fry@brauer.harvard.edu (David Fry) (07/12/90)
I read someone mentioning this just yesterday...here's the
official press release.
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OTC 07/11 0901 APPLE COMPUTERS CREATES NEW SPINOUT COMPANY
CUPERTINO, CA (JULY 11) BUSINESS WIRE - Apple Computer Inc. Wednesday announced
the formation of a new spinout company, General Magic Inc.
Former Apple employees Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld and Marc Porat founded
the new company and will serve as General Magic's executive team. Apple will
become a minority investor and General Magic's largest corporate shareholder.
Apple also has the first non-exclusive license to manufacture and market the
spinout's technologies. Apple chairman and CEO John Sculley will serve on
General Magic's board of directors.
According to General Magic's founders, the new concern will design and
develop a new class of "Personal Intelligent Communicator" products.
"We're excited that Apple will be working closely with these industry
pioneers as they develop their revolutionary new vision of computing and
communication," Sculley said.
Sculley also said that Apple chose to spinout the project because the new
concern will address market segments outside of Apple's mainstream business.
"The spinout relationship gives Apple a venue to expand the portfolio of its
activities while focusing the company's resources on advancing personal
computing," Sculley said. General Magic said that Apple's management and many of
Apple's employees have been actively involved in developing the concepts that
led to the creation of the spinout. "With John Sculley on our board, we expect
the relationship between the two companies to be strong and productive," General
Magic's founders said.
Bill Atkinson, a 12-year Apple employee, will maintain his ties with the
company by becoming an Apple Fellow Emeritus.
-- Apple, and the Apple logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
-- General Magic, the General Magic logo, and "Personal Intelligent
Communicator" are trademarks of General Magic Inc.
CONTACT: Regis McKenna Inc.
Jane Anderson, 415/354-4451
or
Apple Computer Inc.
Christopher Escher, 408/974-2202. KPURCELL@LIVERPOOL.AC.UK (07/17/90)
How does the startup of General Magic relate to the rumours flying around of the Paradigm, a pocket-size notebook computer using a stylus for writing in information? They were reckoning on a 2 or 3 year development time, with the device using a 50 MIP processor (something powerful anyhow). Perhaps voice I/O as well as handwriting recognition. And perhaps using something very like Hypercard as its main application? The rumours I heard were that Hertzfield and Atkinson where working on this together. Atkinson has said (in Danny Goodman's book, The 'Complete Hypercard Handbook') from which I quote (p xxi): G: Where did the idea for HyperCard come from? A: There were a lot of roots to it. One of the early contributors was the Magic Slate project that I worked on for a while, but was later cancelled. magic Slate was a laptop computer that had a full-page display [like the DynaBook? -kgp] and an all-graphical user interface. We worked out some neat paradigms [there's the P word!] for breaking down barriers to applications. G: Why was the Magic Slate dropped? A: It couldn't happen in a short time frame. It wouldn't be cost effective for a lot of people. It would be too expensive for many people to get their hands on it. G: So what happened then? A: So I backed down [he really wants(wanted) to do this?] saying, "How much have I learned or dreamed about here in Magic Slate could I do on todays generation of computers?" Later in the same interview Atkinson says: "I said what I want is to bundle it [HyperCard]. If you want to bundle it I'll write it for Apple. You can have the exclusive proprietory rights and all that stuff, but if you don't want to bundle it then its time for me to graduate from Apple and go on and be an independent developer myself. I'm going to get this out to the people wherether I give it away or whether I get Apple to give it away". To this day, Apple is not required to bundle it [hypercard]. They only have an option that if they choose to accept it, then they have to bundle it. They could say not to me right now, but at least thne its ownership reverts to me so that I can give it away, which I would do. You see I want it to be given away so that it can be a base for people to share." Perhaps General Magic will make the Magic Slate. Perhaps in a couple of years. Perhaps they will be maintaing Hypercard. An Apple gets first bite, too? Watch the skies! Kevin Purcell ...........................Comments? Questions? Flames? Applause? \ Surface Science \ 'Why,' said the Dodo, \ Liverpool University \ 'the best way to explain it is to do it.' \ Liverpool L69 3BX \