Mac OS X and iOS are the result of the purchase of NeXT in 1997. iTunes, which truly set the iPod apart from its competitors, came from the purchase of SoundJam MP in 2000.
Of course, not all of Apple's purchases have worked out so well. Some of the technologies Apple has bought never made it to market and others just didn't seem to fit in with Apple's other products. Here are Apple's six worst acquisitions...
1. Power Computing Corporation:
Under Steve Jobs, Apple bought a company that was undercutting Mac sales with its clones.
Apple gave Power Computing Corporation a license to make Mac clones in 1995 in the hopes that Apple could transition to a business model closer to Microsoft's, which was poised to have a major hit with Windows 95.
When Steve Jobs came back to the company in 1997, he realized that it was simply too late to beat Microsoft at what had become its game and that Mac clones were doing more harm than good by undercutting its own high-margin Macs.
That year, it bought Power Computing for $100 million and shuttered the Mac clone business, an embarrassing but necessary move.
Apple gave Power Computing Corporation a license to make Mac clones in 1995 in the hopes that Apple could transition to a business model closer to Microsoft's, which was poised to have a major hit with Windows 95.
When Steve Jobs came back to the company in 1997, he realized that it was simply too late to beat Microsoft at what had become its game and that Mac clones were doing more harm than good by undercutting its own high-margin Macs.
That year, it bought Power Computing for $100 million and shuttered the Mac clone business, an embarrassing but necessary move.
2. Orion Network Systems:
Apple waited until IBM had 80% of business user market share before buying a company that let its computers network with IBM machines.
Apple bought Orion Network Systems in 1988 in an effort to make buying an Apple computer at a business that already used lots of IBM PCs less of a hassle.
By that time, IBM had already captured 80% of the market, leaving Apple with roughly 6%.
Even with software that made networking easier, there were too many other reasons not to get an Apple: price, other software incompatibilities, and and the difficulty of training workers who had never used a computer in their life to learn a second operating system.
Apple bought Orion Network Systems in 1988 in an effort to make buying an Apple computer at a business that already used lots of IBM PCs less of a hassle.
By that time, IBM had already captured 80% of the market, leaving Apple with roughly 6%.
Even with software that made networking easier, there were too many other reasons not to get an Apple: price, other software incompatibilities, and and the difficulty of training workers who had never used a computer in their life to learn a second operating system.
3. Raycer Graphics:
Apple bought a graphics chip maker before it had even brought the product to market.
When Apple acquired Raycer Graphics in 1999, it also hired Bob Mansfield, their vice president of engineering.
While Raycer's technology may not have been very important for Apple — the company used industry standard graphics chips from ATI and Nvidia in later computers — the acquisition is still seen as a success by many because of Mansfield's later work.
Bob Mansfield went on to lead Mac Hardware Engineering through the release of some of the best-selling computers in the company's history and later became senior vice president of technologies, a role he has since stepped down from to work on special projects.
When Apple acquired Raycer Graphics in 1999, it also hired Bob Mansfield, their vice president of engineering.
While Raycer's technology may not have been very important for Apple — the company used industry standard graphics chips from ATI and Nvidia in later computers — the acquisition is still seen as a success by many because of Mansfield's later work.
Bob Mansfield went on to lead Mac Hardware Engineering through the release of some of the best-selling computers in the company's history and later became senior vice president of technologies, a role he has since stepped down from to work on special projects.
4. PowerSchool
Apple bought a student information system for K-12 students in 2001. The purchase of PowerSchool for $62 million in shares seems like a very strange decision for Apple to make back in 2001.
Sure, the company has always tried to have a presence in schools via programmes like student and teacher discounts, but PowerSchools software for keeping track of grades and assignments was essentially enterprise software for a niche market — not exactly Apple's style.
That disconnect from Apple's other products and services is a likely reason for why they sold the software to Pearson Education in 2006 for an undisclosed sum.
Sure, the company has always tried to have a presence in schools via programmes like student and teacher discounts, but PowerSchools software for keeping track of grades and assignments was essentially enterprise software for a niche market — not exactly Apple's style.
That disconnect from Apple's other products and services is a likely reason for why they sold the software to Pearson Education in 2006 for an undisclosed sum.
5. Placebase:
Apple bought a mapping company three years before it released Apple Maps.
When Apple bought Placebase in 2009, some speculated that it would use the company's technology to replace Google's backend from the iPhone's Maps app.
Three years later, Apple unveiled iOS 6 and Apple Maps to less than stellar reviews (to say the least). A lot of the maps were just plain wrong — and the release made Google Maps look awesome.
While many of Apple Maps problems stemmed from data Apple brought in from other sources, many thought that three years of development should have resulted in a better final release.
When Apple bought Placebase in 2009, some speculated that it would use the company's technology to replace Google's backend from the iPhone's Maps app.
Three years later, Apple unveiled iOS 6 and Apple Maps to less than stellar reviews (to say the least). A lot of the maps were just plain wrong — and the release made Google Maps look awesome.
While many of Apple Maps problems stemmed from data Apple brought in from other sources, many thought that three years of development should have resulted in a better final release.
6. NetSelector
In 2000, Apple bought a company that blocked kids from going on sites other than those approved by a panel of teachers and librarians.
NetSelector differed from other filters by not attempting to blacklist all of the inappropriate sites on the web. Instead, it had a panel of teachers and librarians select sites that were acceptable for children and made only those available.
Of course, the number of sites that could be educational for children is essentially endless. As a result, most found the software more limiting than useful and most schools instead instituted school-wide traditional filters.
Nevertheless, Apple bought NetSelector after two years of including its software on iMacs and iBooks.
NetSelector differed from other filters by not attempting to blacklist all of the inappropriate sites on the web. Instead, it had a panel of teachers and librarians select sites that were acceptable for children and made only those available.
Of course, the number of sites that could be educational for children is essentially endless. As a result, most found the software more limiting than useful and most schools instead instituted school-wide traditional filters.
Nevertheless, Apple bought NetSelector after two years of including its software on iMacs and iBooks.
@source from TOI
