This is a good overview of the development and impact the iPod has had by The Discovery Channel.
History of the iPod by the Discovery Channel
First Macintosh Press Release from 1984
Apple Introduces Macintosh
Advanced Personal Computer
Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 11:44 AM EST
CUPERTINO, Calif., January 24, 1984--Apple Computer today unveiled its much-anticipated Macintosh computer, a sophisticated, affordably priced personal computer designed for business people, professionals and students in a broad
range of fields. Macintosh is available in all dealerships now. Based on the advanced, 32-bit architecture developed for Apple's Lisa computer, Macintosh combines extraordinary computing power with exceptional ease of use--in a unit that is smaller and lighter than most transportable computers. The suggested retail price for Macintosh is $2,495, which during the introductory period also includes a word-processing program and graphics package.
Macintosh, along with three powerful new Lisa 2 computers, forms the basis of the Apple 32 SuperMicro family of computers. All systems in the family run Macintosh software.
Like Apple's ground-breaking Lisa computer, Macintosh uses its built-in user-interface software and high-resolution display to simulate the actual desk-top working environment--complete with built-in notepads, file folders, a calculator and other office tools. Every Macintosh computer contains 64 kilobytes of read-only memory (ROM), built-in Lisa Technology and 128 kilobytes of random-access memory (RAM) that support these desk-top tools.
Users tell Macintosh what to do simply by moving a "mouse"--a small pointing device--to select among functions listed in menus and represented by pictorial symbols on the screen. Users are no longer forced to memorize the numerous and confusing keyboard commands of conventional computers. The result is radical ease of use and a significant reduction in learning time. In effect, the Macintosh is a desk-top appliance offering users increased utility and creativity with simplicity.
"We believe that Lisa Technology represents the future direction of all personal computers," said Steven P. Jobs, Chairman of the Board of Apple. "Macintosh makes this technology available for the first time to a broad audience--at a price and size unavailable from any other manufacturer. By virtue of the large amount of software written for them, the Apple II and the IBM PC became the personal-computer industry's first two standards. We expect Macintosh to become the third industry standard."
A wide range of software applications will be supplied by leading independent software companies. Currently, more than 100 companies are developing software and hardware peripheral devices for Macintosh. The popular Lotus 1-2-3 integrated business package will be available in a Macintosh version, and Microsoft's Multiplan financial-planning application is available immediately.
Two Macintosh application programs--one for word processing and one for graphics--also are available from Apple immediately and will be offered at no charge to anyone purchasing Macintosh during the first 100 days after introduction. These software packages will be followed by communications software, business productivity tools and programming languages that will allow Macintosh to gain access to data from large mainframe computers.
Twenty-four of the nation's leading universities, such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, have joined forces with Apple to plan and implement personal-computer applications over the next few years. (See accompanying Apple University Consortium press release.) Under terms of the new Apple University Consortium, each member expects to purchase more than $2 million of Apple products (mostly Macintosh computers) over the next three years for use by faculty and students. Members of the consortium may share courseware (educational software) and application developments with one another in accordance with the agreement.
The prestigious accounting firm of Peat, Marwick Mitchell and Co. has ordered more than 2,000 Macintosh computers to be delivered in 1984.
Based on these commitments, Apple expects demand to exceed supply for several months.
Apple is manufacturing the new computers in a recently opened, highly automated factory in Fremont, California, which is capable of producing one system every 27 seconds and therefore meeting what is expected to be a large demand.
Macintosh Slashes Computer Learning Time
Macintosh is aimed at a broad group of business people, professionals and college students. These people perform tasks that are similar in one important respect: they all involve working at a desk and transforming information and ideas into memos, reports, budgets, plans and analyses.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that while there are 25 million of these "knowledge workers" in the United States alone, only 5 percent currently use desk-top computers. Apple market research indicates that the majority are unable or unwilling to invest the 20 to 40 hours it takes to master conventional computers and the additional three to 10 hours' learning time required for each new application program.
Macintosh, by contrast, typically takes only a few hours to learn. Its operation mirrors the activities that are carried on by people at their desks. Papers can be shuffled on screen, documents revised or discarded, charts drawn--all with a few simple commands executed with the mouse. Several documents can be displayed on screen simultaneously, in "windows" that can be moved, expanded or shrunk. All applications, from financial-planning tools to graphics programs, are based on the same set of intuitive operations. This means that numbers, words and pictures can be easily .. cut" from memos, charts or graphs and "pasted" into other documents--even those created in separate application programs produced by different software companies.
"Macintosh easily fits on a desk, both in terms of its style of operation and its physical design," said Jobs. "It takes up about the same amount of desk space as a piece of paper. With Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and originality, not an obstacle. It allows ideas and relationships to be viewed in new ways. Macintosh enhances not just productivity, but also creativity."
Macintosh Sales Outlook
According to industry analyst Jean Yates, of Yates Ventures in Palo Alto, California, worldwide sales of Macintosh could total 350,000 units this year, with 70 percent of sales going to businesses, 20 percent to colleges and universities and 10 percent to home users. Many office users are expected to carry Macintosh computers home for work, and this is expected to fuel home sales as family members and others are exposed to the computer.
Aaron Goldberg, of International Data Corp., (IDC), in Santa Clara, California, said, "There's no doubt Apple has a winner with this product. The market has been waiting for this combination of technology, ease of operation and price."
Support from Leading Software Vendors
Apple expects 90 percent of all Macintosh software to come from independent software vendors. Among the prominent companies working on Macintosh applications are Microsoft Corp., Lotus Development, and Software Publishing Corp. (See list attached to software-support press release.)
Apple is supporting these efforts by providing independent software vendors with Macintosh computers and comprehensive open-architecture programming documentation, classes and other development support from Apple representatives. Apple foresees at least 500 software packages available for Macintosh by the end of 1984, including productivity applications, communications packages, educational tools, specialized applications (such as accounting packages) and games.
Apple is currently providing two application programs for the Macintosh: MacWrite and MacPaint. MacWrite is a versatile word-processing program that features multiple fonts and font sizes, search-and-replace functions and the ability to cut text and pictures from other programs and paste them into memos or reports. MacPaint is a powerful illustration graphics program. Users can choose from an array of tools, such as brushes, pencils and erasers, and a large selection of textures and shapes to create an endless variety of free-form and structured images.
Programs to be released by Apple in 1984 include--for the first quarter--MacTerminal, which allows Macintosh to emulate DEC VT 100, VT 52, TTY and, with AppleLine, IBM 3277 and 3278 terminals for access to a variety of text) and is protected by a tough plastic case. Apple's new Lisa 2 series of computers also use the 3 1/2-inch disk drive, enabling the Lisas to run Macintosh programs.
Macintosh has two RS 232C/RS 422 serial ports for attaching a printer and peripheral communications devices such as a modem; another port for connecting an optional external disk drive; and an audio system that has a range of more than 12 octaves, is capable of producing polyphonic pitches and can replicate human speech. In addition, Apple is developing the AppleBus point-to-point interconnect system for all Apple computers, which will allow Macintosh computers to communicate with each other, peripheral devices and other Apple computers linked together. The hardware interface for AppleBus is built into every Macintosh and Lisa computer system.
Peripherals and Accessories
A number of Macintosh accessories and peripheral devices are available now: The Apple Imagewriter printer for high-quality text and graphics; an accountant-style numeric keypad; the Macintosh carrying case; a disk pack of ten 3 1/2-inch diskettes; and the Apple telephone modem, with data transmission rates of 1,200 or 300 baud. Another peripheral, AppleLine, allows Macintosh to emulate IBM 3277 and 3278 mainframe computers. An external disk drive and a security kit, which locks Macintosh and keyboard to a table or desk will be available in March 1984.
Sales and Service
Apple estimates that initially 85 percent of Macintosh sales will be made through retail channels, with direct sales making up the remainder. The Macintosh will be sold through Apple's 3,000 authorized dealers worldwide.
To aid in its sales support, Apple has initiated an "Own-a-Mac" program. This program offers incentive discounts to sales personnel to encourage their purchasing a Macintosh computer. In this way sales staff will fully understand product features and application programs.
Designed to be marketed internationally, Macintosh uses no English language in or on the machine. Icons depict the functions of the keys, controls, ports and servicing instructions. The Macintosh ROM contains no English code, making it easy for a translator to adapt the software for use in any language. This can be accomplished within a few hours. once the keyboard has been changed, any translator can create a "localized" version of the machine. The translator need not be familiar with programming. Localized versions of the Macintosh will be shipped to the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, Italy and Australia within three months of introduction, and to other countries within a year.
Macintosh was designed from the start to be built in the millions to meet the anticipated high demand. To that end, Apple is manufacturing the product in a specially designed $20-million facility in Fremont, California. This highly automated factory can produce one system every 27 seconds. Under terms of a "zero-defect" agreement, Apple's component suppliers will test parts according to Apple's specifications before delivery to the Macintosh factory.
Service for Macintosh will be coordinated through Apple's conventional channels, which include Apple dealers and the more than 300 RCA service centers nationwide. Macintosh was designed for simple servicing: the system is composed of only four modules, each of which can be easily replaced in the event of failure.
Price
The basic Macintosh package will have a suggested retail price of $2,495 and will include the main unit, keyboard and a mouse. The package also comes with an accessory box that contains the system disk; "A Guided Tour of Macintosh," a learning disk and cassette tape; a blank disk; a power cord; an owner's manual; and a programmer's switch.
A host of peripherals and accessories will be available for the Macintosh computer from Apple and will have suggested retail prices as follows:
Imagewriter printer $595 ($495 if purchased with Macintosh)
Numeric Keypad $129
Modem 300 $225
Modem 1200 $495
Carrying Case $99
3 1/2-inch disk box (10 disks) $49
MacWrite/MacPaint $195 (included free with each Macintosh during the introductory period)
External Drive $495
Surprise! Democrats Use Macs More!
A survey of computer operating systems market share shows an uncanny resemblance to the Democrat-Republican election map from 2004. Too bad only Democrats see the Mac OS as a superior computer platform! Click on the top map below from Market Share by Net Applications or check out the results here.
Dumbest Apple Predictions of All Time
From the Wired Blog Network
The iMac Will Fail
"The iMac will only sell to some of the true believers. The iMac doesn't include a floppy disk drive drive for doing file backups or sharing of data. It's an astonishing lapse from Jobs, who should have learned better... the iMac is clean, elegant, floppy-free–and doomed.” — Hiawatha Bray in the Boston Globe, 1998.
Give the Money Back
"I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders." — Michael Dell in October 1997,as an immediate prelude to a renaissance that would see Apple ultimately eclipse Dell in size.
Coming Soon: Apple's Subnotebook/Tablet/UMPC/Newton 2
"UltraPortable PCs from Apple using Flash memory to be delivered as early as Macworld San Francisco 2007." — Benjamin Reitzes in June 2006.
In Reitzes' defense, the fellow scried the Mac Mini three months before it appeared. And here's Gene Munster with the same thing, just a few days ago. Someone will eventually get the timing right. Right?
Gamers Will Flock To Macs
"Gaming will be an important part of Apple’s focus on the consumer market. ... By the end of calendar year 1999, the Mac platform will have the best gaming machines available to the general consumer." — the usually-wise Robert Paul Leitlao, in 1998.
Apple's Post-iPod Era Decline Proceeds Apace
“The biggest long-term problem with moving to an Apple platform is that the company is in decline." — Rob Enderle, in October 2003.
iPhone, The Bomb of 2007
"The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks." — Matthew Lynn, in Bloomberg after the January announcement.
iPhone Revolution To Kill Subsidy Status Quo?
"Wolf also notes that he expects Apple to sell the phone as an unlocked device through the Apple Stores, allowing people to choose their own carrier." — Charles Wolf, paraphrased by Barrons' Eric Savitz in January. In reality, to quote one AT&T executive, Apple ultimately "bent" for them.
Hewlett Packard iPod To Be a Winner
"The expectation on the iPod is that HP's version will probably outsell Apple's version relatively quickly." — Rob Enderle, quoted in MacObserver in August 2004.
Sony To Buy Apple
"Within the next two months, Sony will acquire Apple. ... Sony will be the white knight who will step into the picture." — former Apple VP Gaston Bastiaens, in January 1996.
A Range of Click-Wheel iPhones
"Prudential analyst Jesse Tortora said the first and slimmer of Apple's initial two cell phone models will look like an iPod with a small screen and a click wheel interface." — Jesse Tortoya, paraphrased by MacRumors.
The Goose is Cooked
"Apple as we know it is cooked. It's so classic. It's so sad." — Stan Dolberg of Forrester Research, quoted by the New York Times in 1996. See also Fortune's "By the time you read this story, the quirky cult company…will end its wild ride as an independent enterprise," from the same year. Time: "Certainly No Future."
Microsoft's Nathan Myhrvold couldn't even predict the present: "Apple is already dead," he said after Jobs' return.
AppleTV's Features and Impact
"Apple's iTV will include features beyond streaming content and could have an impact on video similar to what the iPod has done for music." — Andy Neff of Bear Stearns packs several failed prognostications into one sentence.
Jobs, Shjobs!
"The idea that they're going to go back to the past to hit a big home run . . . is delusional" — Dave Winer, quoted by the Financial Times in 1997.
Self-Mutilation or Sale Is the Only Way Forward
"[Apple] seems to have two options. The first is to break itself up, selling the hardware side. The second is to sell the company outright." — The Economist, Feb. 1995
Shut Down The Primary Source Of Revenue
"Admit it. You're out of the hardware game," — Us, in 1997. Of course, the rest of Wired's 101 Ways To Save Apple list is packed with suggestions that turned out to be chillingly accurate! ("We’d all feel better ... if we could get a tower with leopard spots.")
Invention of the Year: The iPhone
From Time.com
By Lev Grossman
Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
Stop. I mean, don't stop reading this, but stop thinking what you're about to think. Or, O.K., I'll think it for you:
The thing is hard to type on. It's too slow. It's too big. It doesn't have instant messaging. It's too expensive. (Or, no, wait, it's too cheap!) It doesn't support my work e-mail. It's locked to AT&T. Steve Jobs secretly hates puppies. And—all together now—we're sick of hearing about it! Yes, there's been a lot of hype written about the
iPhone, and a lot of guff too. So much so that it seems weird to add more, after Danny Fanboy and Bobby McBlogger have had their day. But when that day is over, Apple's iPhone is still the best thing invented this year. Why? Five reasons:
1. The iPhone is pretty
Most high-tech companies don't take design seriously. They treat it as an afterthought. Window-dressing. But one of Jobs' basic insights about technology is that good design is actually as important as good technology. All the cool features in the world won't do you any good unless you can figure out how to use said features, and feel smart and attractive while doing it.
An example: look at what happens when you put the iPhone into "airplane" mode (i.e., no cell service, WiFi, etc.). A tiny little orange airplane zooms into the menu bar! Cute, you might say. But cute little touches like that are part of what makes the iPhone usable in a world of useless gadgets. It speaks your language. In the world of technology, surface really is depth.
2. It's touchy-feely
Apple didn't invent the touchscreen. Apple didn't even reinvent it (Apple probably acquired its much hyped multitouch technology when it snapped up a company called Fingerworks in 2005). But Apple knew what to do with it. Apple's engineers used the touchscreen to innovate past the graphical user interface (which Apple helped pioneer with the Macintosh in the 1980s) to create a whole new kind of interface, a tactile one that gives users the illusion of actually physically manipulating data with their hands—flipping through album covers, clicking links, stretching and shrinking photographs with their fingers.
This is, as engineers say, nontrivial. It's part of a new way of relating to computers. Look at the success of the Nintendo Wii. Look at Microsoft's new Surface Computing division. Look at how Apple has propagated its touchscreen interface to the iPod line with the iPod Touch. Can it be long before we get an iMac Touch? A TouchBook? Touching is the new seeing.
3. It will make other phones better
Jobs didn't write the code inside the iPhone. These days he doesn't dirty his fingers with 1's and 0's, if he ever really did. But he did negotiate the deal with AT&T to carry the iPhone. That's important: one reason so many cell phones are lame is that cell-phone-service providers hobble developers with lame rules about what they can and can't do. AT&T gave Apple unprecedented freedom to build the iPhone to its own specifications. Now other phone makers are jealous. They're demanding the same freedoms. That means better, more innovative phones for all.
4. It's not a phone, it's a platform
When Apple made the iPhone, it didn't throw together some cheap-o bare-bones firmware. It took OS X, its full-featured desktop operating system, and somehow squished it down to fit inside the iPhone's elegant glass-and-stainless-steel case. That makes the iPhone more than just a gadget. It's a genuine handheld, walk-around computer, the first device that really deserves the name. One of the big trends of 2007 was the idea that computing doesn't belong just in cyberspace, it needs to happen here, in the real world, where actual stuff happens. The iPhone gets applications like Google Maps out onto the street, where we really need them.
And this is just the beginning. Platforms are for building on. Last month, after a lot of throat-clearing, Apple decided to open up the iPhone, so that you—meaning people other than Apple employees—will be able to develop software for it too. Ever notice all that black blank space on the iPhone's desktop? It's about to fill up with lots of tiny, pretty, useful icons.
5. It is but the ghost of iPhones yet to come
The iPhone has sold enough units—more than 1.4 million at press time—that it'll be around for a while, and with all that room to develop and its infinitely updatable, all-software interface, the iPhone is built to evolve. Look at the iPod of six years ago. That monochrome interface! That clunky touchwheel! It looks like something a caveman whittled from a piece of flint using another piece of flint. Now imagine something that's going to make the iPhone look that primitive. You'll have one in a few years. It'll be very cool. And it'll be even cheaper.
Find this article at: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1678581,00.html
Apple vs. Dell: 10 Years Later
It was 10 years ago that Michael Dell, speaking before several thousand technology executives at ITxpo97 in Orlando, answered a question about what he would do if he were CEO of Apple with a remark he probably instantly regretted:
“What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.” (link)
As others have noted, Apple’s (AAPL) market capitalization today is more than double that of Dell (DELL):
Apple: $140.4 billion
Dell: $62.27 billion
But don’t shed a tear for Micheal Dell. According to a list of the 400 wealthiest Americans published last month, his net worth is more than triple Steve Jobs’.
Michael Dell: $15.5 billion
Steve Jobs: $4.9 billion
[Chart comparing 10 years of Apple and Dell share prices courtesy of NASDAQ.]
Link to the article.
It's Amazing What People Find on eBay!
This fellow has set up a web page detailing the original Macintosh computer manual, complete with pictures. Its' an interesting read! I actually have an original Macintosh brochure from 1984. I know, sweet! :-)
TV Evolves Over the Years
Here's an interesting article about how TV has evolved over the years and will be revolutionized in the next couple of years.
Will Macs take on the Enterprise?
This article by Tim Bajarin of PC Magazine Online explores how the Mac - with its ability to run two operating systems - may be very appealing to IT managers in the future. As the Mac platform with Intel matures, I believe that's exactly what will happen. Read it here or below: By Tim Bajarin This week I had an interesting discussion with an IT Behind this IT manager's thinking is that the Mac now uses Intel processors, just like Dell, HP, and most other PC makers. And thanks to Apple's Boot Camp, most Macs can also run Microsoft Windows. When Apple announced Boot Camp last year, this IT manager downloaded it for use on one of the Macs in his company's graphics department. He also loaded a clean version of Windows XP. What he found is that Boot Camp indeed let him run Windows on a plain-vanilla Mac. But he did not like that in order to run it, he had to power down the Mac and its OS X operating system and reboot Windows XP as a separate session. He did some research and found that another company called The first version of the Parallels software did not work that well, but I have been testing a recent version that is much easier to use. In my talk with this IT manager, he stated that Parallels' new software is the reason he has seriously begun considering Macs. Although he is not thinking of tossing out all of the company's Now that is a forward-thinking IT manager! Apple itself has not really pushed a mainstream enterprise strategy and seems content to keep its current IT customers in the advertising, graphics, and engineering departments happy. I do think that the Mac's new ability to run Windows as well as OS X has to be viewed as a potential disruptive force within IT departments. At the very least, it should get Apple broader attention within traditional Windows-only IT operations.
PC Magazine
The traditional IT market is, for the most part, owned by Microsoft and various Windows PC makers, such as HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo. Surprisingly, Apple also has a solid foothold in IT, primarily in advertising, graphics, and marketing. This is where the Mac has found its home ever since it burst onto the scene, settling comfortably into the graphics and desktop-publishing niche. Beyond these areas, however, Apple has had very little luck in the broader enterprise marketplace.
April 7 - The Birth of the Internet
The publication of the first “request for comments,” or RFC, documents paves the way for the birth of the internet. April 7 is often cited as a symbolic birth date of the net because the RFC memoranda contain research, proposals and methodologies applicable to internet technology. RFC documents provide a way for engineers and others to kick around new ideas in a public forum; sometimes, these ideas are adopted as new standards by the Internet Engineering Task Force.
One interesting aspect of the RFC is that each document is issued a unique serial number. An individual paper cannot be overwritten; rather, updates or corrections are submitted on a separate RFC. The result is an ongoing historical record of the evolution of internet standards.
When it comes to the birth of the net, www.historicaltextarchive.com/s/history-of-the-internet.php, also has its supporters. On that date, the National Science Foundation’s university network backbone, a precursor to the World Wide Web, became operational.
The Truth About Switching
I agree (for the most part) with this article about switching to the Mac. It seems pretty accurate to me. See what you think.
Here's a sample from the article:
So what’s it actually like to own and use a Mac? Here are 20 thoughts on what it’s like, without all the whining and hysterics:
01 You'll feel like you're in a little club
Low End Mac on Intel and Windows
This is an interesting read from Low End Mac. An excerpt: "The battle is over. The victory won. And the winner is . . . Intel. Macs can now run
Windows either as their native operating system (using Boot Camp) or virtualized alongside OS X (Parallels Desktop)." Read more
I Agree...Buy a Mac, Not Vista
A technology writer for Business Week sums it up in this recent article. Everyone would be smart to forgo upgrading to Vista and just break down and buy a new Mac running OS X. It's just the smart thing to do!
Read Stephen H. Wildstrom's column here on the Business Week web site or below.
The Age-Old Question: Mac or PC
Our columnist says that despite the new Windows Vista operating system, if you can afford it, buy a Mac
I'm in the market for a new PC, especially after your recent remarks about upgrading to Vista.
I'm also considering an Apple, primarily because I've read that Apple machines seem not to experience the never-ending attacks from hackers. Is this because of the design of Apple's operating system or because the relatively small number of Apple PCs in the market is not enough to attract attention from hackers?
I'm probably a little above average in tech-savvy, so I'm not afraid to learn a new operating system, even after using Windows forever. I'm a statistical analyst, so I'm primarily interested in technical applications. I also use the Net, but no games, music, or TV. So what's your recommendation, Apple or Vista? I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.
To take your last question first: The coming of Vista does not change my basic recommendation. Unless you have a compelling reason to run Windows or are very constrained by budget (since you can buy a usable PC for less than the cost of the least expensive Mac), the Mac is best choice for consumer.
The question of whether Mac OS X has been relatively free from attacks because it is less popular or because it is less vulnerable is an old and probably irresolvable one. I think the answer is a little of both. These days most attacks on computers are carried out for financial gain, and Windows is by far the more lucrative target.
In terms of raw numbers of vulnerabilities, Windows XP (we don't have any data yet on Vista) and OS X are about the same; the comparison is made a little difficult because Apple, which like Microsoft releases a monthly bundle of security patches, is less specific about what it is fixing. A critical difference, though, is that Windows vulnerabilities have been much easier for the bad guys to exploit successfully.
Architectural changes in Vista and Internet Explorer 7 are supposed to fix that. There's no doubt that the default configurations of both Vista and IE 7 are more secure than their predecessors, but only time will tell how much of a difference this makes in the real world.
Wildstrom is a columnist for BusinessWeek. You can contact him at techandyou@businessweek.com
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