Instant Alert: 19 years ago, there was only one way for Apple to save itself: 'Pray'

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   19 years ago, there was only one way for Apple to save itself: 'Pray' by Matt Weinberger on Jun 2, 2016, 9:43 AM Advertisement If you ask the tech industry, Apple is no longer the sure thing it just was. This week alone, Mary Meeker indicated that sales of the iPhone may have peaked, and Amazon could pick up the slack. Before that, a prominent developer questioned whether or not Apple was investing enough in artificial intelligence to avoid the fate of Blackberry. But amid all the hand-wringing, it's useful to remember that this isn't even close to Apple's lowest point.  In June 1997, just about 19 years ago, Wired magazine ran a now-famous cover: Apple's famous "six colors" logo, covered in barbed wire, joined by a single word.  "Pray."  It was a low point for Apple, which had been battered and beaten by a series of executive drama, poor decisions, and the seemingly unstoppable rise of Microsoft.  The actual article is titled "101 Ways to Save Apple." They offer a unique look into Apple's very worst moment.  Here are some of those 101 suggestions — and what they tell us about where Apple has been and where it's going. Just remember, this is before people knew that Steve Jobs was going to save the day. SEE ALSO: 39 photos of how Steve Jobs saved Apple from disaster and led it to rule the world Just to set the scene, Apple was in big trouble when Wired's "Pray" cover ran in June 1997. Long-time CEO John Sculley left the company in 1993 after a sales slide and a series of missteps like the Newton personal assistant. Sculley was replaced by Michael Spindler, even as the company's fortunes continued to sag. Spindler's big failing was that he DIDN'T sell Apple to Sun for fire sale prices of $6 a share. Investors wanted some kind of return, and so Spindler was ousted, too. In 1996, Gil Amelio got the job. Not quite knowing what else to do, and facing serious pressure, Amelio spearheaded the purchase of NeXT, Steve Jobs' own PC company, bringing the Apple cofounder back into the fold. (Jobs would go on to oust Amelio in a boardroom coup, not too long after this Wired article came out. But the magazine didn't know that at the time.) See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011