Time article about Jobs

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu Apr 22 18:14:28 2004

> Wozniak was at HP - IIRC he tried to get HP interested in the home
> computer market - they just laughed and told him to get back to work...

I've seen this comment before, and it's rather unfair on HP.

At the time, HP were known for making some of _the best_ measuring
instruments. They were not really interested in the mass market. Their
aim was to sell the best, albeit at a high price.

They'd been making desktop computers that ran BASIC for
about 5 years when the Apple ][ came out. Having used the HP's of that
period and the Apple ][, I am convinced that the HP was the better
design, better built, although it probably cost 10 times as much.

I can therefore understand why HP were not interested in the Apple. It
would have been like showing them the $10 pocket calculator and expecting
them to be interested in making it, when at the time they were making
machines like the HP67 (a machine, BTW that I still use regularly).

This may, in retrospect, have been a silly decision on HP's part, but I
am not convinced. Personally I wish they still made top-quality stuff
(instead of cheaply-made printers and digital cameras) with prices to
match. Because that's what they were really good at!

-tony
Received on Thu Apr 22 2004 - 18:14:28 BST