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Apple & The Y2K Scare


The year 2000 was supposed to mark a historical moment in time, in which several major events took place. These occurrences included the birth of a new millennium, the first step into a new era for all of man kind that brought the promise of new and exciting things, and the exact moment in which the dreaded Y2K bug was supposed to hit. Apple, among other computer manufacturers, was aware of the potential problem and the instantaneous impact this would have on their customers and society, in general. The Y2K bug essentially was related to the method that the existing computers tracked dates, which was with 2 digit numeric codes. The year 2000 was thought to be the beginning of a serious problem because it marked the time, in which computers went from the 2 digit dates to the 4 digit dates. A vast majority of computers in existence were set up with the assumption that all dates started with “19”, but in this scenario this would not be the case. The year 2000 would actually be seen as “00” by the computer, which would indicate the year 1900 instead of the year 2000.  

The computer industry as a group, with a sense of social responsibility, quickly realized the huge problem that could result from their worst fears, becoming a reality. Vital equipment such as various hospital paraphernalia, bank software, and National Defense systems were all operated by computers and the consequences of these systems crashing at once, would be catastrophic. Hackers and those who purposely created mayhem took advantage of public panic and spread rumors about creating harmful computer viruses that would get into personal computers and then disrupt efficiency once the year 2000 New Year rang in. Although these issues were serious, they hailed in comparison to the Y2K problem. A majority of computers that have entered the market in the ‘90s were PCs, or computers with Windows based operating systems that work best with high speed Internet. These were the computers that were actually at risk with the very real possibility of experiencing the Y2K problem. Apple’s technicians were not considering the situation to be a great risk because the “powers at be” believed that the challenge would be overcome with enough time to spare and they proclaimed that the Mac operating systems were already Y2K compliant. Their actions were consistent with this line of thought, because they chose not to contribute to the panic that had already flooded the media. Apple was successful in remaining trustworthy and reliable in the eyes of their customers, by being already ahead of the game and by not giving them any additional problems to worry about, with their computer products. Apple also went to great lengths to address customer questions and give them the reassurance that they needed. 

When January 1, 2000 finally came and went, much of the modern world wondered if they were paranoid over the Y2K Bug for no reason. Once the excitement of the New Year subsided, countries across the globe quickly realized that nothing happened and this was credited to proactive measures and to the fact that no real problem may have ever existed. The aftermath revealed that the United States alone spent billions of dollars and created thousands of new jobs to ensure that the fix, on a large scale, was a reality. The hard work of many people got the job done with time to spare, and this positively effected individuals and businesses worldwide. It was a relief to millions that nothing major happened, but new questions were being raised about the debts that were created because of the level of paranoia associated with the situation. The IBM style computer owners were convinced that the Y2K bug must be fixed, at any cost, and the actual end results were enormous debts and a lack of confidence in the available product. Apple, on the other hand, was the victor in the battle for consumer confidence and the creator of the superior product. This has helped the company to continue building a foundation of trust and loyalty that remains strong today. 

When it was 1999, the then upcoming New Year brought the promise of change and the known technology-based problems. The specific challenge that gained the most publicity was the Y2K bug that would cause computers to crash when the date changes to a year format that was unrecognizable to the computer, itself. Despite the additional threats of computer viruses and such, all computer manufacturers and users were getting their action plans together, and in motion, in an effort to combat the upcoming obstacle. Apple emerged as a leader and inspirational force during this time, because of their excellent support and products. The company never took advantage of the situation and tried to market their computers as fixes for the problem, which says a lot about the content of the company’s ethics and character. If past events are a good indicator of future performance, Apple’s customers can rest assure that if another wide spread problem emerges concerning their computers, the company will take the appropriate measures to ensure the integrity and performance of all of their products and services. 

 
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