peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley) (01/29/84)
The product of looking for something not-too-taxing to do while recuperating
from the flu (time to start massive doses of vitamin C, folks)...
Apple has produced a rather unusual brochure to promote its new Macintosh
personal computer. Overall the tone is relaxed, a bit whimsical, and decidedly
non-technical.
Cover: A hand pulling a Mac, with just the screen half-revealed, out of its
carrying case. Caption in large letters: "Of the 260 million people in North
America, only a fraction can use a computer."
Turn the page: "Introducing Macintosh. For the rest of us." And the whimsy
starts: "In the olden days, before 1984, not very many people used computers,
for a very good reason. Not very many people knew how. And not very many
people wanted to learn." Apple to the rescue, in text reminiscent of A. A.
Milne: "Then, on a particularly bright day in Cupertino, California, some
particularly bright engineers had a particularly bright idea: since computers
are so smart, wouldn't it make more sense to teach computers about people,
instead of teaching people about computers? So it was that those very
engineers worked long days and nights, and a few legal holidays, teaching tiny
silicon chips all about people" ... "For the first time in recorded computer
history, hardware engineers actually talked to software engineers in moderate
tones of voice"... And, there's a picture of 7 technical-looking people,
presumably the creators of Mac.
Turn the page: A pointing finger, about to descend on a mouse. "If you
can point, you can use a Macintosh." Brief discussion of the Lisa/Star-like
desktop manager. Open the folding pages to see a 4-panel example of drawing
a complicated diagram (of a running shoe), a cut and paste into a document,
and then printing it on the Apple Imagewriter (appears to be a very hi-res dot
matrix printer, but possibly an ink-jet printer).
Turn the page: a 5x3 matrix of pictures (about 1/3 of univ. settings, 1/3 in
"knowledge worker" office situations, rest in misc. places) on the left, and
"If you have a desk, you need a Macintosh" on the right. Text on the right
makes it clear that the university is a major target ("... colleges and
universities across the country are ordering [Macs] by the campus-full.").
Some specific software is mentioned: BASIC, Pascal, MacWrite, MacPaint,
MacTerminal, MacProject (critical path method), MacDraw, IBM 3278 handler,
and VT100 and VT52 emulation. No details on these packages, though.
Turn the page: "An ordinary personal computer makes Macintosh even easier
to understand". 2 pages devoted to screen-to-screen comparisons with the
IBM PC. And a LOT of unashamed pride! WordStar vs. MacWrite -- using
"control QA" vs. using the mouse; having to see embedded formatting codes
(e.g. ^B) vs. being able to see a variety of fonts and sizes directly, etc.
"But what really separates Macintosh from the blue suits is its extra-
ordinary ability to mix text with graphics. You can actually illustrate
your words, memos and letters with tables, charts, and free hand illustrations
composed on other graphics programs. All by cutting and pasting with the
mouse. That capability alone makes Macintosh its very own form of
communication. A new medium that allows you to supplement the power of the
written word with the clarity of illustrations. In other words, if you can't
make your point with a Macintosh, you may not have a point to make."
Other software, considerably re-done for the Mac: Multiplan, Microsoft
Chart (business graphics).
Turn the page: A quite striking screen photo showing a MacPaint drawing of a
traditional Oriental woman combing her hair. The MacPaint
program includes area fill, spray painting, special tools for office
layout and form creation, and many type styles. On the right page, 7
screens from various programs and testimonials from Bill Gates (Microsoft),
Mitch Kapor (Lotus) and Fred Gibbons (maker of PFS software) along with
their pictures (wearing Mac t-shirts). Two of the 7 screens are of
special interest: one shows a font editor, the other a Pascal editor/
run-time system, with separate windows for the program text and program
output. More software promises: Lotus 1-2-3, PFS:filing, Microsoft File,
and Microsoft Word.
Turn the page: "What makes Macintosh tick. And, someday, talk." Some
hardware details are given: MC68000 uP, 3.5" disk drive w. 400K/disk,
polyphonic sound generator, RS-232 and RS-422 ports (latter for AppleBus,
which can connect <=16 computers), external disk connector, one-button
mouse, 9" 512x342 pixel b/w screen, 10.9"Dx13.5"Hx9.7"W dimensions,
built-in clock/calendar, 128K RAM, 64K ROM, and NO fan (yay!). The sound
generator is "capable of producing high-quality human speech or music."
The dimensions give it "one third the size and volume of the IBM PC".
Turn the page: "What to give the computer that has everything." Options
for the Mac. AppleModem (300b or 300/1200b version; auto-dial auto-ans),
Imagewriter, Numeric Keypad (plugs into kybd), External Disk (another
3.5" drive), carrying case, security kit (for bolting a Mac down).
The spirit of the document is summed up by
"But the real genius of Macintosh isn't its serial ports or its polyphonic
sound generator. The real genius is that you don't have to be a genius
to use a Macintosh. You just have to be smart enough to buy one."
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The only thing that would worry me is that there's only 128K RAM and that
I don't know how much space is left on the system disk for documents, etc.
I played with one for a very short time, with no manual available, and was
pleased, but don't have a good idea of its capabilities or limitations.
Application loading time was noticeable, but not at all annoying, and in
general, operation was very fast (e.g. area fill is instantaneous).
This seems like a very solid product, well designed for its targetted
markets. With printer, it'd make an excellent talk and paper preparation
machine. With 256K chips (for 1/2M total) and an add-on Winchester, it'd
make an interesting Smalltalk machine.
p. rowley, U. Toronto