On: BeOS: The Alternate Universe's Mac OS X

[hinkley]

If Apple had failed, I wonder what Steve would have done after Pixar. Start a new computer company? Could he (or perhaps a better question: would he) have swooped in with Mac compatibility mode?

The real win was a mobile future sans Microsoft. I doubt smart phones would be what they are today if not for the iPhone, and the iPhone required huge resources and a maniac cracking the whip. Would Jony Ive leave a failing Apple and work with Steve? If not, would we even have the iPod let alone the iPhone?

On the plus side, Nokia might have still been around.

[pjmlp → hinkley]

Nokia is still around, and working from the offices I used to visit regularly in Espoo.

[arpa → pjmlp]

I wouldn't call that what's left after elopcalypse "alive" and "around"

[pjmlp → arpa]

Alive enough to be one of the best Android brands, that actually provide updates without having to pay Apple prices.

Around enough to still have a good networking business, and be the owner of Bell Labs.