Apple at 50: The near collapse that shaped the company

Apple is celebrating 50 years this week – the official anniversary is on Wednesday, but it’s easy to forget the company we now associate with the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch very nearly didn’t survive.

In a wide-ranging and exclusive interview, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg “Joz” Joswiak reflected on the journey from a struggling computer maker to one of the most influential companies in the world.

“You just have to imagine that this was a company that was really struggling if we were going to make payroll,” Joz said, recalling the period before Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s.

Joz should know. He has been at Apple for 40 of its 50 years, joining the company in 1986, long before the iMac, iPod or iPhone reshaped the technology landscape.

According to Joz, the turning point came when Jobs returned and refocused the company on a simple idea – build great products.

“The great companies fail because they forget about creating great products,” he said.

That philosophy ultimately led to the colourful iMac, the iPod and iTunes transforming music, and later the iPhone redefining the smartphone category entirely.

A company focused on what comes next

Despite reaching the 50 year milestone, Joz says Apple is not a company that spends much time reflecting on the past.

“We are not nostalgic people… we’re built to work on things in the future,” he said.

Instead, he believes the anniversary is really about recognising what people have created using Apple products.

“People have changed the world with the things they’ve done with our products.”

That idea has been central to Apple since the early days of the Macintosh, which was famously described as a “bicycle for your mind” – technology designed to help people achieve more through creativity and productivity.

Still attracting new users after four decades

Even today, Apple continues to attract new customers to its ecosystem. Joz says roughly half of Mac buyers are purchasing their first Mac, despite the platform being more than 40 years old.

That helps explain the importance of products like the recently announced MacBook Neo, designed to bring more people into the Mac lineup without compromising the core Apple experience.

“We wanted an Apple quality product… not the cheap way that you see from some of the competition,” he said.

Australia part of the celebration

Australia has also played a role in the 50 year celebrations, with artwork created on iPad projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House using the Australian-developed app Procreate.

Joz described the projection as one of his favourite expressions of the milestone, calling the display “absolutely stunning”.

The next 50 years

Looking ahead, Apple believes the same core principles that shaped its turnaround will guide its future.

“Putting the customer at the centre of everything we do… unleashing human potential through technology… those things will be just as true in the next 50 years,” Joz said.

After half a century of innovation, Apple’s focus appears unchanged – build great products and the rest will follow.

Please enjoy my whole chat with Joz – just 13 minutes and I think a real insight into the man and the company.