Apple's Next 30 Years - by Richard Doherty
Rick Doherty, a good friend and an incredible engineer, and who reviewed each of my books for technical accuracy, wrote this to celebrate Apple's 30th anniversary. -Auri
It was thirty years ago today - with acknowledgment to Sgt. Pepper's parent - that Apple Computer was formed. What more fitting a date than April Fools Day?
In the Spring of 1976, there were dozens of "personal" computers available through a handful of stores and startups. Many based around the 8008, 6800, F8 and a few based on the new "6502" processor.
One stood out. Apple. One computer delivered more performance per dollar, per watt, per keystroke than any other.
There can be no debating that Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs together formed the most fast-paced, effective engineering and visionary marketing team of the past century. With all due respect to Hewlett and Packard or Black and Decker, Woz's economical engineering genius and personal professionalism towards minimalist, robust circuit designs, and Steve Jobs' ability to to foresee and position for markets and applications yet un-thought of by others, have led to over a 2200 percent return over the Apple IPO 25 years ago and over 100 million products shipped.
The financial assistance of Arthur Rock and Mike Markkula? Invaluable. But it was Steve & Steve who propelled a Homebrew Computer Club schematic design into the most innovative computing and consumer electronics powerhouse of the end of the 20th Century.
We are unlikely to see any similar dynamic duo in this century. Consider, 1,000, nay, 10,000 hardware and software companies can trace their origins, inspiration or growth to Apple employment or relationships. Fully open hardware initially, quality software based in AppleSoft BASIC and later a lean, mean 32 KByte Mac Toolbox.
The societal effect is enormous hundreds of millions of children were educated in part on Apple machines. Increasingly, more and more film, broadcast and pod-cast media are enriched on Apples. Well over 100 million products over 30 years. A billion tunes in 3 years. This is the new math of innovation.
Per capita, extremely high innovation, both patented and trade secret. Closed architecture? Tell that to Tiffany's, Levi Strauss, Coca Cola or Porsche.
Over the decades, I have probably met more than 10,000 people who delight in sharing their own Woz or Jobs stories. All praise how much more fun and opportunity these two geniuses brought to a chaotic personal computer arena thirty years ago this day. To a person, they say time with either Steve made them much better at what they do.
These days, Woz teaches, still delights in practical jokes and dabbles in tech venture funding. Steve Jobs can sell his dreams, on his timetable and deliver the goods better than anyone else. Just ask any of the CEOs of the world's top media, PC and consumer electronics companies. Jobs envisions, and the world's finest designers and engineers fast-track craft that vision into insanely great products & services.
How very dull things might have been these last three decades had Steve & Steve not officially started a business called Apple Computers on April Fools Day 1976.
Thanks to Steve & Steve for a great first thirty years. And to Mike, Scotty, Jef, Andy, Bill, the Baums, and the thousands of others who helped extend the dream of Apple Computer. Today. thanks to Avi, John, Phil, Greg, Tony and others who have carried the dream forward.
Thanks again. Now, its time for all of you to get back to crafting the next thirty years of creative empowerment, style & wonder!