All the things Wired got hilariously wrong in its legendary 1997 story on how to 'save' Apple (AAPL)
<img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/554375f6dd08956f598b464d-1200-1414/screen-shot-2015-05-01-at-12.44.26.png" border="0" alt="wired pray apple 1997 article front cover">
In June 1997, tech magazine Wired published a legendary issue about Apple, and the problems facing the then-struggling Cupertino technology company.
<span>Founder Steve Jobs had just rejoined after being kicked out years earlier — but wasn't in a position of any real authority. Microsoft was easily dominating the PC industry, and Apple's long-term prospects were looking bleak. </span>The article was one of the best-read stories in tech at the time and came packaged in a cover that remains a classic.
Wired's editorial staff gave 101 suggestions on how to "save Apple." Most of the ideas were prescient — running a great image campaign, developing a better app ecosystem, giving Steve Jobs "as much authority as he wants in new product development," and simplifying its PC product line, for example.
But some their other suggestions were dead wrong.
<h3>SUGGESTION #1: "Admit it. You're out of the hardware game. Outsource your hardware production, or scrap it entirely, to compete more directly with Microsoft without the liability of manufacturing boxes. "</h3>
<h3>REALITY: Apple went on to produce some of the most successful consumer electronics of all time. Its Macs, MacBooks, iPads and iPhones have sold hundreds of millions of units, and are a driving force for innovation in the industry.</h3>
<h3>SUGGESTION #2: "Straighten out the naming convention. Link model numbers to processor speed. When buying a 3400 laptop computer, what, exactly, are you getting? Unless you study the brochures, you don't know how it compares with its competition. On the other hand, Wintel talks explicitly about processor speed. It's a Pentium 200-MHz box."</h3>
<h3>REALITY: Rather than talking "explicitly about processor speed," Apple has made its naming strategy as simple as possible — the 'iPhone 6," the "MacBook Air," etc. As a result, its products are far more memorable than its competitors'.</h3>
<b>See the rest of the story at Business Insider</b>
<b>See Also:</b>
<ul><li>How much would you pay to own Steve Jobs' business cards?</li><li>Samsung passed Apple to reclaim its title as the number-one smartphone maker</li><li>Apple raided the BBC to hire for its new streaming service</li></ul></group><group id="23494889-77BD-442F-A214-B8E9EFD6B7FA" type="seoLabels"><seoLabels></seoLabels></