Tritanium

Tritanium is a technology-focused alternate timeline made by xtracore where the Apple III was a successful computer; NeXT went bigger and stronger; Apple's Mac OS moved to x86 earlier; Apple merged with Sun Microsystems; IBM (now NEC) still developing OS/2 Warp as ThinkOS; NeXTstep, once an operating system primarily for enterprises and academia but now for home users, was the most popular desktop operating system, surpassing Windows; and Microsoft collapsed.
== Names ==
Tritanium name was suggested by LayTay on June 12, 2024 when xtracore need a name for a new alternate timeline that different to Brand-New Everything. This name named after the fictional metal from Star Trek. This timeline also known as:
* The Successful Three
* Computing Still Advances to the NeXT Level (or Steve Jobs Mesmerized Everyone)
* To Boldly Go Where No Mac Has Gone Before
* The Day Microsoft Died by Suicide
== Overview + point(s) of divergence ==
The point of divergence of Tritanium began in January 1982, when Apple introduced the Apple III, which was developed differently and would be a successful personal computer in Apple's history. It was so popular that Apple discontinued the Apple II in November 1983. The Apple III received subsequent revisions: III Plus, released in May 1983; IIIe in April 1984; IIIc in November 1984, III/GS in September 1986, and the IIIc Plus in 1988.
In our timeline, NeXT stopped producing hardware in 1993 and was acquired by Apple in 1997. In Tritanium, NeXT have been developing hardware and software since its founding in 1985 (although the first NeXT Computer wasn't as successful as its further products). NeXT is market-dominant in the hardware and software market, and is one of the largest Big Tech companies in the world, alongside Apple, Alphabet/Google and Amazon.
Instead of Apple, Commodore joined the PowerPC alliance, and introduced the PowerAmiga line. Started in February 1992, the Star Trek joint project by Apple and Novell, intended to compete with Microsoft Windows, was completed and released as the x86-based System 7.1.2. The Pentium-powered Super Macintosh was launched as well. After the cancelation of Copland, which was intended for Super Macintosh, the old Apple merged with Sun Microsystems to form the new Apple Systems.
In 2000, IBM rebranded OS/2 Warp to ThinkOS, starting with version 5.0, complete with a new microkernel. Development of the fifth major version lasted from late 1997 to late 2000. Now developed by NEC, known for its PC-98 series, ThinkOS has been competing with NeXTstep and macOS, and is used in all NEC computers worldwide.
Windows Vista, the successor to Windows XPSE, was considered to be the most hated Windows version by tech critics, due to its high system requirements and performance issues. Many PC users either stayed with Windows XPSE, or moved to alternative operating systems, with NeXT starting its advertising campaign against Windows, called "Go NeXTstep"; Apple had already started the "Mac vs. Windows" (OTL: "Get a Mac") campaign before Vista's release, running from 2006 to 2012.
In contrast, 2008's NeXTstep 9 was NeXT's major success, being received critical acclaim upon release; it was considered to be the best NeXTstep version by critics, after NeXTstep 7. NeXTstep became the most popular desktop OS in the world, surpassing Windows by 2017.
For Microsoft, things went south in 2011, when Windows Pearl was released, to negative reception, due to its unintuitive user interface, longer development time, and software and hardware incompatibility. It was initially supposed to be the successor to Vista, but unsolvable problems caused the development to start afresh and the team rewrote the NT kernel and redesigned the user interface to distinguish from earlier Windows versions. It sold 300,000 copies the first month it was released, compared to Vista, while Surface sold 240,000 units.
To add insult to injury, in September 2011, a mass shooting occurred in the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo, California; the perpetrator, a 24-year-old free software activist, killed 10 people and injured 17 others and was ultimately arrested. A web site named "Redmond's Dumpster Fire" criticizing Windows Pearl and Microsoft in general, was created by a webmaster, who have been using NeXTstep since 2009. Microsoft's final months came, when Microsoft rapidly declined to the point where it went out of business, and Windows Pearl, Microsoft Surface, and Office were discontinued, while the online services were shut down. Two months later, Robert J. Bach, once the CEO of Microsoft, committed suicide by hanging, at age 52.
== Differences ==
=== Apple and NeXT ===
* The Apple II Plus was the last model of the II series; it was succeeded by the successful (in this timeline) Apple III, which is different from the OTL, that is, no design flaws.
* Instead of being canceled in 1993, the Star Trek project was completed and released as System 7.1.2, the first version to support Intel x86 processors. System 7.1.2 can run as an GUI shell program on top of Novell's DR DOS 7.0.
* Because of above, Apple didn't join the PowerPC alliance; Commodore joined instead.
* The Power Macintosh in this timeline is the Super Macintosh (later known as the Super Mac), featuring the Intel Pentium processor instead of PowerPC.
* The iMac G3, named the iMac P2 in this timeline, features the 233 MHz Pentium II processor instead of PowerPC G3. The iMac G4 has the Pentium III processor, and the iMac G5 has the Pentium 4 processor. Both are named the iMac P3 and the iMac P4 respectively. The iMac P4 was succeeded by the iMac C1, powered by the Intel Core Duo processor.
* Calculator was introduced earlier in the 1st-gen iPad, instead of iPadOS 18.
* Instead of acquiring NeXT, Apple (under Apple Computer) merged with Sun Microsystems in 1997 to form the new Apple Systems. Apple Systems was renamed to Apple Inc. in 2007. Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun, became the CEO of Apple until 2000, when he was replaced by Steve Jobs. Tim Cook is the current Apple CEO since 2011.
* In addition, Jobs was replaced by Ross Perot as the chairman and CEO of NeXT in 2000. Perot left NeXT in 2008 and was succeeded by Steve Sakoman. Satya Nadella, who is the OTL CEO of Microsoft, is the current NeXT CEO since 2013.
* With Apple being merged with Sun, Apple continued to develop Solaris as the secondary operating system and an A/UX successor; version 6.0 was released in 1997. Apple used Solaris instead of NeXTSTEP/OPENSTEP as the basis for the Rhapsody operating system project. After several developer releases, Rhapsody Premier 1.0 was released in May 1999, followed by 1.5 in January 2000. It later evolved into Mac OS X in 2000 (Public Beta) and 2001 (10.0). Solaris was discontinued in 2002.
* NeXT continues to this day, still producing hardware and software. NeXTstep is the most-used desktop operating system, with macOS being the second. NeXT also has its own office suite, known as NeXToffice; and its own web browser, NeXTglobe.
=== Microsoft ===
* Microsoft was the largest technology company until December 2013, when it filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations. Microsoft's gaming division was sold to Sega.
* Steve Ballmer retired from Microsoft earlier and was succeeded by Robert J. Bach in 2008. Bach died by suicide in 2014.
* Windows Nashville was released as Windows 96 in December 1996, instead of being canceled. As a result, Windows 95 only received one OEM Service Release.
* Windows 98 SE was released as Windows 99, as a stopgap release between 98 and the NT-based "Neptune" (later Windows Delta).
* The consumer-oriented Neptune project was released as Windows Delta in December 2000. The same goes for the business-oriented Odyssey, released as Windows 2001.
* Windows Vista was released one month earlier (December 2006 instead of January 2007). WinFS, which was canceled in OTL, was introduced as Windows Storage Foundation. Windows PowerShell, SecurID support, and PC-to-PC synchronization were introduced as well.
* The Surface RT was launched a year earlier with Windows RT (based on Windows Pearl), followed by the Surface Pro featuring the full version of Pearl. They were discontinued in 2013 following the dissolution of Microsoft.
=== Others ===
* Because of the Apple-Sun merger, Star Division, the company behind StarOffice, remained independent.
* Be Inc. adopted x86 alongside PowerPC. The x86 variant of BeBox was launched in 1996, featuring two Pentium Pro processors.
* Palm, which acquired Be Inc. continued to develop BeOS as Palm Desktop OS (PDOS).
* Sega returned to the console market after 14 years with the Xbox Neo, released in 2015, to critical acclaim.
* Mojang, ZeniMax Media, and Activision Blizzard remain independent. (In OTL, Microsoft acquired the former two in 2014 and 2020 respectively, and the latter in 2023)
* eMachines didn't go for the iMac-like design for the eOne; instead, they go for the entirely original design. The lawsuit never happened.
* LinkedIn remains independent instead of being a subsidiary of Microsoft.
* Adobe's one-time purchase Creative Suite continues to this day, but cheaper than the previous versions; Creative Cloud didn't exist.
* Indrema never got shut down, with the Indrema Fusion being announced at E3 2001 and released in 2002. The Fusion uses its proprietary system software based on NeXTstep. Indrema was acquired by NeXT in 2010; the Indrema branding was phased out two years later. (The Ozone, released in 2007, was the last known console with its own branding, as its successor, NeXTphoton, drops the former branding)
* Instead of Lenovo, NEC acquired the IBM PC business in 2005. As a result, the OTL Lenovo ThinkPads are now NEC ThinkPads.
* Caldera and SCO never merged and stayed as separate companies, and the SCO Group never happened.
* Commodore, still in business, still produces Amiga to this day, with the PowerPC-based PowerAmiga being launched in 1994, to compete with Super Macintosh.
* Clipchamp, a online video editing tool, was acquired by NEC in 2020 instead of Microsoft.
== References ==
* Tritanium .txt file made by xtracore
* Mockupedia (original source)
Category:Alternate Timelines