What year did Apple acquire NeXT Computer?

Apple acquired NeXT Computer in 1997.

Apple announced its plan to acquire NeXT on December 20, 1996, but the transaction was finalized in February 1997. That distinction explains why some timelines mention both years, while the acquisition itself is conventionally dated to 1997.

Apple paid approximately $427 million in cash, stock, options, and assumed obligations. The deal was driven largely by NeXTSTEP, NeXT's advanced operating system and development environment. Apple needed a modern foundation to replace the aging classic Mac OS, and NeXTSTEP provided a strong technical starting point.

The acquisition also brought Steve Jobs back to Apple as an adviser. He later became interim chief executive and guided the company through a major product overhaul. NeXT technology evolved into Apple's Rhapsody project and eventually contributed directly to Mac OS X, whose Darwin core and development frameworks descended from NeXT's software.

A related fact often overlooked is that NeXT's history included landmark web technology: the first WorldWideWeb browser and web server were created on NeXT computers at CERN.