Apple was a complete and total mess back in 1997. Let me count the ways.
- Windows 95 eradicated most of their "ease-of-use" advantage, which destroyed their profit margins
- They had a string of serious hardware and software quality problems, leading people to wonder if
- Their computers were seriously overpriced. (Not mildly expensive like today, but like half the specs for 150% of the price.)
- Their cloning strategy had totally flopped and eradicated their margins even further.
- The Newton, which was pitched as a "save the company" thing, had flopped
- Apple was trying to sell itself to anyone interested, and nobody would buy
- The Wall Street Journal thought there were serious accounting shenanigans going on
- And unlike today, they had no consumer electronic products to fall back on.
The Mac business was so fucked, it took them about 10 years before they really "fixed" it. And I don't think anyone at the time really could have predicted that Apple would become a consumer electronics juggernaut.
Still their stock was considered a steal at $15 a share or whatever, and it's depressing to think you missed an opportunity of a lifetime.
- Windows 95 eradicated most of their "ease-of-use" advantage, which destroyed their profit margins
- They had a string of serious hardware and software quality problems, leading people to wonder if
- Their computers were seriously overpriced. (Not mildly expensive like today, but like half the specs for 150% of the price.)
- Their cloning strategy had totally flopped and eradicated their margins even further.
- The Newton, which was pitched as a "save the company" thing, had flopped
- Apple was trying to sell itself to anyone interested, and nobody would buy
- The Wall Street Journal thought there were serious accounting shenanigans going on
- And unlike today, they had no consumer electronic products to fall back on.
The Mac business was so fucked, it took them about 10 years before they really "fixed" it. And I don't think anyone at the time really could have predicted that Apple would become a consumer electronics juggernaut.
Still their stock was considered a steal at $15 a share or whatever, and it's depressing to think you missed an opportunity of a lifetime.