AOL considered buying Apple in the 90s

According to former Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis, AOL considered buying Apple in the 90s, as the computer maker floundered.

In 1996, Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy and AOL was growing at exponential rates and had reached 10 million dial-up customers.

Says Leonsis (via BizJ):

Ironically, at one point at AOL, we looked at acquiring Apple and saving it. We were all concerned that it wasn�t going to do well. Little did we know.

The company would have bundled AOL software onto Macs, as it was widely expected that Microsoft would build something similar into Windows.

Today, Apple is the most valuable company in the tech world, while AOL has lost 98 percent of its value since 2000.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 26 Aug 2011 12:43

xaznboitx

DUH... dialup is old and slow

26.8.2011 16:10 #1

Frogfart

I typed out a cheap joke about Steve Jobs and then deleted it. AOL are the joke. Have a good retirement Steve. Apple is pretty good. GOOD LUCK FROM ALL IN IRELAND.

26.8.2011 18:45 #2

KillerBug

Quote:
The company would have bundled AOL software onto Macs, as it was widely expected that Microsoft would build something similar into Windows.
Microsoft did...it was called MSN.

I wish AOL had bought apple...without Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple would just be a bad memory.

26.8.2011 23:16 #3

Xplorer4

Originally posted by xaznboitx: DUH... dialup is old and slow
AOL offers service to high speed users to ya know...it just costs extra on top of your broadband plan lol.

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26.8.2011 23:19 #4

bam431

Oh, the irony... Taste like pepper mint schnapps.

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27.8.2011 00:12 #5

xnonsuchx

"Little did we know"??? As if AOL had bought Apple they would have been able to do what Steve Jobs did when he came back??? Maybe since AOL started on Macs, they had a fondness for it.

27.8.2011 02:41 #6

KillerBug

Originally posted by xnonsuchx: "Little did we know"??? As if AOL had bought Apple they would have been able to do what Steve Jobs did when he came back??? Maybe since AOL started on Macs, they had a fondness for it. Yeah...that sentence should have ended with

"If only we knew...how terrible our executives, business model, service quality, and prices were and still are"

27.8.2011 04:00 #7

SomeBozo

Originally posted by xnonsuchx: "Little did we know"??? As if AOL had bought Apple they would have been able to do what Steve Jobs did when he came back??? Maybe since AOL started on Macs, they had a fondness for it. Well there was a strong bond between m1c0rs0ft and app1e too, much of the original work MS did was paid for by app1e, one reason when app1e was in trouble in the mid 90s Gates gave them 160million.

27.8.2011 13:08 #8

xaznboitx

Originally posted by Xplorer4: Originally posted by xaznboitx: DUH... dialup is old and slow
AOL offers service to high speed users to ya know...it just costs extra on top of your broadband plan lol. I think they stop doing aol high speed because I ask them about it and they said that you have to have your own highspeed internet to use aol.

27.8.2011 13:25 #9

ROMaster2

Easily their biggest regret. Thankfully it never happened though.

27.8.2011 19:05 #10

xnonsuchx

Originally posted by SomeBozo: Originally posted by xnonsuchx: "Little did we know"??? As if AOL had bought Apple they would have been able to do what Steve Jobs did when he came back??? Maybe since AOL started on Macs, they had a fondness for it. Well there was a strong bond between m1c0rs0ft and app1e too, much of the original work MS did was paid for by app1e, one reason when app1e was in trouble in the mid 90s Gates gave them 160million.
MS has nothing to do with the story, though. I wasn't aware paying a ton of money (by buying non-voting stock) as part of ongoing infringement negotiations (i.e. avoid going to court) counted as MS just being generous.

27.8.2011 23:33 #11

SomeBozo

Originally posted by xnonsuchx: Originally posted by SomeBozo: Originally posted by xnonsuchx: "Little did we know"??? As if AOL had bought Apple they would have been able to do what Steve Jobs did when he came back??? Maybe since AOL started on Macs, they had a fondness for it. Well there was a strong bond between m1c0rs0ft and app1e too, much of the original work MS did was paid for by app1e, one reason when app1e was in trouble in the mid 90s Gates gave them 160million.
MS has nothing to do with the story, though. I wasn't aware paying a ton of money (by buying non-voting stock) as part of ongoing infringement negotiations (i.e. avoid going to court) counted as MS just being generous. Sounds like you have little knowledge of thing 10+ years back and further. Being a MS employee at the time and seeing an internal e-mail go out saying Bill felt compelled to do something to help app1e, well I might have a little different perspective than you. Good or bad, m1cr0s0ft did save app1e.

28.8.2011 02:06 #12

DVDBack23

Originally posted by xaznboitx: Originally posted by Xplorer4: Originally posted by xaznboitx: DUH... dialup is old and slow
AOL offers service to high speed users to ya know...it just costs extra on top of your broadband plan lol. I think they stop doing aol high speed because I ask them about it and they said that you have to have your own highspeed internet to use aol.
They are a digital content company only now. A failed one at that since the business model doesn't really work yet.

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28.8.2011 16:50 #13

Dardandec

Wow.........Aol still around, now that is news....Lol

29.8.2011 16:24 #14

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