9rules' Apple blog has an interesting look at the last ten years of the company that makes the Mac. In 1997, everyone from Wired to BusinessWeek was proclaiming the death of Apple, rumoring that they'd get out of hardware completely, or that they'd merge with Sony or even Nintendo (those rumors are still floating around, I think). Then, in 1998, Apple introduced that Bondi Blue iMac, and the rest is history. They became a company known for making simple, beautiful and iconic computer products, and in 2001, the deal was sealed with the iPod and in 2003, iTunes.And now, ten years later, it's 2007, the iPhone has been released, iTunes is the biggest online music store in the world, and bumping shoulders with even traditional retailers. Apple's not quite on top of the world (let's not forget that while they dominate the categories they choose to dominate, they're still a fraction of the overall market), but there is no question that Apple as a company is going gangbusters. Amazing to see the difference between where the company was just 10 years ago, and where Apple is headed in 2008 and beyond.
