Like Whatever
All things Gen-X. Take a stroll down memory lane, drink from a hose, and ride until the street lights come on. We discuss the past, present, and future of the forgotten generation. Come on slackers, fuck around and find out with us!
Like Whatever
Bill and Steve's Nerdy Adventure
Remember the thrill of teenage dreams, arcade adventures, and the irreplaceable bonds we formed in those days? We kick off this episode with a journey back in time, reflecting on those cherished memories and paying tribute to the brave veterans who have served our country. The joy of last week's Eagles' victory over Dallas is still fresh, and we can't help but celebrate breaking that long-standing streak. As we recount the surreal early days of the pandemic, our tales of lockdown life and new household dynamics add a humorous twist to the seriousness of those times. In our cozy new podcast corner, complete with candles and purple lights, we bring you stories that resonate and entertain.
From nostalgic friendships to tech giants, the spotlight shifts to Apple Computers. Discover the captivating history of this iconic company, beginning with the groundbreaking partnership between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Learn how their early ventures, including the infamous "blue boxes," led to the creation of the Apple I and how their strategic maneuvers positioned Apple ahead of competitors like Atari and IBM. We've got the inside scoop on the intriguing dynamic between Jobs and Gates, the infamous 1984 Super Bowl ad that changed advertising forever, and the rivalries and alliances that shaped the personal computing landscape.
As we wrap up, the evolution of mobile phones and Apple's meteoric rise in the tech industry takes center stage. We'll talk about Steve Jobs' enduring legacy, the innovations that propelled Apple forward, and the impact of his battle with cancer on the company. To keep things lighthearted, we also engage in a humorous exchange about our differing interests—whether it's nerdy tech talk or pure fun, there's something for everyone here. Your feedback is our lifeline, so keep those likes, shares, and comments coming as we continue to explore the ever-evolving world of technology and friendship.
Two best friends. We're talking the past, from mistakes to arcades. We're having a blast. Teenage dreams, neon screens, it was all rad and no one knew me Like you know. It's like whatever. Together forever, we're never the best ever Laughing and sharing our stories. Clever, we'll take you back. It's like whatever.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Like Whatever Podcast for, by and about Gen X, I'm Nicole and this is my BFFF, heather. Hello, so how was your week?
Speaker 3:It was alright, today's Veterans Day, so we would like to thank all of our veterans.
Speaker 2:Yes, huge shout out to the veterans. That is something I could never do. No, so thank you so much?
Speaker 3:No, I could not either. That's too much. Outside you know, risking your life, exercise, yeah, the whole thing is not no.
Speaker 2:How was yours? Good, yeah, exercise, yeah, the whole thing is not. No. How was yours? Uh? Good, yeah, just short week at work. Good with election day. Last week and this weekend was fun college football, saturday, nfl, sunday, eagles beat the socks off of uh dallas.
Speaker 3:That is the best part in dallas of the whole week broke a what seven year streak of not beating dallas.
Speaker 2:And they're in stadium. That was the best part of the whole weekend. It really was.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it was nice commanders lost too did they yeah, which we need by a point, because they're really good yeah, no, that's crazy, right, they finally have a quarterback. Yeah, um, what else? Oh, I know what I wanted to say. Um, so you know, I have to listen to podcasts all week long in the truck and stuff, and I listen to a lot of many hours of podcast, so I have to find a podcast that's been on forever so I can entertain myself for a long of time, right? So this week my podcast got to 2020 and prior to covid, it was like, oh, we're gonna go on tour and we're gonna do this, like yeah, and I was like, oh, no, you're not. And then, the episode I just listened to, they were like, oh well, you know, this will probably be over, and just, they had just gone into lockdown. It'll probably be just a couple weeks.
Speaker 3:And I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, you are in for it it was some wild times it was wild times and for somebody who was built to stay in their house all the time me the fact that I had to work the whole time seems so unfair.
Speaker 2:Yeah, working from home was awesome.
Speaker 3:I have trained my whole life to be at home and in lockdown, and I was not allowed to be in lockdown. I was in lock up where I had to like work Right Mad hours, and you know good times, you finally get out of the restaurant, and then the world goes into lockdown, I know, and it's a good thing.
Speaker 3:I did not work in a restaurant at that time, though, or we'd have been in big trouble. Yeah, because my husband worked in restaurants, so I was the only one working, but he made a very good housewife, because dinner was always on the table when I got home. Yeah, so good for him it was nice.
Speaker 3:I wish I could have stayed and he's the worst because he is not very good at staying home, sitting still so our roles were very much reversed. Yes, during that time. Yes, so I'm glad that we don't have to do that anymore. Oh also, let's talk about the little space you made for us.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. So my husband had this idea. We had a spare bedroom that was full of stuff that we don't know what to do with. So we reorganized the stuff and we've made a space, and now we have a little area, a little pod corner.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's some lovely candles and some purple lights. Yes, it's very festive, yes, lovely. Yeah, so now we have comfy chairs. Yes, we're not jammed in your office anymore.
Speaker 2:Yep, so it is a work in progress, but Much like the podcast here. Exactly.
Speaker 3:We're getting there. Someday we'll get it together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so maybe when it gets pretty enough, we'll post it on our socials so y'all can see where the magic happens. Yeah, magic, this is where it all happens, yeah.
Speaker 3:So today I'm going to say our thing in a second, but I just want to preface it with look, I'm not a computer whiz. I don't understand 90% of computer nonsense.
Speaker 2:I don't understand 99% of computer nonsense. I don't understand 99% of computer nonsense.
Speaker 3:So this is the briefest and briefest of overviews, and I'm sure that I am going to get things wrong because I am not no offense an Apple nerd and I know how touchy Apple people are, so let's fuck around and find out about Apple computers. Alrighty, then Steve Jobs I don't know if you've ever heard of him, maybe and Steve Wozniak, referred to collectively as the two Steves which is clever, it's so clever. The two steves which is clever, it's so clever. They first met in mid 1971 when a mutual friend introduced the then 21 year old wozniak to a 16 year old jobs. Wow yeah, their first business partnership began in the fall of that year when wozniak, a self-educated electronics engineer, read an article in esququire that described a device that could place free long distance phone calls by emitting emitting specific tone chirps. And so he started to build what he called the blue boxes, which he tested by calling the Vatican city, pretending to be Henry Kissinger wanting to speak to the Pope.
Speaker 3:Shenanigans Already Nerdy shenanigans, the nerdy shenanigans. But Steve Jobs had decided that this sounded like a great selling opportunity, and he was able to sell 200 of the blue boxes for $150 each, and he split the profit with Wozniak In 75,. The two Steve's started attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Company. No, I lied, homebrew Computer Club, oh yes, where amateurs would build, you know, computers Like you know, because back then the computers were as big as four houses.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it the wild, wild west yeah they were making them, trying to make them smaller and easier to use, I guess, right. So when a certain technology that I m os technology this is why, where it's going to come in, where I have no idea what I'm fucking talking about Released, it's $20, which is equivalent to $107. Okay, our time 6502 chip. In 76. Wozniak wrote a version of BASIC for it and began to design a computer for it a version of BASIC for it, and began to design a computer for it. In March of 76, he completed his computer and they took it to the Homebrew Computer.
Speaker 2:Club meeting. To show it off, I'll bet they were the prettiest girl at the ball. I have no doubt.
Speaker 3:So when Jobs saw the computer, you know the wheels were turning. This computer later becomes the Apple one. He was immediately interested in its commercial potential. Initially, wozniak intended to share the schematics of the machine for free, but Jobs insisted that they should instead build and sell bare printed circuit boards for the computer. Wozniak originally offered the design to Hewlett-Packard, where he was working at the time, but was denied by the company on five occasions. Good job, hewlett-packard. Right. Jobs eventually convinced Wozniak to go into business together and start a new computer company of their own. In order to raise the money they needed to produce the first batch of printed circuit boards, jobs sold his Volkswagen Type 2 minibus for $1,500, which seems like a lot back then. Yeah, maybe it was souped up. I would hope so.
Speaker 2:And Woziak sold his hp 65 programmable calculator for 500 dollars.
Speaker 3:That is the nerdiest thing ever, which also seems extremely expensive. Right, we're talking 1970s money. That's gotta be like way too much now for a calculator. On april 1st 1976, apple computer company was founded by steve jobs, steve losniak and ronald wayne. The company was registered as a california business partnership. Wayne, who worked for at atari inc as a chief draftsman, became co-founder in return for a 10% stake. On April 12th, less than two weeks after the company's formation, wayne left Apple, selling his 10% share back to the two Steves for $800.
Speaker 2:Considering I had never heard of him, I figured he had made some sort of very silly, foolish mistake.
Speaker 3:I mean $800. I mean, how do you live with yourself? I don't know. I imagine he doesn't live very well with himself.
Speaker 3:Jobs proposed the name apple computer when he had just come back from robert freeland's all one farm in oregon and he said it was because he was one on one of his fruitarian diets. He conceived of the name and thought it sounded fun, spirited and not intimidating. Plus, it would get us ahead of Atari in the phone book. So Jobs went to the Bite Shop store and tried to sell the owner the bare circuit boards for the apple one. The owner, paul terrell, said he was only interested in purchasing the machine fully assembled and that he would order 50 assembled computers and pay 500 each on delivery. On delivery, which is the equivalent of 2700 today. Wow, he jobs then went to kramer electronics, ordered the components he needed, telling them that if you give me the parts on a net 30-day term, I can build and deliver the computers in that time frame, collect my money at the bite shop and pay you. And he even took, like the sales order for him to the the place to get this stuff.
Speaker 2:So so the guy agreed I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Exactly.
Speaker 3:So they did it. The Apple I went on sale in July 76 as an assembled circuit board with a retail price of $666.66.
Speaker 3:So Apple's been evil from the get-go Wozniak later said that he had no idea about the relation between the number and the mark of the beast. And then he came up with the price because he liked repeating digits. Sure, there's a lot of repeating digits in the world, like fours and fives, ones and zeros, which they should have known about. Ones and zeros exactly. But no, it went with the mark of the beast okay, yeah the about 200 units of the apple one were eventually sold.
Speaker 3:It had some notable features, including the use of a tv display, whereas many machines had no display at all. And almost as soon as apple had started selling its first computers, wozniak moved on from the apple one and began designing a greatly improved computer, the apple two. Oh, very clever, yeah, very good at naming original. Wozniak completed working the prototype of the new machine by august of 76. The apple II went on sale on June 10th 1977, with a retail price of $1,298, which today would be $6,700. That seems high. That's a lot. I mean. I know we all complain about Apples now being, you know, like $2,500, but yeah, you know $6,700, that that seems a little steep.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, it did have a monitor, though. Oh wow, fancy, there you go. The computer's main internal difference from its predecessor was a completely redesigned tv interface, which held a display in memory. Now not only useful for simple text displays. The Apple II included graphics and eventually color.
Speaker 2:Not just the green. No, it had color.
Speaker 3:The Apple II was one of three 1977 Trinity computers generally credited with creating the home computer markets. I believe IBM had one and I don't know who the other one was, but ibm comes up later. Okay, yeah, the development of the apple 3 what I know very clever started in late 78 under the guidance of wendell sandar and was subsequently developed by a committee headed by Jobs. The Apple 3 was first announced on May 19, 1980, with a retail price ranging from $4,300 to $7,800, or, if you're counting today's money, $17,000 to $20,000. Shut up and it was released in November of 1980. Did anybody buy one? Businesses only. The Apple III was designed to take on business environment in an attempt to compete with IBM in the business and corporate computing market.
Speaker 2:Was that like one of those big closets full of computers?
Speaker 3:for $20,000? I think so, I hope so. I do too. I don't know for $100,000.
Speaker 2:On that, I'm picturing a desktop. I think it was. I do too, I don't know for a hundred on that. Like I'm picturing a desktop.
Speaker 3:I think it was bigger than that. So while Apple computers business division was focusing on the Apple two, another iteration of the text-based computer simultaneously happening was called the Lisa group Worked on a new machine that would feature a completely different interface and introduce the words. Worked on a new machine that would feature a completely different interface and introduced the words mouse, icon and desktop into the lexicon of the computing public.
Speaker 2:Lisa Group did that.
Speaker 3:Yes, okay, I mean that's Apple under Okay. Lisa Group was under Apple oh, because Wozniak was building this. There was two different divisions, I suppose, at Apple. One was for businesses and one was this lisa was trying to move into a more personal okay computer because at the time it was just there, just really wasn't a big no, not so much need for it, but they didn't really have them. In return for the right to buy a million of pre-ipo stock, xerox granted apple computer three-day access to the park facilities. After visiting park they came away with new ideas that would complete the foundation for apple computer. Apple designed the lisa interface of windows and icons. The lisa was introduced in 1983 at a cost of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety five dollars, equivalent to thirty thousand dollars. Because of the high price, oddly enough, lisa failed to penetrate the business market oh, so I guess wondering why it didn't make it.
Speaker 3:I guess lisa was more towards the business and, okay, the business end, and but the thing of it was is they got to tour. So they got three for a million, a million dollars in pre-ipo stock, right, they got to tour the xerox plant and see what xerox had going on in there. This comes into play later. Okay, yeah, just remember foreshadowing yes, okay, mark my words.
Speaker 3:On december 12 1980, apple went public on the nasdaq stock exchange with the ticker symbol aapl, selling 4.6 million shares at 22, generating over 100 million, which was more capital than any ipo since ford motor Company in 1956. By the end of the day, the stock rose to 29 per share and 300 millionaires were created Wow, including the two Steves. Nice Around this time. Wozniak offered 10 million of his own stock to early Apple employees, something Jobs refused to do. Mm-hmm, yeah, apple employees something jobs refused to do. Apple's market cap was $1.7 billion at the end of its first day of trading and by August 81, apple was among the three largest microcomputer companies, having replaced RadioShack as the leader. This is when IBM entered the personal computer mark with the IBM PC White. This is when IBM entered the personal computer mark with the IBM PC White. Ibm began with one microcomputer, little available hardware or software and a couple of hundred dealers. Apple had five times as many dealers in the US and established international distribution.
Speaker 3:The company's customers gained a reputation for devotion and loyalty. Bite magazine, the magazine oh, I already said that bite magazine noted that the loyalty was not entirely positive for apple because customers were willing to overlook real flaws in its products, even while holding the company to a higher standard than for competitors. Called apple arrogance. I have a little Apple arrogance, I think. Yeah, I'm a Samsung person, so I don't. I have owned Apple, yeah, but no, I don't have any Apple arrogance. So Apple confidently purchased a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal with the headline Welcome IBM Seriously. Full page advertisement in the wall street journal with the headline welcome ibm seriously. Microsoft head bill gates was at apple headquarters the day of ibm's announcement and later said they didn't seem to care. It took them a full year to realize what had happened. So jobs and gates actually started off as business partners. I don't know if everybody has heard of bill gates. He has a lot of money big melinda gates fan here.
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know her. Oh she's, she gives a lot of money.
Speaker 3:I know they both do and I know bill's very passionate last time I heard which I don't really check in with the gates too very often, but I have heard that bill gates was still driving the first car he ever owned, which was like a 1972 gremlin or something. I don't think it was a gremlin, but I know he drives like yeah, that's how you keep money by not spending it. Yeah, that's the problem. Also, you are, when you're Steve jobs business partner. You know you probably made some change off of that too.
Speaker 3:So this is the time when computers came in big bulky boxes that took up half your desk. According to business Insider, some of the software on the Apple II PC was made by Microsoft. Bill used to make regular visits to the Apple facilities in Cupertino, california, to check out what Steve and his company were up to. Steve and Bill's relationship were still a bit fun and friendly at the time. They hadn't yet entrenched themselves into an all-out computer company warfare. They actually had a techie bromance because one time bill gates participated in an apple event in 83 that featured him as a contestant in the Macintosh software dating game.
Speaker 2:Oh my.
Speaker 3:At the helm of the mock game show, jobs acted as both the host and guest, looking for love, or rather a software CEO who could help Apple make the new Macintosh PC a success. That kind of makes me sad. It's the very lamest of them, and I'm a nerd. So in fact, as yahoo news notes, gates claimed in an interview decades later that he had more people working on the computer than apple did during their collaboration. Jobs had gotten gates to promise that he wouldn't design a graphical interface icons, windows and all the other stuff we know as an operating system today or any other company besides Apple for at least a year after the release of the Macintosh.
Speaker 3:Unfortunately for Jobs, things don't always go as planned. Gates was not going to wait. Gates was not gonna wait. He announced in november 1983 that microsoft was going to develop a graphical interference operating system with ibm and that enraged steve jobs. He accused gates of stealing the idea from apple, but gates said there was another way of looking at it. Of course, he claimed that apple actually got the idea for a graphical interface from fellow tech company Xerox.
Speaker 2:Oh, look at that.
Speaker 3:So the idea was never apples to steal. I think it's more like we both had this rich neighbor named Xerox. Gates told him, and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it. So I think Bill Gates had the same tour of the Xerox factory, sounds like it. So they both got the same idea Right Relatively the same idea at the same time.
Speaker 3:By 83, the PC surpassed the Apple II as the best-selling personal computer and by 84, the press had called the two companies arch-rivals. But IBM had $4 billion in annual PC revenue, more than twice that of Apple and as much as the sales of it and the next three companies combined. So IBM was really dominating For sure. So Apple announced the Macintosh 128K to the press in October of 83, followed by an 18-page brochure, included with magazines in December, because you know Steve Jobs likes to again my bias of Apple. Its debut was announced by a single national broadcast of a US one in the US $1.5 million television commercial Nineteen eighty four, equivalents to four million four hundred dollars in today's money. It was directed by Ridley Scott and aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on January 1984. Do you remember that ad. I remember it very well.
Speaker 2:I don't think so.
Speaker 3:They were all sitting at desks and they had the over and it was like it was all based on the 1984 book. It was considered a watershed event and a masterpiece. Wow, yes, I mean it was a. It was, I do remember it very well, like they were all in a classroom and I don't. I mean, I guess I remember the visuals of it more, which is you know really what I guess was intended, but I did not know. It was directed by ridley scott, like that's crazy, and so it was announcing that they will release the macintosh on january 24th, just two days later, and the whole point of it was you'll see why 1984 won't be like the book, yeah.
Speaker 2:Which is so witty yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it went on sale January 24th 1984, with a retail price of $2,400, which is the equivalent now of $7,500. Shoot, very expensive Dang. It came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface mac right and mac paint. The macintosh was too radical for some who labeled it a toy, because the machine was entirely designed around the gui whatever, that is, existing text mode and command driven application, and and everything had to be redesigned and the programming code had to be rewritten. So software developers were not happy because they had to do everything just for them, much like everyone has to do now. They haven't changed that at all, so that resulted in a lack of software for the new system. In April of 84, microsoft's multi-plan migrated over from MS-DOS, followed by Microsoft Word. In January of 85, apple introduced Macintosh Office, the same year with the Lemmings ad. Year with the lemmings ad, and infamous for insinuating potential customers just jumped over ledges for any.
Speaker 2:I did a book report on lemming when I was in school.
Speaker 3:I did yeah well macintosh was based. I mean not macintosh. Microsoft was insinuating that you know apple would. People will just jump off a cliff, and he's not wrong, they still will. That's my personal editorial there. The lemmings by early 85.
Speaker 3:The macintosh's failure to defeat the ibm pc triggered a power struggle between Jobs and the Apple CEO, john Sculley, who had been hired two years earlier by Jobs. Wozniak, who had left active employment at Apple at this time, in the spring of that year, was to pursue other ventures, stating that the company had been going in the wrong direction for the last five years, and sold most of his stock. Despite these grievances, wozniak left the company amicably and, as of January 2018, continues to represent Apple at events or in interviews. He received a stipend over the years for his role, estimated in 2006 to be $120,000 a year. He also remained an Apple shareholder.
Speaker 3:Following his departure In April of 85, ceo Scully decided to remove Jobs as the general manager of the Macintosh division and gain unanimous support from Apple Board of Directors. Rather than submit to Scully's direction, jobs attempted to oust him from his leadership role at Apple. Scully found out about the coup and called an emergency executive meeting at which apple's executive staff sided with scully and stripped jobs of all operational duties jobs. While taking the position of chairman had no influence over apple's direction and resigned in september of 85, taking a number of apple employees with him to found next inc. In a show of defiance at being set aside by apple computer, he sold all but one of his 6.5 million shares in the company for 70 million dollars. Wow, now this is where. So steve Jobs then paid $5 million of his own money to George Lucas for technology rights and invested $5 million in Pixar.
Speaker 2:Smart investment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, joining the board of directors as chairman which that was the equivalent of $13 million, today Almost $14 million. So he bought a piece of pixar. Despite initial marketing difficulties, the apple brand was eventually a success for apple, as we all know, due to its introduction of desktop publishing and later computer animation, through apple's partnership with adobe, which introduced the laser printer and Adobe PageMaker.
Speaker 2:I hate Adobe.
Speaker 3:I think it's hard. I don't know if they're still around.
Speaker 2:It is. We recently, until recently, had it at work and they've ended the licensing. Maybe it's done, I don't know, but it still shows up on my computer and I hate it.
Speaker 3:So Macintosh became the default platform for many art industries, including cinema, music, advertising and publishing. Apple continued to sell both lines of its computer the Apple II and the Macintosh. A few months after introducing the Mac, apple released a compact version of the Apple II called the Apple IIc. I had the Apple IIc, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Fancy.
Speaker 3:So so we're gonna backtrack a second because, okay, I forgot, but I had to add this part later. I put it in the wrong spot, so y'all have to just forgive me. So in like 83 they steve jobs went and was lobbying to california government to get what he called kids can't wait, and that was to donate um computers into public schools, which you'd think well, good for you, because you know, yeah, kids such a nice guy. Yeah, except he would get a 25% corporate tax credit for donating.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's all about the money.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they never ended up getting it national, but he did donate to 9,200 schools in California Also, so part of that, too, was my school, the reason we had an apple 2c just to come back to that um, because in my school we had apple because we were fancy and I remember it was in like I guess it was 84, 83, 84.
Speaker 3:Um, it was 84 83 we had. We didn't have macintosh because until like 84 or 85, but we had the Apple two C at at school and I had an Apple two C at home and it had Oregon trail. Did you ever play Oregon trail? Did you not have apples? No, you never played Oregon trail. Is that just an Apple thing, I wonder?
Speaker 2:I guess, when those names pop up I'm just like, I mean, of course I remember it, but I I died of dysentery many times.
Speaker 3:So, but because Apple didn't have, like I said, the software, you could only use Apple software with it. So you had to like for us. We had to drive an hour to the nearest Apple store, which was in Dover, and it costs ridiculously large amounts of money. But because my school used apple, we had to have apple at home see, and I bet that was part of steve jobs's plan as well if you get, they have to use it, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you're selling them. Unfortunately, they were stupid expensive so it was hard for people and I'm sure that the schools that got it were probably schools in a more affluent area that could afford. But I was remembering also, so they used to have and I don't I don't remember it really well, but it was once a year and I went twice. We would go to DC and they would have. It was like a weekend and it was like Friday night was a dance that all the Apple nerds from like all over the country and you were in elementary school yeah, it was like fourth grade, so we would go over. My mom never let me go to the dance because she wasn't driving over there, but we go over saturday, and saturday they would have stuff going on all day, like I don't know.
Speaker 3:You got awards and stuff. So it must have been some kind of like programming or I don't know who had the most apple in the world, I don't know. But I remember going to the banquets. They had a banquet on saturday. The dance was Friday and then Saturday, and this is how you probably made pen pals with everybody. Yeah, and I do remember going to the banquet and we won stuff every year. I don't know if it was just because we had the most computers or the parents of your school had bought the most computers.
Speaker 3:Probably yeah, you win because you made apple the most money. Um, and then the school our school went to all macintosh. Like they got rid of all the apple twos and they went to all macintosh. Then we had to get a macintosh at home, because then you couldn't, they didn't use the same discs and it was like again, because that's what Apple loves to do where they make, when the new thing comes out now the old thing is obsolete. That's true. That's my main issue with Apple. So we had to get the Macintosh and I remember that this is very vivid in my memory. The first time you turned it on it had the encyclopedia. Oh wait, it gets better, because when you would go through the encyclopedia, like if you would go to martin luther king, they would play the. I had a dream speech like a video and it was like mind-blowing, that's amazing. Oh, and then they would have like you could watch the shuttle take off and it was. It was really cool because it was color and it was played video like.
Speaker 3:I mean, it wasn't great video, it's pretty advanced, I mean it's not like today where you can just it looks like it should I. It was pretty grainy and you know, but everything was kind of so you didn't have to, and there was no such thing as internet. Well, there was internet, but we didn't have, but anyway, but it was the coolest thing. Oh, and then also, so you could change the sounds in it too. So when you would eject the disc, it would make a sound. Yeah, and I changed. When you would eject the disc, it would make a sound. So, yeah, and I changed all the sounds, because I am a nerd.
Speaker 3:My father's name is dave and in um 2001, the computer says dave, this can serve no purpose anymore, and that is what our laptop or our computer would say when it ejected a disc. Yeah, so that's where I lived in that time. I could not do that. Now, if you paid me $1 million, I wouldn't know how to change. I can't even work this phone, whatever. Yeah, but I wasn't going. But I was going to bank with them. So maybe that's, maybe, that is yeah. There. You go going to banquet then. So maybe that's, maybe, that is yeah. There, you go Back to our story. Yes, Because this is where it's going to get good. Oh yeah, I don't know about good, but this is where it gets. Yeah, okay, so Jobs is out.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Wozniak is out.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Wozniak never, never really comes back. I mean, he does, but not he doesn't ever work for him again. He's just hi, I'm right, a founding member, and that guy yeah so as a valued developer.
Speaker 3:Microsoft got a behind the scenes look at the development of the macintosh project. Prior to its 84 release and shortly after the very first mac went on sale, microsoft founder bill gates wrote to John Sculley and suggested Apple should license the Macintosh operating system to outside manufacturers to help establish it as a standard interface for personal computing. Sculley was tentatively open to the idea, but on June 25th 1985, another Apple executive shot down the proposal and that guy had taken over running the Mac division from Steve Jobs. Oh okay, so Gates decided to capitalize on what he saw was as a great business opportunity to create a mass market operating system, and he debuted Windows on November 15th 1985. Scully was furious when he saw windows, although version one, windows one, did not compare well to the mac operating system, for example, although the new microsoft microsoft operating system featured on-screen windows. They could not overlap one another, but windows seemed eerily close to mac. For one thing, it was packaged with the built-in apps right, microsoft right and microsoft paint, which, if you remember, is literally the same name coincidence?
Speaker 3:yeah, um, since microsoft made up two-thirds of software sales for mac at the time, it was in nobody's interest to break up the partnership. Mac sales were underperforming as it was and Microsoft's first version of Windows was no more threatening than that of any other Apple knockoffs floating around, and it wasn't a straight-up ripoff of the Mac operating system, because they had actually started developing Windows before Gates ever saw the Macintosh. And again they had both taken, actually started developing windows before gates ever saw the macintosh and, um, again they had both taken from xerox, right, which, so technically xerox should be the one that was pissy about the whole thing great but, they're fine yeah, so well, I'm sure they are now they just make copiers.
Speaker 3:um, I don't even know if they still do that. As a result, microsoft and Apple came to an agreement. Scully and Gates signed a deal on November 21st 1985, that licensed the Mac's visual display to Microsoft. Gates agreed that Microsoft would continue writing software for Mac. Microsoft also gave Apple a two-year exclusivity window on its popular spreadsheet program Excel. Controversially, this deal gave Microsoft a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-transferable license to use Say that again.
Speaker 3:Yes, three times real fast, please, I will not Okay, and that was for the present, the future of software programs and to license them to and through third parties. A couple of years later, windows 2 arrived. It resembled the macintosh interface much closer than the first version. As a result, on march 17th 1988, apple sued Microsoft for stealing its work. Yes, judge William Schwartzer ruled that the existing license between Apple and Microsoft covered certain interface elements for the new Windows. Those that weren't covered were not copyrightable. I bet that was a riveting trial. Oh gosh, yeah. I see a slapeting trial. Oh gosh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I see a slap fight.
Speaker 3:No, my computer looks like this. So that was the start of a decade of dominance for Microsoft and a decade of disaster and near ruin for Apple. Apple attempted its first portable Macs and failed. Apple attempted its first portable Macs and failed. The Macintosh Portable in 89 and then the more popular PowerBook in 1991.
Speaker 3:During the 90s, project Pink had Apple and IBM collaborating to develop a new operating system. Inviting resulted in Apple leaving the project and IBM finishing it in 1996. Meanwhile, the struggling Next Company, if you recall, was where steve jobs was now. Correct, it was struggling but it bought out b inc. You know it beat b inc's bid to sell its operating system to apple. So on december 20th 1996, apple Apple announced it would purchase Next and its Next Step operating system for $429 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock. This brought Jobs back to Apple for the first time since 1985. And Next technology became the foundation of the Mac OS X operating system. Huh, I know this is all riveting, right? Yeah, we're going to have so many followers.
Speaker 3:On July 9th 1997, gil Emilio was ousted as CEO of Apple by the board of directors and in August 1997, jobs stepped in as the interim CEO to begin a critical restructuring of the company's products. He eventually became CEO and served in that position from January 2000 to August 2011. On November 10th, apple introduced the Apple store. I think we all know what that is. And then they went to the Mac at 97. They did a Mac world expo. Jobs announced that oh, this is the good part. I read that all wrong, so pretend I didn't say anything. Okay, not the other part, but so jobs takes over. Um, apple introduces the app apple store. Now, remember, they were struggling. At this point, apple was struggling, and here's where I'm gonna piss off all of the apple people. Okay, because many different opinions vary on this next part, but I have a very opinionated.
Speaker 3:At the 1997 mac world expo, jobs announced that apple would begin a partnership with microsoft. There is no doubt that the rivalry between Microsoft and Apple is one of the longest standing in the tech industry. Gates stepped in and saved Apple, and I said it and I meant it and I'm here to represent it. Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy. Steve Jobs, at this Macworld Expo, saido, said bill, thank you, the world's a better place. Jobs told gates. After the microsoft exec agreed to make 150 million investment in apple, the corporate olive branch shocked the tech and business worlds, uh, even in cyberspace. The moment can only be described as surreal. The new york times opinion section wrote in the wake of the deal, apple co-founder steve jobs got needed cash in return for non-voting shares and an assurance that microsoft would support office for the mac. And a remarkable feat of negotiation, apple, I don't know. I read, read that part. Apple agreed, oh, and so basically, bill Gates gave him $150 million and he got shares of Apple.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:And the deal was that you can now put Microsoft Office on your Apple. Crap, oh yes, and so basically Apple took the money, stopped the lawsuit that they had basically let Bill Gates bail him out. I said what I said.
Speaker 3:And da-da-da-da. We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, microsoft needs to lose Neither company nor executive lost. But the world has changed in unpredictable ways. Microsoft needs to lose Neither company nor executive lost, but the world has changed in unprecedented, unpredictable ways, and both have new competitors to worry about, in particularly a teeny, tiny little company that was founded a year later that you may or may not have heard of, google. Yes, hard to believe that Google was not around, right, but it wasn't.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so now that steve jobs had taken apple back over his first move as well, I guess his second move because he did take all that money from bill gates that I will keep talking about until I'm blue in the face he decided to develop the imac, which brought Time, bought Apple Time to restructure in 99. Apple introduced the Power Mac G4, which utilized the Motorola-made PowerPC 7400, which contained a 128-bit instruction unit known as Altevec, and that became its flagship processor line. Apple unveiled the ibook that year, its first consumer-oriented laptop. Which who knew that they didn't have until 2001?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's yeah. I know, when I met my husband in 2007, um, he had a laptop and I was kind of fancy yeah nobody had them yeah, and they weighed 900 pounds. Yeah, they did they were not and they overheated like nobody's business.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, you had to get like a special thing that held them up so that the little fan would good times, yeah. So after unveiling the iBook, so then in May of 2001, after much speculation, they announced the opening of a line of Apple retail stores. So they had only had the one and now they were moving them out, and they were located throughout the major US computer buying markets. In October of 2001, apple introduced its first iPod.
Speaker 2:Just yeah, I don't know if you know what, that is One of the greatest inventions of its time.
Speaker 3:So here's what I have to say about that, and this is why it pisses Apple people off, because I feel like without Bill Gates, you would not have the garbage that you have today. That is true.
Speaker 3:Well, they invested the money wisely, he did, and that's how Bill Gates became a millionaire because he had stock and he had microsoft and apple, right, I mean, you can't go wrong with that. No, he couldn't lose. Um. So so a lot of people that the big debate was that it was more of like a uh, it wasn't a whole lot of money to Apple to really make a big difference and it was more of a symbolic gesture. That, but I don't know, $150 million seems like a lot.
Speaker 2:I'd like to take it and see as a symbolic gesture or as a larger person.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you gave me $150 million, I would probably give it a go. I don't know what, but I will give whatever you want me to a go. Uh, apple introduced the first ipad. The ipod gave an enormous lift to apple's financial results. In late 2003, apple opened its first apple store abroad, in tokyo, and also it opened its first european store in london in november of 2004. Back up to 2000, apple introduced itools and that started this whole I non. I call it I nonsense because they have to have everything else. I have an eye in front of it, and it was a free set of web-based tools that included an email account, internet greeting cards called iCards clever. The iTunes music store was launched in April 2003 with 2 million downloads in the first 16 days. On December 16 2004, apple sold its 200 millionth song on iTunes Music Store.
Speaker 2:For what? I think they started at 99 cents a pop. I think they went up to 129.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was pricey.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Do you know what its 200 millionth song was? No, it was a U2 song. I don't remember what it was because I hate U2. I know Controversial, I can't stand U two. The iTunes Music Store changed its name to iTunes Also clever On September 12, 2006, when it began offering video content, tv shows and movies for sale. On January 9, 2007, apple Computer Inc shortened its name to simply Apple. Jobs explained that, with their current product mix consisting of the iPod and Apple TV, as well as their Macintosh brand, apple really wasn't just a computer company anymore. Jobs revealed a product that would revolutionize an industry in which Apple had never previously competed. In june it's june 29th 2007 I ordered the very first one.
Speaker 2:I was one of those the iphone. The first version of the iphone became publicly available it was, I remember I pre-ordered it on february 3rd 2007 because that's my husband's birthday and I'd sit up till midnight that night to get in and reserve my first one um, yeah, I never.
Speaker 3:I've never had an iphone ever. I don't remember my all my. You know what my first phone was? Um, the first one was a motorola. That was back in the day when you could not use it under any circumstances because it costs $72 million to make a phone call, so it just sat there. It was for emergency use only. It was a Motorola, and then I moved to the Nokia.
Speaker 2:I had a flip phone I don't remember what brand, it wasn't Nokia and then I had a BlackBerry. I did have a BlackBerry and then I had, I think, a Razr and then the iPhone. I think that was my progression.
Speaker 3:I had the Motorola flip phone first, then I had the Nokia, because you could take the faceplates off and you could play sneak on it, oh, yeah, yeah, and it had cool ringtones. So I had that. And then I went crazy on eBay and bought all the faceplates for it.
Speaker 2:Of course you did.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because I'm like that. And then I had I don't remember I had a BlackBerry and then I had the one. No, I had before I had the BlackBerry, I had the one that flipped up Right that you could type on. I remember when you had that, yeah, I had that one, I don't remember what it was and then I got a blackberry. I had a purple blackberry and then after that I want to say I started getting samsung's. Because that might be when the whole yeah, once I started with iphones, that was it. Yeah, once I started with the with samsung's, that was right. I yeah, once I started with Samsung, that was Right. I haven't gone with anything else.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So 12 months later, the iPhone 3G became available on July 11th 2008, which I did not realize that the iPad wasn't announced until January 27th 2010. I did not realize it was that late.
Speaker 2:And my husband had to have one of those, so we got our sons of those that came out. Thank God, we all grew that. How many did he need? The first one, I have not or the newest one, but I didn't have kids, so I could I use it until it dies now.
Speaker 3:No, this one needs to be replaced, because I'm like three phones behind. Well, my cameras are all smashed up for some reason.
Speaker 3:I just had to have my screen replaced, because I drop this thing all the time. This is actually I have. It's probably a brand new phone because I've had to keep having it replaced because, well, I don't know why, but it keeps. It's probably not their best. Whatever, they keep replacing it for free, so I can't complain. It's like a brand new one. And then the guy said the next one will probably not be this version. It'll probably have to be the next version because they don't. They haven't made this one in so long. I guess I have to toss it in some water or something. I didn't say that out loud.
Speaker 2:I don't think they replace it, if you get away. That used to be the thing.
Speaker 3:Remember? They had that little strip and it turned red. You were screwed. You were screwed, yep, because it was on the back of the battery. Yeah, but they can get wet.
Speaker 2:Now, though, I was gonna say I mean it could have. I mean you could have gotten those phones wet and it would still work. Okay, yeah, as long as you put it in the rice that was the important part.
Speaker 3:Shove it in rice, don't make everything work. Yeah, anyway, after the ipad, apple's revenues, profits and stock price grew significantly. On may 26 2010, apple stock market valued overtook microsoft oh snap and apple's revenues surpassed those of microsoft in the third quarter of 2010 um. One of the reasons was that because pc software, or microsoft dominated, had become less important compared to the tablet and smartphone market, where apple had a strong presence, uh so let's talk about mr jobs.
Speaker 3:Okay, in october of 2003, jobs was diagnosed with cancer. In the mid 2004, he announced to his employees that he had cancerous tumor in his pancreas. Uh, for nine months he refused to undergo surgery for his pancreatic cancer, a decision he later regretted as his health declined he instead and tried a vegan diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments he found online and even consulted a psychic. He was influenced by a doctor who ran a clinic that advised juice fasts, bowel cleans, cleansings and other unapproven approaches, before finally having surgery in July of 2004.
Speaker 3:During Jobs' absence, tim Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company. Now, mind you, he had not mentioned that. Nobody knew, other than his employees, that Jobs had cancer In January of 2006,. The jobs had cancer In January of 2006,. The cancer had returned. Oh no, so before that they didn't know so, but when it came back in 2006, they did not make it public, but there was much speculation, as he did not do the keynote in 2008, nor in 2009. In 2009, tim Cook offered a portion of his liver to Jobs, since they both share a rare blood type.
Speaker 2:That's nice.
Speaker 3:And the donor's liver can regenerate tissue after an operation. Jobs said I'll never let you do that. I'll never do that. However, in April of 2009, he did undergo a liver transplantation at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, tennessee.
Speaker 2:Was it that guy's liver?
Speaker 3:No, he did not take his liver, so he didn't mind taking somebody else's liver. He took somebody else's. Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:In fact take someone else's.
Speaker 3:Oh, he probably just didn't want to owe that guy, anything that's yes, his prognosis was described as excellent in january of 2011. A year and a half after that, jobs returned to work. Following the liver transplant, apple announced that he had been granted another leave of absence. On august 24th 2011, jobs announced his resignation as apple Apple CEO right into the board. I have always said, if it ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
Speaker 2:Admirable yes.
Speaker 3:Jobs became chairman of the board and named Tim Cook as his successor as CEO. So you know he didn't take his liver, but he did move him up to CEO.
Speaker 2:He should have taken the liver if he was going to make him CEO All right, just take it all.
Speaker 3:Jobs continued to work for Apple until the day before his death six weeks later. Jobs died at his home in Palo Alto, california, at 3 pm on October 5, 2011, due to complications from a relapse of his previously treated isolate cell pancreatic cancer. Steve's final words were oh wow, oh wow, oh wow, which makes you wonder like what was happening. What was he seeing? Hopefully something very fun. Wow, maybe that big, great big iPad.
Speaker 2:He probably had this great, brilliant idea. Right Wait, apple, I something else.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's going to cost $46 bazillion. Both Apple and Pixar issued announcements of his death. Apple and microsoft both flew their flags at half staff throughout their respective headquarters and campuses. All disney properties, including disney world and disneyland, fly their flags at half staff from october 6 to the 12th. For two weeks following his death, apple displayed on its corporate website a simple page that showed jobs name and lifespan next to his portrait. In grayscale, california governor jerry brown declared sunday, october 16th, to be steve jobs day. Oh, childhood friend and fellow apple co-founder, steve wozniak, former owner of what would become pixar, george lucas and his competitor microsoft, co-founder bill gates and president barack obama all made statements in response to his death. Wow, at his request, jobs was buried in an unmarked grave. He is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 346 US patents. Wow More patent applications related to a range of technologies, from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces, including touch-based speakers, keyboards, power adapters, clasps, sleeves, lanyards and packages.
Speaker 3:Bill Gates said I am truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half of our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's really nice. Nice, I mean, and it's true, that's what I was thinking, like it's a shame he went so early, like he's so brilliant.
Speaker 3:Imagine I know you don't like apple, but imagine what other things he could have created a hundred percent like it was what did we miss out on?
Speaker 2:because cancer took him.
Speaker 3:I mean. Apple revolutionized the phones and computer. You know home computers and probably him and Bill Gates pushing each other.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly.
Speaker 3:I mean, really moved us forward technologically. Tablets, laptops the way we get our music oh everything yeah, everything yeah the way we, you know, interface with the internet and right. I mean, and you know, they say now that that this phone that you hold in your hand now has more power than the computer. They used to send man to the moon and you just carry it around in your pocket all day yeah, and I've thought that of cell phones for years.
Speaker 2:Like we have personal computers in our pockets, Like how cool is that?
Speaker 3:And unfortunately, you know, you really have become to rely on it. I know I have because, again, I've had to replace this phone like four times, and every time it's like two days without it and I have no, I can't Right. I don't have a landline anymore, so it's all right. I can't bank. I have no idea how much money I had in the bank. I mean, it's all, it's, it's. I don't know if it's good or bad but, it is it just is it is.
Speaker 2:It is what it is. I mean, people were terrified of electricity when it came around, so true it's just, it's crazy how fast it was I mean, it is like you're reading through the years while you were going through your notes and like, all right, this year this and this year this next huge thing, and then the very next year this great, big, giant thing, and then and it just kept coming and coming and coming.
Speaker 3:It's just, it's crazy because I and before I had, I mean, I knew that that gates had given money to apple and I knew I had always known that, um, just because I know a lot of apple people and it was really fun to just stick that in there because they do hate it. They just they don't like, they don't like it at all. Um, but I did not realize how far back they went. I always thought they were competitors. I did not realize that they had been, yeah, in business together, yeah, so that.
Speaker 2:Well, it was one of those things where they were smart enough to realize that when one succeeds, they both succeed a hundred percent so it didn't do bill gates any good to have Steve Jobs fall away.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:He needed that.
Speaker 3:Well, and he needed that too, because he, at that point, was the only hit. It was Apple and Microsoft going to take it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he would have had no competition.
Speaker 3:And that's exactly so. He would have gotten slapped with a lot of fines. Monopolies yeah, for monopoly yeah.
Speaker 2:So he needed it. It wasn't his fault.
Speaker 3:There wasn't anybody else as smart as him, no, but he needed apple, yeah and so you know his investment in apple was smart because it stopped from him having to to pay monopoly taxes or whatever you get for being a monopoly. And he probably still is a monopoly, because I'm pretty.
Speaker 2:Right, but then he was able to sell his stuff to Apple with Microsoft Office, which is huge, because I have an Apple phone for work and obviously we use Microsoft.
Speaker 3:Office.
Speaker 2:So being able to access that when I'm not with my work computer is very very useful it is.
Speaker 3:It is, you know it's a good thing. I guess I don't have any like issues there. I did not do a lot of the. This was all mostly the techie stuff. It wasn't that, you know, and both of them, gates and steve jobs, stepped on a lot of people to get where they were well, yeah, all rich people sure you know. So which I don't know I'm, I won't always rub me wrong yeah, that's the problem because they always think they have to be fancier.
Speaker 3:I stand my ground on certain things too so, before I get myself in any more eye trouble with this eye nonsense, yes, with the eye nonsense and more eye trouble With this eye nonsense yes, with the eye nonsense and the eye trouble, because I do still have iTunes and I do still have a MacBook. I have a MacBook. If it's so old now it won't update its operating system, but you know they do go forever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you've always been down with Apple computers. I feel like Apple laptops.
Speaker 3:There was a while when I had to go with non-Apple because I couldn't afford it Right. So I did go with, so I can use Microsoft and stuff like that Right, but I do use Apple computer a lot.
Speaker 2:Computer, yeah, it's the phones more so that. Right, but I do, I do use Apple computer, computer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's the phones. More so that you have the phones I have an issue with. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because it is a racket. Like I said, my, my iBook or whatever it is is really old, like and it it just within the last like two operating systems will not update operating system so and it's probably gosh. I want to say it's like 15 years old. Oh yeah, so I can't really complain about it too much because their computers were will run forever. It's just the phones that bug me because they're kind of throwaways. Yeah, that is true. And then now recently, and then the other sticking point I have have with them is that charger thing where they would not relent about that charger until recently. It just bugs me, like just everybody else.
Speaker 2:It is annoying Because you go to somebody. Do you have a charger?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Okay, do you need an Apple? I don't know, it just makes it whatever. That's neither here nor there. We've gone on way too long now about shit. I don't know it just makes it whatever. That's neither here nor there. We've gone on way too long now about shit I don't know anything about. Uh, so thanks for listening to my boring ass. Apple. This is. This is the the thing about the two of us like I love the nerdy shit and she loves the fun stuff. So, with us going back and forth like I don't know, every other week is going to be you might just like every other episode it depends on if you're in whatever you pick and choose the
Speaker 3:one yeah, you don't have to. Some of it's boring if you're not down with fun. Just fast forward through me if you're not down with fun you oh, I know I hate fun. Nobody should have fun. Screw fun anyway. Um, thanks for listening. Uh, like share rate, review all that stuff. Um, follow us on facebook and all the other socials at like whatever pod. Um, you can send an email if you want to tell us how boring this one was. To like whatever pod at Gmail. Or don't like whatever whatever. Bye.
Speaker 2:Bye.
