Skills: noneConcepts: innovation timing, research prototype, commodity versus custom hardware, graphical user interface, contributions of Doug Engelbart, Ivan Sutherland, and Xerox PARC

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Innovation timing

Where does this topic fit?

• Internet concepts– Applications– Technology– Implications

• Internet skills– Application development– Content creation– User skills

A typical graphical user interface

Ivan Sutherland 1963 Doug Engelbart, 1968

The TX-2 at MIT

The Alto at Xerox PARC, 1973

Fail: Xerox Star, 1981

Custom hardware

Fail: Apple Lisa, 1983

Custom hardware

Success: Apple Macintosh, 1984

Custom hardware

Fail: VisiOn, 1983

Commodity PCs

Fail: Windows 1, 1985

Commodity PCs

Fail: Windows 2, 1987

Commodity PCs

Success: Windows 3, 1990

Commodity PCs

Not only hardware timing

Summary

Self-study questions

The Apple iPad was a successful product when introduced in 2010. Other tablet computers preceded it and did poorly. Describe one and discuss the reasons for its failure.

Apple introduced a hand held computer called the Newton in 1993, but it failed. What were the reasons for its failure?

Resources

Video of Ivan Sutherland demonstrating Sketchpad, narrated by Alan Kay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOZqRJzE8xg

Video of Doug Engelbart demonstrating NLS: http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html

A short overview of Xerox PARC and its influence on Apple and Microsoft:http://hightechhistory.com/2011/06/02/a-brief-early-history-of-xerox-parc-and-the-development-of-the-personal-computer/

Introduction of the Macintosh and the legendary “1984” commercial:http://vimeo.com/20676234

Wikipedia and other Internet sites have a lot of information on the products discussed in this presentation.