I am always amazed when I think about how some companies get their few years of fame and mass sales and then they fade back into the abyss while another company emerges for a time. This comment comes partially from looking at the transition of computer companies over the years. Although I am not terribly knowledgeable about this history of computer sales, from what I understand Apple was a key player in ensuring that many households purchased their very first computers. Everyone knew the Apple logo and they came to understand DOS in time. Then, with the creation of Windows, Microsoft spent many years in the spotlight as the computer of choice. This lasted for quite some time, at least in my observations. My family had to have purchased about three Microsoft computers within a decade’s time. However, all of a sudden, Dell showed up not too long ago using the pull system. They were making computers to fit every bit of the consumers’ needs, which was appealing to a great deal of people who cared about differentiating their purchase from others. Penn State even hopped onto this bandwagon and purchased quite a few Dell computers. However, with defects being prominent, the Dell craze did not last long. Finally, this leads me to speak about Apple once again. With new technology that dummy-proofed the now ancient Windows, the Mac has become the computer of choice for many.
Perhaps this is not terribly interesting to you, but I think it is worth acknowledging how a company can have its few years of glory at the front of the race and then runs out of steam. However, if the company continues fighting towards innovative, it can come back into the spotlight as Apple has done.
