With Copland dead in the water, Apple executives began searching for operating systems developed by other, smaller companies that could be melded with the Mac OS to offer the dreamed-of next-generation operating system. Whatever was to emerge needed all of the under-the-hood technological advances promised by Copland -- and it needed to be able to run on Power PC processors. The early choice seemed to be Be, a company founded by former Apple executive Jean Louise Gasse. Be produced both hardware and an operating system that included all the features that Apple needed. Gasse began making overtures to Apple before Copland development even ended. At the same time, Apple was investigating the possibility of building a next-generation OS based on Sun's Solaris and even Windows NT. While Be remained the front-runner to many people, Gasse opted to play hardball. Eventually the tech world was stunned to learn that Apple had decided to acquire NeXT, the company Steve Jobs had founded after leaving Apple in 1985, and to use the Openstep operating system as a foundation for a next-generation Mac OS.
Steve Jobs returns to Apple
As part of the deal to acquire NeXT, Steve Jobs received US$100 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock (he had been the owner of 45 percent of NeXT). In the summer of 1997, Apple's board requested the resignation of then CEO Gil Amelio. The board asked that Jobs serve as CEO after Amerlio's departure. Jobs agreed to become Interim CEO and remained 'interim' for years before taking the job officially. One of his first initiatives was to end the Mac clone era. He also helped guide the development of what would become Mac OS X and with design expert Jonathon Ives crafted the unique look and feel that we have come to expect in an Apple product.
Ryan Faas is a freelance writer and IT consultant specializing in Mac and multi-platform network design and troubleshooting. He is the co-author of Essential Mac OS X Panther Server Administration and the author of Troubleshooting, Maintaining, and Repairing Macs. He is a regular contributor to Inform IT and is the mobile technology correspondent for Suite 101. For more information, visit RyanFaas.com.