How Apple Missed the Opportunity to Revolutionize Computing with BeOS

In the late 1990s, Apple was on a mission to revamp its operating system and enter new markets. The company's then-CEO Gil Amelio believed that acquiring NeXT would be the key to unlocking this potential. However, in a surprising twist, Apple had initially considered purchasing BeOS, the innovative operating system developed by Be Inc.

BeOS was designed with creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts in mind, offering a unique set of features that made it an attractive alternative to Microsoft Windows and Linux. At its peak, the BeOS ecosystem boasted a range of applications, including Gobe Productive, a powerful office suite, Pe, a code editor similar to BBEdit, and e-Picture, a graphic design tool reminiscent of Macromedia Fireworks.

Despite Apple's initial interest in BeOS, the company ultimately opted for NeXT's NextStep operating system. While NextStep was eventually transformed into OS X, it failed to deliver significant results in the short term. In fact, it took dozens of engineers four years to turn NextStep into a viable operating system.

In contrast, BeOS had already established a loyal following and offered a more complete and user-friendly experience compared to Linux at the time. As someone who ran BeOS full-time, I can attest that its nascent app ecosystem was already nicer to use and more comprehensive than what Linux had to offer in 1999.

The reasons behind Apple's decision to pass on BeOS remain unclear, but it's possible that the company was deterred by Be Inc.'s pricing demands. Regardless of the circumstances, it's intriguing to consider how things might have turned out if Apple had chosen to acquire BeOS instead of NeXT.

Today, we're left to ponder what could have been if Apple had taken a different path. Would BeOS have become the dominant force in the creative media market, as its developers had envisioned? Or would it have continued to thrive on its own, potentially attracting more users and applications?

Unfortunately, we'll never know for certain. However, one thing is clear: BeOS was an innovative and forward-thinking operating system that deserved a second chance.

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