Yes, that is Steve Jobs on a motorcycle.
Also be sure to check out the other great computer article from this issue: “The Chip”
HIGH TECH, HIGH RISK, AND HIGH LIFE IN Silicon Valley
By MOIRA JOHNSTON
Photographs by CHARLES O’REAR
SILICON VALLEY appears on no map, but this former California prune patch, an hour’s drive south of San Francisco, is the heartland of an electronics revolution that may prove as far-reaching as the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
It is a place where fast fortunes are made, corporate head-hunting is profitable sport, and seven-day workweeks send cutting-edge technology tumbling over itself in its competitive rush to the marketplace.
Not surprisingly, flying—fast, challenging, and risky—is a sport that appeals powerfully to Silicon Valley men such as Bob Noyce, who snatches every chance to fly his twin-engine Turbo Commander to Aspen to ski, to his Intel plant in Phoenix, or just to wheel in the sky around Silicon Valley. Read the rest of this entry »
Mac Draw was originally called Mackelangelo? Yeah, I think they made the right choice there.
Also if you look at the text sample on page 17 you can see that they hadn’t even picked the font names yet. Geneva Chicago is called System.
The Apple Macintosh Computer
Mouse-window-desktop technology arrives for under $2500
by Gregg Williams
Apple established itself as one of the leading innovators in personal computing technology a year ago by introducing the Lisa, a synthesis and extension of human-interface technology that has since been widely imitated. Now the company has strengthened that reputation with a new machine, the Macintosh (above). In terms of technological sophistication and probable effect on the marketplace, the Macintosh will outdistance the Lisa as much as the Lisa has outdistanced its predecessors.
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I think this is the first time I’ve seen one of our regular commenter’s name mentioned in an article I scanned. Rick is the guy who modified the Apple II ROM for the IIe!
Apple’s Enhanced Computer, the Apple IIe
It’s like having an Apple II with all the extras built in.
It all began in the summer of 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire. A fledgling computer company with an unusual name—Apple Computer— introduced a new hobby computer called the Apple II. The new Apple II was an impressive machine. It had BASIC in ROM (read-only memory), a built-in Teletype-style keyboard, high-resolution color graphics, and, once the new 16K-bit semiconductor memory devices became available, its memory could be expanded all the way up to 48K bytes. One of the first true home computers, it was completely self-contained, needing only a TV set for a display and a common cassette recorder for data storage.
Today, almost everyone is familiar with the Apple II. It can be found in homes, schools, laboratories, and businesses, and is being used in a wide variety of ways. During the past five years, an entire subindustry has sprung up around it that has, in turn, stimulated further Apple II sales.
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Also check out this article from the same issue: A behind-the-scenes look at the development of Apple’s Lisa.
Next week I have similar reviews coming for the Apple //e and the original Macintosh.
The Lisa Computer System – Apple designs a new kind of machine
Gregg Williams Senior Editor
I had an interesting conversation with an engineer on a recent flight from San Francisco to New York. He knew only a little about microcomputers, but he was aware that their presence is slowly becoming more common in the workplace. “Sure, the industry is healthy, but it’s still only reaching a few people,” he said. “Most people won’t use computers — they’re afraid of them, they don’t know what to use them for, or it’s too much trouble to use them. Before computers become really profitable, they’re going to have to be very easy to use. They have to be simpler. They’ve got to be useful in the office.”
He continued, “We’ve got to stop using paper — which means the computer has to do word processing, filing, electronic mail, everything — or it’ll be too much trouble having some things on the computer and others on paper. Then you’ve got to be able to talk to other computers — other computers like yours and some big corporate computer that’s halfway across the country. Sure, it’s a lot of stuff, but when you get all that together, then you’ll see computers really take off.”
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Also check out Byte’s review of the Lisa: The Lisa Computer System – Apple designs a new kind of machine (Feb, 1983)
An Interview with Wayne Rosing, Bruce Daniels, and Larry Tesler
A behind-the-scenes look at the development of Apple’s Lisa.
Chris Morgan Gregg Williams, Senior Editor Phil Lemmons, West Coast Editor
Of the more than 90 members of the Apple engineering staff who participated in the Lisa project, Wayne Rosing, Bruce Daniels, and Larry Tesler are three of those who were most responsible for its final form. Rosing, formerly of the Digital Equipment Company, oversaw hardware development until Lisa went into pilot manufacture and then assumed responsibility for technical management of the entire Lisa project. Daniels and Tesler were responsible for Lisa’s systems software and applications software, respectively. Chris Morgan, senior editor Gregg Williams, and West Coast editor Phil Lemmons interviewed the three at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, last October.
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Apparently the fact that the IBM PC came with MS-DOS was notable even in 1981:
Most surprisingly, IBM will initially be using outside sources of software and plans to accept programs from private individuals—a huge departure from past IBM practices.
New Personal Computers — now the big guns have arrived
IBM heads the list of new small-computer makers— and that means big changes to come
By WILLIAM J. HAWKINS
The room was jammed. I was lucky to be up front; before me sat the demonstrator. His hands stretched across the keyboard as characters streamed onto the CRT display. It was a computer, a personal model for use in home or office. But it wasn’t just any new small computer—this was an IBM.
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Get it? The Apple is a revolutionary computer. Ben Franklin was a revolutionary. Ben Franklin + Apple Computer = Marketing Genius.
What kind of man owns his own computer?
Rather revolutionary, the whole idea of owning your own computer? Not if you’re a diplomat, printer, scientist, inventor… or a kite designer, too. Today there’s Apple Computer. It’s designed to be a personal computer. To uncomplicate your life. And make you more effective.
It’s a wise man who owns an Apple.
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This was when you could still buy the Apple II as a kit with just the motherboard. Also the floppy drive wasn’t released until the year after this ad.
Introducing Apple II.
The home computer that’s ready to work, play and grow with you.
Clear the kitchen table. Bring in the color T.V. Plug in your new Apple II? and connect any standard cassette recorder/player. Now you’re ready for an evening of discovery in the new world of personal computers.
Only Apple II makes it that easy. It’s a complete, ready to use computer—not a kit. At $1298, it includes features you won’t find on other personal computers costing twice as much.
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Popular Mechanics was definitely ahead of the curve when it came recognizing the fact that copy protection can stifle innovation:
It used to be that programs were easy to copy and change. But manufacturers began to lose money as many people made copies of software and gave them to their friends.
Now, many manufacturers have figured out how to “copy-protect” discs. A copy-protected disc—like a cartridge—can’t be copied or changed.
To our mind this is a disaster: Most people learn programming by changing programs to fit their own needs. This capability of customization is what makes computers so attractive. New ways of copy protection will probably be found soon. Until then, a computer owner may have to put up with being “locked out” of his own machine.
PM Compares 6 Top Computers
Here are the six best buys in home computers; one is the perfect machine for you.
by Neil Shapiro electronics editor
Now that you’ve discovered what computers can do for you— from word processing to database management, from better-than-arcade games to educational programs—you may also find that choosing which machine to buy can seem hopeless. If you’re thinking of joining the computer revolution, consider these six best buys that we chose out of the dozens in the computer world.
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