Has it only been 10 years since Michael Dell made himself public enemy No. 1 to all lovers of Apple? As Apple 2.0 reminds us, the Dell Computer founder painted the bullseye on his forehead at ITxpo97:
“What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”
Visionary! Because as Apple 2.0 also points out, Apple’s market capitalization, $140.4 billion, is no more than twice Dell’s, $62.27 billion. Is it time to give the money back to shareholders in Austin, Mikey?
It’s so nice to see how different things can be a decade later. Steve Jobs wasn’t even iCEO yet back then. Less than a year later, the iMac dropped, and Apple hasn’t stopped turning out the hits since. The mid-’90s were a scary time for the Mac. Things are so much more on track these days that it isn’t even funny.
Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete’s particular Apple avocations are both around design–interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!
