Pirates of Silicon Valley: Then and Now
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I am a huge fan of Pirates of Silicon Valley. It’s hard to believe that this came out over 11 years ago (June 20, 1999).
If you are not familiar with the movie, it is a history of how both Apple and Microsoft started as companies from doing business out of garage/dorm rooms to establishing themselves in Silicon Valley. To a lesser degree you see how companies like IBM and Xerox played as part as competitors.
In the movie you get to see the following:
- The origin of DOS
- The origin of Mac OS
- The rise and fall and rebirth of Apple
- Apple Lisa
- and more…
This movie ended by showing that Microsoft was the ultimate winner in the feud between Apple – by having Bill Gates introduce Steve Jobs on stage to announce a truce between companies.
So much has happened since this movie came out, particularly to Microsoft and Apple. What if this movie were to be re-made today? You could produce an entirely new movie based on these two companies just on the past 10 years alone. Here is what you might see:
Personal Music Players
The most obvious thing that you would see is the introduction of personal music players: iPods and Zunes. Just two years after this movie was released Apple redefined itself as a company with the release of the first iPod. Ever since, you have seen numerous companies produce their own version of the iPod – some were even created well before the iPod (See Diamond Rio PMP300). It took Microsoft five years to produce their own personal music player: Zune.
Remember Me?
Operating Systems
When this movie came out the primary operating system was Windows 98 and Mac OS 8. How many different operating systems have you gone through since?
Microsoft
- Windows ME
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
Apple
- OS 9.0 – 9.2.2
- OS X (10) Cheetah – OS X (10.6) Snow Leopard
Microsoft has had successes (Windows XP and Windows 7) and failures (Windows ME and Windows Vista). Like with the iPod, 2001 was an important year for Apple when it released the first version of OS X.
Other Players
When you think of the dominating tech companies, it’s no longer just between Microsoft and Apple. You also have giants such as Google.
You may see more competition between Google and Microsoft with Google and Bing:
- Search Engine
- Maps
- News
- Shopping
- Advertising
A rivalry between Google and Microsoft is more apparent from the standpoint of the web. But how has Google influenced Apple?
We haven seen a preview of Google’s introduction into the Operating System market with Chromium OS.
Perhaps this is what will be Apple’s main competition in regards to Google.
Smart Phones
So what about Smart Phones?
Apple has clearly set the bar in both Smart Phone hardware and software with the iPhone. So where do Microsoft and Google stand?
We have already seen Google’s failed attempt to enter the Smart Phone hardware market: nexus one. However, in terms of software Android has had success on third-party phones:
- Motorola Droid
- HTC Droid Incredible
- HTC EVO 4G
- HTC Hero
- HTC Droid Eris
Can we see Google attempt re-entry of the hardware market with the acquisition of one of these companies?
Microsoft has been in the Smart Phone software business for a while with Windows mobile; however, they have only recently attempted to enter the hardware market with Windows Phone 7.
It seems like we hear the term “iPhone killer” everytime a new mobile device comes out, but everytime it fails to do so.
The Future
What will the spectrum of tech companies look like in the next 10 years? Will Google be the dominating company – where every product is successful? Or will another company emerge?
Other Views
Apple: The new/old Pirates of Silicon Valley?
Google Android phones vs. Apple iPhones, who is winning the wallets of consumers?
Apple vs Google vs Microsoft: Battle of the Titans
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