Andy Hertzfeld will be signing copies of his book, "Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac was Made" on the conference floor. Actually, the book's title is a bit misleading--rather than a story, it's a collection of dozens of short stories that provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at the birth of the Mac.
Hertzfeld was a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley in 1978 when he spent $1,300 for an Apple II. While digging under its hood, Hertzfeld became so obsessed and appreciative of the work that went into creating one of the first personal computers that he dropped out of school and joined Apple Computer in the summer of 1979. Another 18 months or so later and he was among the handful of people creating the Mac.
Soon after the Mac's release, much of the original team dispersed, and Hertzfeld was no exception, taking his leave two months after the airing of the famous Super Bowl "1984" ad. He went on to co-found three companies--Radius, General Magic and Eazel--but it was his tales of working on the Mac that continued to enthrall friends and colleagues. He first published many of the stories privately on the Web and asked his former colleagues to vet the stories for accuracy or to submit their own tales. He later opened the site to the public and has now published the stories, and many early photographs, in book form.
Hertzfeld recently spoke with CNET News.com about his work on the Mac, his reasons for documenting it and the reaction from his former co-workers. Displaying the same enthusiasm that drove him to log long days at Apple more than 20 years ago, Hertzfeld was not only quick to recount his experiences but also to also give his thoughts on a range of current topics, including the rise of open source, Microsoft's "crushing" of innovation, the music industry's vain fight against file-sharing and Apple's decision to keep the iPod closed.
He also mentioned that he may start publishing more stories about Apple before and after the Mac. Have you heard the one about Jobs, Wozniak, handicapped parking spaces and the Cupertino police?
Q: How did you get involved with Apple?
A: I bought an Apple II and it fascinated me. It sucked up my life--first my free time and then my not free time. I became obsessed with the Apple II to the point where I had to go work at Apple.
How did you get on the Mac project?
I became friends with Burrell Smith, the hardware designer of the Mac. I started helping him out in various ways and then on--I can say the exact date, even though it happened 24 years ago--Feb. 25, 1981, (there was a) management shake-up in the Apple II part of Apple, where I was working, where they fired all the bosses on the same day. I was pretty upset that they fired my partner on my project and I told someone I was thinking of leaving.
Was there a lot of buzz already within Apple about the development of the Mac?
It was mixed. For the whole first year I was working on it there was buzz, but it was not necessarily positive. The Macintosh was the price of an Apple II but had the features of a Lisa, so it managed to get at odds with all the big teams at Apple. And it was considered a Skunk Works project.
It wasn't the future of the company; the future of the company was the Lisa and the
They thought we were way overambitious, and we were also a much smaller team than the big teams. To do a major project really takes at least 50 people. We were like five people. But then as we made progress, gradually Apple became aware that this is going to be a bigger thing. By the time the Mac shipped, the entire company was pretty excited about it.
Was there a lot of politics at that time?
A lot of politics. In the book, I have a number of stories that address some of the tensions, especially with the Lisa team. I have a story in there called "And Another Thing." That's the name of the story where Larry Tesler, who was the manager of the Lisa applications team, asked Burrell and myself to give a demo to the Lisa team. One of the main Lisa guys, Rich Page, kind of wasn't invited to the demo, but he stormed in and started screaming at us during the demo about how the Macintosh was going to destroy the Lisa and destroy Apple.
Isn't there some truth, though, to what he said--that the Mac was a threat to the Lisa? It was going to have similar features and cost a lot less but was not slated to reach the market for a couple more years, thus dampening Lisa sales.
Yeah, definitely. Certainly there's a complex nest of issues there with the relationship between the Lisa and the Mac. But hindsight tells us that the Mac was on the right path. If we hadn't developed the Mac,
See more CNET content tagged:
Andy Hertzfeld, Apple II, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Apple Computer
read Steve Jobs' great interview in Playboy. Recently my wife,
who has never use a computer was given a new Mac Mini by our
son. Of course I had to teach her to use it, so when my son said,
"Well, Dad, I'd better upgrade you from your old G3 Ibook", I
said, "Make it just like your Moms'!" It's tiny and so quiet. I'm
typing this on hers, and the Ibook sits languishing at my desk.
Mine should be here in a week or so,
We are retired and I'm 75; my wife is, well, younger.
I think the Mini will be immensely popular.
Vern Weiss
Neil C. Reinhardt
Story of How the Mac Was Made" is being recorded by Derek Warren
as a freely downloadable audio book.
Check out Macintosh Folklore Radio at http://folklore.trideja.com/
- by csminor January 27, 2009 10:22 AM PST
- Dear Mr. Jobs,
- Reply to this comment
-
(6 Comments)I have received a lot of emails and news about the 25th anniversary of the MAC. First, I wanted to wish you well in your pending medical issues and that my prayers are with you and your family. Second, you change my life or I would say Apple changed my life. I was one of the first students to receive the MAC 128 at Drexel university. I remember that day as if it was only yesterday. I got my picture taken in the Apple magazine and was interviewed. One of the biggest reasons I chose Drexel at the time was because all incoming freshmen were required to receive a MAC. That year was 1983. Drexel was not sure when they would receive the new computers and we as students we are asked to pick dates. It was more or less like a lottery drawing. I picked Tuesday at 9:00am with my best friend. That was the first day of handing out the new MAC 128. For the last twenty five years I have been working for technology companies. IBM did put a damper on my Apple passion. I have not used a MAC computer since Drexel but that has not damper my passion. I have purchased over the last several years five IPods, Airport N router, Apple TV and the I phone (original version). Innovation, agility and Industrial design are the pillars that make Apple great. It is on my wish list to buy the Mac book pro for myself and my daughter. I can only imagine what it would be like for her in the next twenty-five years.
The reason I am writing this letter to you is that you/Apple kick started my passion for computers and the industry. In addition, I am stuck in Tulsa because of weather calling on one of our clients. I have been a CEO and senior Executive at many technology companies for the last twenty years. I have read and study the rise and fall of many companies. Apple with YOU at the stewardship have brought back Apple to the fore-front of consumers and business. We the introduction of the Air book last year, App store for Iphone and green initiatives. A lot of my senior executive strategy meetings are focused around what is Apple doing and how do we harness the innovation that they bring to the market. Apple has again revolutionized the PC industry and many people?s passion.
Apple keep up the great work and never forget the lessons from the past. Look forward to many more years of great products and people. If your travels ever take you to the wonderful Keystone state of PA please look up the company I work for called InfoLogix. We are working hard to do what you have done for apple in the mobility space.
Warmest Regards,
Scott Minor
C Scott Minor
Vice President of Services & Solutions
InfoLogix, Inc.
101 E. County Line Road
Hatboro, PA 19040
sminor@InfoLogix.com
215.604.0691 x 1111
610-608-4212
www.InfoLogix.com
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