 1: company purchases uh, the next corporation, which you know now 298 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,399 Speaker 1: Steve Jobs is now back under the umbrella of Apple, 299 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:56,920 Speaker 1: and in fact, Jobs makes a move and essentially rests 300 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: control back so that he's charge of Apple again. And 301 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: I'm not so certain that that gil Amelia was very 302 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,439 Speaker 1: sad about that. He seemed to be, uh, sort of 303 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: he seemed to be sort of happy with that, because 304 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: I think, um, you know, where Scully was not exactly 305 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: thrilled with jobs outlook on the on the computer company. 306 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: I think that uh, he had convinced Amelia that he 307 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: could do the you know, and do the work necessary. 308 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: And I think well a lot of people at the 309 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: time said that Apple didn't buy Next, they bought Steve 310 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: Jobs back, So you know, it's not as surprising. It's 311 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: not as surprising. Um, there was something else, another little 312 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: project that Steve Jobs worked on in the in the 313 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: meantime to uh, he bought a little a part of 314 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: the LucasArts Company, the Computer Animation Studio, for ten million dollars, 315 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: which would never amounted anything well under its original name, 316 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: but it changed his name to Pixar. Oh yeah, yeah, 317 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: Pixar of course, being the the movie company that brought 318 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 1: us such wonderful things as a toy story, a Bug's Life, 319 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:13,880 Speaker 1: um in Incredibles, well come on, even even cars. So 320 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: but yeah, so they were in charge of that. So yeah, 321 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: that's Jobs was very savvy. He purchased that company. No no, no, no, no, no, 322 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,360 Speaker 1: not savvy. He bought it for ten million dollars. And uh, 323 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,439 Speaker 1: of course in two thousand six, Disney bought it in 324 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: an all stock purchase for seven point four billion dollars. Right, 325 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: that's savvy. Yeah yeah. But and of course now Jobs 326 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: Jobs is on the board for Disney, so there's that 327 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: as well. He owns part of the Disney So that's uh, yeah, 328 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: that was a good investment. Yeah, that's the reasonable. Now, 329 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:46,959 Speaker 1: granted I don't have ten million to make those kind 330 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: of investments. Otherwise you would see me totally reeling zealing. 331 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: But anyway, Jobs gets back into Apple, he fires the 332 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 1: board and and hires a new board of six members. 333 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: Um and the and uh completely revamped all the line, 334 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:07,199 Speaker 1: the product line, simplified everything. Um. And that's kind of 335 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,680 Speaker 1: where you know, that's that's leading us up to present day. 336 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: His decisions to really streamline things, make things look really 337 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 1: really sexy. Uh, control everything from the ground up. That 338 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: was That's kind of what has defined Apple to this day. 339 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: It's very much a closed system. Um. And Job's point 340 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: of view is that that way he can guarantee quality. 341 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: So yeah, his system is closed and his machines are 342 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 1: more expensive, but they also look really nice and they 343 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: work yep. Um and uh, just a note before we 344 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:44,440 Speaker 1: we go to Bill Gates. UM. You know now people 345 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:48,119 Speaker 1: are concerned. I'm not sure exactly when this will be posted, 346 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: but it was announced in December two eight that Steve 347 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: Jobs would not be leading the keynote at the Macworld 348 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: Expo in January, which has caused some consternation because he's 349 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: had some health issues that his death was falsely reported, 350 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: and people are concerned now that he is so intertwined 351 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: with Apple and its future that if he if something 352 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 1: happens to him, if he steps down, or if he 353 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: were you know, horror. You know, he's been diagnosed with 354 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,479 Speaker 1: pancreatic cancer. He had a surgery to remove the tumor 355 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: um a year after they discovered it, because he resisted 356 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,960 Speaker 1: the surgery. But uh an Apple actually got some flak 357 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: for that because they didn't report that to shareholders. And 358 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:32,959 Speaker 1: some people say, well, you know, when when your CEO 359 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal um illness, the 360 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 1: shareholders have a right to know because that could completely 361 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,880 Speaker 1: affect the shares of the company. Uh. The other side 362 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: of that is that it's a private matter. It's a 363 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,159 Speaker 1: health matter, um and that's a sticky situation. But at 364 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 1: any rate, he seemed to make a pretty good recovery, 365 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: although people always comment on you know, he looks thin, 366 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 1: he's lost way, so people are are concerned. So there's 367 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: some concern that maybe jobs as health had something to 368 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 1: do with him stepping away. I don't think that that's 369 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: necessarily the case at all. It's just one of those 370 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: unfortunate coincidences that can lead you to a faulty conclusion. 371 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: Now that's not to say the conclusion is faulty. I 372 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 1: could be totally wrong, but I'm willing to believe them 373 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: on this one. UM. And I was gonna point out 374 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: one other thing before we move on to Bill Gates, 375 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: because it's an interesting counterpoint. Uh So, the Stanford Social 376 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: Innovation Review founder once referred to Steve Jobs as UM 377 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: are actually to Apple itself as America's least philanthropic company. 378 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: Um And in an Apple it h cut a lot 379 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,400 Speaker 1: of its philanthropic UM programs. Uh and in a way 380 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: to to try and cut costs and never reinstituted them. 381 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,640 Speaker 1: And I had no idea we could talk about Steve 382 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,360 Speaker 1: Jobs that neither got a lot of Well, since we've 383 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: gone on so long, I'm guessing we should probably divide 384 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: this up and have a part too. Let's let's visit 385 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 1: Mr Gates in another podcast. Yeah, next week we'll we'll 386 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: tackle Billy Gates before we go. There's one other thing 387 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: I'd like to share that I think is really cool 388 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,199 Speaker 1: about Steve Jobs. So, what's this amazing fact? So I 389 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: got one of these things that I just think is 390 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: really cool. Um. And it's the kind of thing that 391 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,120 Speaker 1: a showman like Steve Jobs would pull out um back 392 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: when they were trying to find a way to turn 393 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: Apple around. Uh, Steve agreed to take a pay cut. 394 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, he now makes as as the co founder, 395 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: chairman and CEO of Apple, he makes one dollar a 396 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,959 Speaker 1: year in salary and now was so he could keep 397 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: his medical benefits. Of course he has compensated in other ways. 398 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: He gets a little stock which yeah, yeah, But it's 399 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: funny because with all the the automakers talking about ways 400 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: to do, you know, turn the companies around in Congress 401 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,920 Speaker 1: giving them a hard time about it, that's one of 402 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:06,920 Speaker 1: the things they've talked about doing is taking a pay 403 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,199 Speaker 1: cut to a dollar a year or so. You know, 404 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: again an innovator, That sounds good. Well, until then, check 405 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:15,640 Speaker 1: out some articles on how stuff works dot com. We've 406 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 1: got everything from iPods to Apple cloud computers on there 407 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: and that should keep you nice and entertainment educated throughout 408 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 1: the week before we hit Billy and we'll talk to 409 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: you again soon for more on this and thousands of 410 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: other topics. Does it how stuff works dot com? Let 411 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: us know what you think. Send an email to podcast 412 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. Brought to you by 413 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:47,120 Speaker 1: the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. It's ready, Are you