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What's Bugging Pixar? (7/28/99)
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Things are looking pretty rosy for Apple these days, right? There all almost too many positive changes to list-- increased market share, reduced inventory, a consumer desktop that still tops the sales charts nearly a year after its release, a consumer portable poised to do the same, a stock price at a six-year high, etc. On top of all this, they've had seven consecutive profitable quarters after having bled about a billion dollars' worth of red ink. In other words, Apple may not be completely out of the woods yet, but at least they've extricated both legs from those rusty bear traps, clawed their way out of the thirty-foot pit, and pried off the various woodland creatures that were chewing on their collective butt. And most people would agree that iCEO Steve Jobs was instrumental in the turnaround.
But is Steve speading himself too thin? Sometimes it's easy to forget that he's CEO of two companies: Apple and Pixar, those wacky computer animators who gave us Toy Story and A Bug's Life. So does that mean that while he's been so busy putting Apple back on its feet, Pixar has had to do without the Magic That Is Steve? Not according to Steve himself, who recently stated he tries to divide his time equally between the two companies; in addition, while he's well-known (and often vilified) for micromanaging every little thing at Apple, his involvement at Pixar is more of a hands-off approach. He may have directed the iBook, but he's not directing Toy Story 2.
But Pixar has recently stumbled on some trouble themselves; according to the Internet Movie Database, the company recently announced that home video copies of A Bug's Life (as well as all those toys and other merchandise) aren't selling nearly as well as they'd hoped. In fact, after Steve announced that only about 21 million copies of the video would be sold-- that's about 12% less than they originally expected-- Pixar's stock dropped over six points to settle at 42. Uh-oh. It's probably nothing to worry about just yet, but if Toy Story 2 doesn't do well at the box office this Thanksgiving, then Steve might well have another turnaround on his hands...
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 7/28/99 episode: July 28, 1999: With a potential iBook market of millions of units, Apple moves some cash to try to help guarantee the availability of LCD screens. Meanwhile, Pixar's stock takes a beating due to underwhelming "A Bug's Life" video sales, and attendance at last week's Expo keynote address set a new record...
Other scenes from that episode: 1688: Hurting For LCDs (7/28/99) It's been over a week since we first got to see the iBook, and despite what the naysayers claim about the reality setting in after Steve's patented distortion field wears off, we're still in love. Okay, sure, when sizing it up for our particular needs, it's got a few flaws... 1690: The Steve-Loving Hordes (7/28/99) It's been about a week since Steve's Expo keynote, but the echoes remain. The memories are still etched sharply in our minds: Steve sharing the stage with Noah Wyle, the ripple through the audience as they noted the addition of Disney content to QuickTime TV, the audible smiles (if that's possible) following the Sherlock 2 comparison shopping demo, the stunned silence during the Halo demo, the cheers of anticipation and the thunderous applause at that first public glimpse of the iBook...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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