On December 10, 1996, Apple was months from bankruptcy and out of options. Two men flew to Cupertino to pitch their software as the company's last hope, Jean-Louis Gassée and Steve Jobs. Apple picked Jobs and used the software he brought with him to build the iMac, the iPod, the iTunes Store, and the iPhone.

But what if Gassée hadn't phoned it in? What if Apple picked the other guy and Steve Jobs never walked back through that door? What happens to Apple? What happens to the smartphone? And does the 21st century we're living in show up at all?