Mike-- I wouldn't disagree with your characterization of Jobs -- I was always a Woz fan. And I never said that microcomputer systems were not commercially _available_. My point is that they were not widely marketed. The two prices I see in your post are $30,000 and $10,000; quite a bit more than the Apple ][! There was a low price competitor; the Commodore computers (I had a Commodore 64). However, it was not nearly as well marketed as the Apple, and dropped out of the race. What's missing in your number are sales figures.
On Oct 7, 2011, at 11:48 AM, Mike Palij wrote: > Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:43:52 -0700, Paul K Brandon wrote: >> Actually, M. Sylvester does have a point. >> Steve Jobs was not a technical innovator -- he was a promoter. > > Yes, just like P.T. Barnum. > >> I remember CPM and other microcomputer systems; my first >> computer was an AIM-65. >> What was different about the Apple was that: > [snip] > > It might be useful to review the history of the development of the > microcomputer and who did what when. One sources in the > following: > http://pctimeline.info/ > > The key points to note are that there were commercially available > microcomputer systems available as early as November 1971. Quoting > from the website: > > |November > | > |In major trade publications including Electronic News, Intel officially > |introduces the MCS-4 (Microcomputer System 4-bit) microcomputer > |system. It is comprised of the 4001 ROM chip, 4002 RAM chip, > |4003 shift register chip, and the 4004 microprocessor. Clock speed > |of the CPU is 108 kHz. Performance is 60,000 operations per second. > |It uses 2300 transistors, based on 10-micron technology. It can address > |4 kB memory via a 4-bit bus. Initial price is US$200. Documentation > |manuals were written by Adam Osborne. The die for the chip measures > |3x4 mm. [9] [62] [176.74] [202.165] [266.14] [296] [393.6] [556.11] > |[900] [953.28] [1254.78] [1280.41] (108 kHz [1233.135]) (1972 [339.86]) > > NOTE: I believe that the Adam Osborne named above is the same > Osborne who in the 1980s released one of the first suitcase size > "luggable" microcomputers which Compaq would go on to "perfect" > for the business market. KayPro computers were competitors. > > Although Bill Gates & Co were busy at this time in this area, so were > many others, including hobbyists who were forming clubs to build > microcomputers, as shown in the following quote: > > [March 5, 1975] > |Fred Moore and Gordon French hold the first meeting of a new > |microcomputer hobbyist's club in French's garage, in Menlo Park, > |California. 32 people meet, including Bob Albrect, Steve Dompier, > |Lee Felsenstein, Bob Marsh, Tom Pittman, Marty Spergel, Alan Baum, > |and ****Steven Wozniak*****. Bob Albrect shows off an Altair, > |and Steve Dompier reports on MITS, and how they had 4000 orders > |for the Altair. (After a few meetings, the club is given the nickname > |"Homebrew Computer Club".) [185.110] [266.104] [301.55] > |[346.18] [353.200] [346.257] [930.31] [1149.98] [1298.187] > |[1299.80] [2322] [2605.4] (April [208.67] [266.39]) > NOTE: Emphasis added for The Woz. > > In 1976 Wozniak and Jobs finally complete work on the Apple I which > was available in kit form: Quoting: > [July 1976] > |The Apple I computer board is sold in kit form, and delivered to stores > |by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Price: US$666.66. [46] [218] [593.350] > > Later in 1976: > |Steve Jobs shows the Apple II prototype to Commodore Business > |Machines representatives, offers to sell company for $100,000 cash, > |stock, and $36,000 per year salaries for himself and Steve Wozniak. No > |deal can be reached. [2605.9] > > However, it might be useful to keep the following in mind: > [May 1976] > |In Japan, IBM Japan announces the IBM 5100 desktop system, with > |5-inch monochrome display. Price is about US$10,000. [902.146] > > and > > [June 1976] > |Wang Laboratories announces a word-processing system using advanced > |computer technology, rather than traditional electromechanical devices. > |The price is US$30,000, more than twice that of the most expensive > |competitor's word-processor. [716.175] > > NOTE: IBM would create a similar "word-processing only" system to > market against Wang but which would become obsolete with IBM PCs > become available at a much lower price with much greater processing > capabilities. > > [snip] >> The internet in the 90's was a hobbyist thing, and downloading music didn't >> become a threat to the record companies for another decade. > > I don't follow you here. People with access to the internet (i.e., > undergraduates mostly at universities with Arpanet connections) freely > exchanged all sort of digital material. With the creation of Usenet binary > files > containing program code, pictures, sound, music, etc., were readily available > on a worldwide basis; all one had to do was have an internet account, a > usenet reader program, and find for the alt.binaries.* groups (private > networks > like Prodigy, compuserve, AOL, etc., would be unconnected > until circa 1995 but users of these services circulated binaries amongst > themselves -- if I remember correctly somebody on Prodigy came up with > the GIF picture format which was popular early on but replaced by JPG > and other formats later). > Some of this is provided in the Wiki entry on Usenet though it helps if > one was on the internet back then: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet > > NOTE: Many people with home computers would connect to "bulletin board" > computers which were off the net. These bulletin boards provided access to > certain types of content (e.g., porn) but these faded as widespread access to > the internet became available. > > I could be wrong but Steve Jobs is just a bit player in this epic. > > -Mike Palij > New York University > [email protected] > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13438.3b5166ef147b143fedd04b1c4a64900b&n=T&l=tips&o=13212 > or send a blank email to > leave-13212-13438.3b5166ef147b143fedd04b1c4a649...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=13215 or send a blank email to leave-13215-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
