Apple

In this alternate timeline, Apple Inc. never emerged as the influential global technology company it is in our world. Rather, it has remained a minor player, focused primarily on the domestic Dutch computer market.

Origins and Early History

Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, two computer enthusiasts living in Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland. The company's initial product was a simple desktop computer aimed at the Dutch hobbyist and small business market.

While the Apple I garnered some attention in the Netherlands, it failed to make significant inroads beyond the company's home country. Apple lacked the resources and vision to seriously compete with established Dutch computer firms like Philips and Tulip Computers. It remained a niche player throughout the 1980s, never developing the breakthrough products or global expansion that defined Apple's trajectory in our timeline.

Lack of Major Innovations

Without the visionary leadership and ambitious product roadmap of Steve Jobs, Apple did not pioneer many of the landmark technologies that transformed the global tech industry in our world. The company never developed products like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, or iPad that reshaped personal computing, digital media, and mobile devices.

Apple's offerings continued to be modest, incremental updates to its desktop computers, targeted at a small but loyal customer base in the Netherlands. The company lacked the resources and market position to meaningfully influence the broader computing landscape, which was instead shaped by the rise of major Asian brands like Samsung, Huawei, and Sony.

Remaining a Niche Player

Today, Apple continues to operate as a small Dutch computer manufacturer, selling its products primarily through local retailers and its own handful of retail stores in major Dutch cities. It has never achieved the global scale, brand recognition, or financial prowess of the Apple we know from our reality.

While still profitable and stable, Apple in this timeline has never become one of the world's most valuable, influential, and inspiring technology companies. The void left by its absence has been filled by the meteoric rise of Asian consumer electronics giants, which have driven many of the key innovations and industry trends of the modern digital age.