Tech District · VIDEO ESSAY

BeOS: The Operating System Apple Almost Chose Instead of NeXT

BeOS was fast, modern, and years ahead of its time—but it never became the operating system that would power the Mac. This video explores the rise of Be Inc., the creation of BeOS, its impressive multimedia performance, and the moment Apple considered buying it as the foundation for the future of Mac OS. We’ll also look at why Apple ultimately chose NeXT instead, bringing Steve Jobs back and changing the direction of the company forever. A fascinating story of one of computing history’s biggest “what ifs.”