Here's something to consider.

From: Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com>
Date: Mon Sep 14 06:03:42 1998

On Sun, 13 Sep 1998, Sam Ismail wrote:

> Yet the Apple II is celebrated as having been the first home computer with
> built-in color graphics, and almost no mention of the Compucolor is ever
> made in any general computer history texts. The obvious difference
> between the two is that the Apple II went on to enjoy tremendous success
> for the next 15+ years while the Compucolor was relegated to an also-ran.
> The victors do indeed write the history, or at least get the lion's share
> of the mention.

Color graphics was only part of the equation, and a pretty small part.
The Apple ][ was the first mass-produced high-quality high-availability
micro. If you looks at any successful product, you'll generally find that
it did *several* things right. So, start with the fact that on paper,
that Apple had specs that met or exceeded just about anything else
available. Then add the price, then the fact that it looked good (don't
underestimate that), then the fact that the fit-and-finish surpassed
anything else out there (ask Toyota how important that is), and perhaps
most importantly, add the Apple dealer network. Most of the people buying
Apples weren't hobbyists who read BYTE, they were yuppies who bumped into
an Apple store.

The only other machine that was comparable at the time was the TRS-80
available at Radio Shack (I remember it being a failrly rare event to see
a PET at a computer store, compared to those two). Color bitmapped
graphics certainly helped the Apple when compared to te TRS-80, but the
Apple was just so damn *pretty* compared to the rest.

Of course, this is where the HP connection comes in:

     "Jobs thought the cigar boxes [housing the home-made computers]
     that sat on the ... desk tops during Homebrew meetings were as
     elegant as fly traps. The angular, blue and black sheet-metal
     case that housed Processor Technology's Sol struck him as clumsy
     and industrial ... A plastic case was generally considered a
     needless expense compared to the cheaper and more pliable sheet
     metal. Hobbyists, so the arguments went, didn't care as much for
     appearance as they did for substance. Jobs wanted to model the
     case for the Apple after those Hewlett-Packard used for its
     calculators. He admired their sleek, fresh lines, their hardy
     finish, and the way they looked at home on a table or desk."
        -- Michael Moritz, THE LITTLE KINGDOM, p. 186.

-- Doug
Received on Mon Sep 14 1998 - 06:03:42 BST