Apple inherited much of NeXT's history when both companies merged five years ago. Quite a number of people had left Apple for NeXT over the years, which sometimes made cohabitation before and after the merger difficult. But that didn't last long, and it quickly became a common joke to say that NeXT had brought Apple over. This is not far from being true, if you look carefully at some key positions at NeXT and Apple.

Encounters of the NeXT types

The new iMac launch was in Paris was certainly an encounter of the NeXT type. Held at highly regarded Le Musee d'Art Moderne, it was most of all a gathering of the Parisian Apple community, from the press to the techies. The event couldn't compete with the traditional keynote, of course, but some Apple insiders made the event worth a visit. An attendee of the first rank who appeared early on was Jean-Marie Hullot, now CTO for the Applications Division. Later came Jean-Michel Lunati, who formerly held nearly the same position at NeXT in France, then at Apple after the merger. Then came Eric Noyau, a long-time NeXT insider.

Apple plus NeXT plus France plus comebacks equals old dreams. Back in the days of the beautiful black machines, France nearly became an 'independent' laboratory on its own, a story as short-lived as NeXT's history in Europe. Although none of the aforementioned people were very talkative about the whole project, it seems the dream has ultimately come true. At least Apple owns offices on one of the nicest Parisian boulevards, off the Champs-Elysee, and it seems to be packed with really, really high-level tech people. France responded well to the Apple way. Now Apple seems to respond well to the French way. Adding them up together, one can only get something really different.