New csa2 FAQs: F002v5HIST (Part 1 of 2)

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Apple II History: Volume V

Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: FxxxV5Hist.txt

This material maintained by the Ground Apple II site, 1997.
 It may be freely distributed.

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Contents

   I. The Computer Wars Chronicles

  II. Looking Back: Woz Tells: "How I Did It!"

 III. The First Apple II Advertisement?


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The Computer Wars Chronicles

     What follows is a series of articles I originally did for COMPUTIST
beginning in the late 80's.  They chronicle the end of an era. You will
find all of the speculation, analysis, predictions, and hype one might
expect in writings which oscillate between recognition of impending
reality and a crusade to oppose it.

     The pieces are, roughly, dated by Issue number. The first article
appeared in Issue 67 in the late Summer of 1989. I'm pretty sure the
last article appeared in the Fall of 1991.

     This collection was recently reprinted in Tom Turley's A2-2000
on-line 'zine. Tom keeps insisting that old A2 writings will be of
interest to 1990's computer users. Maybe he's right. It may be
entertaining to relive these snapshots of Apple II history.


Jeff Hurlburt, 1997
 




ISSUE 67/ Revolution

The Missing Upgrade

     Spring has long since sprung and my predicted "significant IIgs
upgrade" has yet to materialize. The problem, according to Western
Design Center's Bill Mensch, is not available hardware--- 65816's have
been tested above 12 Mhz and the '832 will soon be ready for
prototyping--- the problem, he says, is that Apple is not particularly
interested in an upgrade, or, even, in preserving the II series!

     Unbelievable? Not at all. Neither Commodore nor IBM were willing to
upgrade their lower priced lower profit lines; if Apple lets the II
stagnate into obsolescence, it will be following a well-worn trail.
Elimination of the II line would free the company of any remaining
hacker/experimenter influence, cure a chronic case of microprocessor
schizophrenia (65xxx vs. 68xxx), and release resources currently devoted
to II series development, production, and marketing. Finally,
speculation aside, one has only to look at what the company has done---
or, more precisely, NOT done--- to support its IIgs...


NEED: Traditionally, upgrades are forced by the competition. By fall of
last year, it was clear that lower prices for VGA resolution IBM clones
posed a serious threat. The II series would be in serious trouble, I
reasoned, if Big Green did not soon introduce a MAJOR IIgs upgrade. The
bare bones requirement has to be something around 8 MHz speed, with a
mod to access display memory at current "fast" speed,  AND access to 640
x 480 16-color graphics. More sound RAM, a second display block, better
disk I/O, and a multi-color TEXT mode would be nice; but, obviously,
without speed and graphics parity, the IIgs isn't even in the ball game.

     Such demands are not, as some like to claim, merely a product of
users losing out in 'my computer is better than yours' contests. For
many applications, it is now possible to define something like speed and
resolution 'absolutes': there is such a thing as "not fast enough" or
"not enough detail", whatever the competition is doing. Today, no
super-res word processor or desktop publisher runs "fast enough" on the
IIgs-- the user is always conscious of trading away speed for "power"--;
nor can the user obtain anything like an accurate on-screen view of many
fonts. "WYSIWYG" just isn't possible with only 200 lines of vertical
resolution.

     Similar considerations apply with respect to many utility,
scientific, and entertainment applications. The worry is that continued
incompatibility with VGA-developed 'control panels', windowing setups,
and artwork will slow the release of IIgs versions; and that,
increasingly, speed may become a disqualifier. No one, in short, is
talking about 'gilding the lily'; the focus is upon such mundane
concerns as decent 'productivity applications' comfort levels and
continued access to new products.

     Now, as you read this, it is summer; IIgs sales are on a
double-digit slide, and, assuming there is no last minute upgrade
announcement, the II line IS in serious trouble. Just how serious became
obvious to me when a fellow IIgs devotee, Baywoof (a.k.a. "the
Boardbasher"), confessed that he was dumping his Apple and moving to an
IBM. He figures that, for the price he can still get for his IIgs stuff,
he can buy a complete VGA color '386 clone system.

     I've seen his numbers; and, at worst, the difference is probably
less than three or four hundred dollars!-- this for a three or four
times speed increase, twice the hard disk storage, faster floppy access,
lower peripherals prices, easier upgrades, larger software base, and
much better graphics. (BUT, he will, for now, have to give up
IIgs-quality sound. Ha!)

     Anyone still inclined to accept the pomp and glitz of Apple group
festivals at face value need only peruse a recent "Computer Shopper".
With luck, somewhere in a few hundred pages of IBM clone ads and product
reviews, you will find Don Lancaster holding forth in the the three or
four pages of what qualifies as the "Apple" section.

    "Wait!", you cry, "what about the 'New II in '89' promised at last
winter's 'Fest? or reports of a plug-in upgrade?" So far, the only
evidence of a "New II" is yet another addition to the malingering IIc
series and some talk of a "New IIgs" with in-ROM operating system smarts
and on-board MIDI. As for Apple's plug-in upgrade, this is rumored to be
a bridge board to partial Mac compatibility. That is, for a few hundred
dollars, you may soon be able to turn your IIgs into a Mac Jr.! (Gosh,
wasn't it just a few months ago that IBM carried off a Fortune Worst
Marketing Blunder of the Decade Award for its PC Jr.?)

     We have, long ago, passed the point where it makes any sense to
talk about maintaining II series dominance in software markets. And,
since schools must select computers with an eye to what students will
use at home, Apple's much-touted education base is about to 'turn blue'
as well. The question now is: how much of the current base of users and
creative talent can be held while someone (Applied Engineering, Comlog,
Laser, ?) puts together a significant, reasonably priced upgrade?


QUALITY CONTROL and SERVICE: Our II+ ran flawlessly for nearly six years
before requiring a new power supply and keyboard IC replacement. A
veteran of countless experimental mods, it continues to perform well.
Our IIgs, on the other hand, is presently on its third motherboard!
(Actually, it may be the fourth; it's hard to be sure. I do recall that
one of the replacement boards didn't do anything, except short out the
power supply.)

     The main problem is an apparently endless supply of sub-spec
proprietary IC's (e.g. video and ADB controllers). So, why three (3)
motherboards!? Well, Apple does not allow its local sales/service reps
to replace soldered-on IC's. Should your ADB controller bomb (or, more
likely, you finally discover that it has been sporadically
malfunctioning all along), "repair" consists of swapping out the
motherboard. If your warranty has expired, the cost is $270 plus your
old board!


     As to old complaints-- a II series marketing strategy designed to
create a toy image, high prices, slowness in releasing documentation,
Mac exploitation of II events, etc., etc.-- elaboration is hardly
necessary. The record is one of studied insult, rapacious greed,
sloppiness, and dismal neglect.


Let Them Eat Cake

     Does Big Green management truly wish to be rid of the II? I doubt
it. As security against future Mac troubles, the II series has proved to
be priceless insurance. (Remember, it was the IIgs and solemn oaths to
'be true to our Two' that turned things around in '86.) The Apple Lords
appear, instead, to have opted for the no-development-cost,
string-the-user-along strategy perfected by Commodore in dealing with
its 64/128 line. Unfortunately, the IIgs is priced against '386-class
competition, not cartridge arcade machines.

     In the long run, the biggest problem with this 'Mac in red, II gets
fed; Mac in black, II gets sack' philosophy may be that it makes for
remarkably poor PR. Scan through the message bases of a few local Apple
BB's and what you find is the kind of mistrust and ill will that used to
be reserved for 'The Phone Company'.

     There is, for some reason, a widespread perception that Apple is
perfectly willing to sit on its hands while hefty user computing
investments turn to mush. Now, what do suppose is going to happen when
many of these thousands of II owners and former owners are asked to
suggest company, school, and university computer purchases? Somehow,
Apple is managing to convert its most valuable asset into a fatal
liability. (It's not nice to skimp on your II insurance premiums!)


Another Way

     Anticipating that, whether by design or accident, Apple may be
angling for a Mac-only strategy, several respected II series supporters
have joined to combat the shift and develop alternatives. In our
conversation, Mensch identified such "Working Group" participants as
himself and other WDC personnel, Tom Weishaar, Mike Westerfield, and
representatives from Applied Engineering and Comlog.

     While his "preferred remedy" is to persuade Big Green stockholders
to force II support, Mensch admits that the group is already exploring
non-Apple options. Among these, the simplest calls for third-party
development of a speed-up/graphics add-on. For an outlay "well below
$500" you would retain access to current IIgs wares and enjoy the
benefits of a new, higher performance standard. More dramatic cures call
for Apple to 'spin off' an independent II products company or even sign
away II rights to one or more established manufacturers.

     When asked if a cloner (e.g. Laser) might launch its own super
IIgs, Mensch steadfastly refused any comment. From Laser, Grant Dalke's
response was a somewhat obtuse, carefully worded observation that, if
such a product appeared to be feasible, Laser would announce it when it
was ready. (Hmmmmm) "So, are you saying that no IIgs-like product is
being developed?" Answer: "No comment". Well, the last time I got
answers like these to questions like these was back in the summer of '85
when trying to pin down Bill Mensch about a 65816-based "IIx". IF Jim
Hart's rumored 7.8MHz, 640 x 400 resolution, ... "IIgs+" actually
exists, a reasonable guess is that it's sitting in Laser's labs.


Change

     We have, it seems, reached the situation narrowly averted only
three years ago. Hobbled by inept generalship and beset by swarms of
power-packed IBM clones, the II world is moving to an inevitable
consensus: Apple has lost the 'Mandate of Heaven'; II leadership is up
for grabs. I believe most users would like to see the company rediscover
its hacker/experimenter roots and become a 'serious player'; it had
better. What remains of the Empire (fat, contented Macsville) is already
scheduled for plundering by hordes of '486-based monsters.

     The 'bad news' is that, as the battle over speed, graphics, disk
I/O, and other needed advances heats up; it will, for a time, become
difficult to present software designers with a 'standard II'. Clones,
plug-in upgrades, and third-party motherboards (along with firmware and
operating system mods) will add to the confusion; some established II
suppliers will fold; etc., etc.. (It ain't gonna be pretty, Pilgrim.) 
Indeed, once it becomes clear what revolutionaries mean by having to
"break eggs to make an omelet", more than a few users are sure to bail
out and head for the relatively peaceful IBM clone realm.

     On the positive side, just such a state of flux is most likely to
produce fierce competition, lower prices, increased opportunities for
developers, and significant leaps in performance. One way or another,
you WILL get your upgrade. If all this sounds interesting-- even, like
it might be fun-- then hang on. You have the 'right stuff' for the II
Revolution!


Note: Bill Mensch's semi-informal "IIgs Working Group" plans one or more
meetings this summer. To offer comments, ideas, etc., or to otherwise
'get involved', contact Andrew Hall at the address listed in "Vendors".



ISSUE 68/ Keep-It-Simple Upgrade

     If the best Apple can do for its II line turns out to be a "new
IIgs" with 1MB of motherboard RAM and 128K of sound RAM plus NO upgrade
offer to current IIgs owners... Well, the next "Apple Fest" could turn
into the first "Apple Frost". As to movement on the 'II manufacturers
upgrade front', I have yet to here a peep from Applied Engineering,
Comlog, Western Design Center, or anyone else in the business. (Like,
where are the Japanese when you really need them?!)

     So, to get things rolling, here's a specific proposal: Since the
big problem with any worthwhile upgrade is maintaining current
compatibilities while extracting graphics control and output from the
motherboard kluge, why not put everything on a single, slot-pluggable
board which also plugs into the motherboard 65816 socket?

    "Everything" includes an 8-10 MHz 65816, cache RAM, 640 x 400 (at
least) x 256 colors graphics controller, an input (via a short jumper
chord) from 'old graphics' output, video output & switching circuitry,
ROM's, 1MB of RAM, duplicate sound system with 256K RAM, sound input for
'old sound' output (via another jumper chord), and a mini-connector to
drive a 'to be developed' improved disk interface. The board amounts to
a vastly improved IIgs which can, when asked, take over the motherboard
and work like the old machine-- NOT, to be sure, so dramatic an approach
as some might wish; but then, the idea is to 'keep it simple'.



ISSUE 72/ No Foolin'

     Last year's Apple II predictions were, mostly, on-target. According
to a Reuters News Service release, II series shipments fell nearly 52%.
Many new games have not been released in a II format, some users have
defected, and a few established publications (notably dear old CALL
Apple) disappeared. On the other hand, the Great Apple Dump predicted by
some, turned out to be a 'Dump-ling'; net user base probably held or
increased. Most product releases continue to include, eventually, a II
version; and, several very attractive products are available ONLY for
IIe or IIgs. In Star Trek terminology, the II series took a 'direct hit'
in '89; and has come back stronger and tougher.

     Which brings us to the other half of the infamous Issue #67
commentary. True, we do not see curls of smoke rising from Cupertino,
circling vultures, and fat barbarians bidding for the crown. We do see
lower profits, dropping stock value, and declining market share. Big
Green, as in the days just prior to its last II series 'rediscovery',
needs a major, attention-getting, marketing success. Some "industry
analysts" have suggested a low-priced Mac; but, aside from being a
contradiction in terms, IF a for-real '90's technology Cheapo Mac were
offered, the first casualty would be the current high-profit-margin Mac
II. A not-for-real sub-performing Cheapo would, of course, merely repeat
IBM's PC Jr. fiasco.

     In following through with release of GSOS 5.0, Apple demonstrates
that it is not quite ready to fall on its sword. Whether Big Green has
forgotten how to wield it remains to be seen. A vast market is still
wide open, ripe for plucking by the first manufacturer able to tell a
"PC" business machine from a genuine "Home Computer". Apple used to know
the difference; and, with Spring in the air and just a bit of prompting
from its II users, may be on the verge of remembering.




ISSUE 74/ (Report from the Computer Wars)

     When the great wheel of the small computing universe takes a major
turn, wobbles, and settles into a new plane, there are bound to be many
users who will doubt the evidence of their senses. ("Did the earth
tremble? Did the stars shift? WHAT happened?!")  Hence, the 'last
minute' decision to compress this month's reviews and issue the
"Report'".



Report from the Computer Wars


I. Tsunami

     What promised just last summer to be a PC wave has become a rolling
tsunami. One minute you're strolling down a city street, considerately
stepping over and around islands of PC hardware; the next, you're
running for your life in the shadow of a churning skyscraper-high wall
of machines and circuit boards. Something important has happened in
Computerville; a milestone has been reached. When? Sometime between last
fall and this spring. What? Nothing less than the end of Computer Wars
I!


II. Myth

     During some fifteen years of competition among names like Altair,
Southwest Technical, Imsai, (Ohio Scientific, Tandy, Atari, Apple,
Commodore, ...), it became an article of faith that the outcome would be
THE dominant computer maker. Presumably, the manufacturer of the best
machines would attract the overwhelming majority of users and that would
be that.

     Much to the delight of TRS-80, Apple II, and Atari 800 makers, the
Microcomputer Club soon gave way to product-specific groups of true
believers determined to expand membership and win immortality ("II
Forever!", etc.) for their machines. It was entertaining; but, of
course, it was mainly hype.

     Even were users willing and able to flit from machine to machine
like butterflies, no major manufacturer was particularly attracted to
anything so intangible as Computer Wars "victory". The corporations
(believe it or not) were aiming to maximize profits, not user numbers!
Both Apple and Commodore built up large, enthusiastic home user bases,
then neglected them in favor of the lower volume, higher profit business
market. So much for "winning the world".


III. Sluff-off

     For home users, developers, software publishers-- for everyone, in
fact, with a stake in the "low end" machine-- such half-hearted support
has always been as puzzling as it is frustrating. We invest hard cash in
an Apple computer, join Apple clubs, subscribe to Apple publications,
(slap Apple stickers on binders, use an Apple key ring, ...), fill
shelves with Apple software, and buy Apple peripherals. Apple, in
return, drags out development of a IIgs operating system, pours money
into its business machine, and adopts a 'dog in the manger' position
which all but kills any chance of a timely third party upgrade needed to
maintain IIgs performance parity with the competition.

     To be fair, Apple has behaved no worse-- indeed, on the whole, much
better-- than other home user 'flagships'. Each new II model has
preserved broad downward compatibility; and documentation, from early
manuals through the current Addison Wesley series, has been among the
best. Finally, both the IIgs and its operating system benefitted from
recent minor upgrades. It's no wonder home users are confused. If Apple
is at all concerned about its II series, why isn't concerned enough?

     After the near brush with collapse in '85, we reasoned that Apple
(now also "Big Green" the business machine maker) would forever regard
holding onto its II home user base as a high priority. Surely, Apple had
learned its lesson.

     So it had, though not the lesson we supposed. IIgs revenues were a
help in those troubled times; but the more important contribution was an
industry-wide confidence that "Apple is back". Stock values rose,
capital rolled in, the Mac II was launched, and viola!, Apple WAS back!
The lesson for Apple was clear enough: 'everyone' still equated
corporate health with II prosperity. It had become captive to its low
end, low profit product line.

     There are several reasons why Apple might view this situation with
alarm. Of these, the popular notion that a IIgs resulting from a series
of forced upgrades might impact Mac sales is probably the most
over-rated. As Apple's own marketing people have adroitly demonstrated,
it is entirely possible to render a product "business invisible". Your
ads merely assert that the IIgs is a home/school computer and that the
Mac is for business. Once the systems are bundled with appropriate
software and the price tags slapped on, few IS managers would consider
filling an office with IIgs's.

     No, the simplest explanation for Apple's concern is also the one
which best fits the facts. Well before the '85 crisis, Apple had decided
that costs of its II series were beginning to outweigh rewards. Selling
all of those computers, disk drives, and printers to create a large home
user base was great fun. Customer service, support R&D, and selling
upgrades to maintain it was not nearly so profitable. Apple wished to be
free to deal with its II series on its own terms. Most certainly, the
Lords of Cupertino were determined to be rid of a situation which
allowed home user complaints, doomsday editorials, or expressions of
teacher dissatisfaction to rock corporate pylons at the foundation.

     By 1988, an aggressive ad campaign and expanding Mac II sales had
solved the problem. Apple shed its "home computer maker" skin and became
"Apple, the maker of pricey, high class business computers". Whether the
II line is spun-off, sold, or merely "supported" at current low levels,
one thing seems clear. The odds are very slim that II users will ever
again be an important part of Apple's empire. Consider yourself sluffed.


IV. IBM: Grud-maker

     IBM's first PC was chiefly remarkable for what it was not. It was
not a closed-box, highly complex machine packed with proprietary
hardware. Featuring an out-of-the-Intel-manual design with slots for
peripheral boards, it was virtually Apple's II+ 'done in business grey'.

     From the start, PC's simple, straightforward profile proved both a
blessing and a curse. The blessing was that flocks of third party
manufacturers quickly began to fill the machine with
performance-enhancing boards and peripherals. The curse, from IBM's
point of view, is that it proved impossible to protect PC from hordes of
grud-like cloners.

[Note: In case you missed playing "Dark Forest" or a sequel, gruds are
short, green, swarthy, fast-multiplying reptiles-- sort of a one-horned
ninja turtle without the shell.]

     Anybody could make a "PC compatible" and, from AT&T to one-garage
assembly shops, 'anybody' did. Worse still, as IBM moved first to the XT
and then the AT, it encountered successively more cloners taking
progressively less time to develop better copies at lower prices! When,
at last, Big Blue moved to its supposedly less clonable PS/2 platform,
it was already widely understood that the best grud AT's were at least
as good as the IBM original AND cheaper.

     Had the Mainframe Moguls set out purposefully to create a
dangerously competitive computer making sub-culture, they could hardly
have improved upon the course followed. Faced with such inept meddling,
the Apple Lords must have felt a bit like the old Sorcerer watching his
Apprentice chop the animated broom into a million pieces. Naturally, by
the time Big Blue ran for the hills, the small computing landscape was
knee-deep in gruds. (Even today, it is said, Apple's Consummate
Enlightened One will awaken in the dead of night, sit up bolt straight
in his bed, and scream "Why must I lose to such idiots!")

     For good or ill, IBM had delivered big manufacturer technology and
the market to go with it into the hands of countless small manufacturing
free enterprise fanatics. Here the "big names" appear on metallic
stickers slapped into square indentations thoughtfully provided by PC
case manufacturers; and you're only as good as your prices are low.

    Though, in this maze of interlocking board makers, assemblers, and
sellers, each component may come from almost anywhere, by 1988 the
cloners had managed a 'stock' AT featuring VGA color. Soon there
followed compatible '386 models, low cost Ad Lib sound; and (barely
months after the chip became available) the first '486 machines were
ready. Incredibly, the no-name gruds had moved beyond mere clone-making
without missing a beat.


V. Outcome

     Computer Wars I did not pick a winning manufacturer; it did pick a
winning, standard platform: the "PC AT or compatible". Just look at unit
sales, the quantity, quality, and range of software releases,
peripherals variety, and newspaper/magazine advertising. The clincher is
a pattern of plummeting prices, increasing performance, and rapid
adoption of cutting-edge technology. It all adds up to the same thing: a
'standard computer'. Today, when you say "computer", everyone knows you
mean "PC".

     As of summer 1990, the 'typical PC' is an 8-16MHz '286-based
machine with 640K-1MB (zero wait state) RAM, 1.2 MB 5.25" floppy, and
40-60MB hard disk. Featuring VGA color and Ad Lib sound, the system also
includes "enhanced keyboard", VGA monitor, and cards for serial &
parallel I/O, disk controllers, clock, and joystick ports-- all for
about $1400. (33MHz '386 versions sell for roughly $2000). If current
trends persist, by late fall prices will have dropped 10-15%.

     Where does this leave II users? As of this spring, IIgs users sat
atop a large, divers software base. As of summer, very little has been
added. While you can reasonably expect continued releases in such areas
as utilities, languages, and education, the outlook for productivity
wares is rather poor. As for major vendor entertainment releases, don't
ask! Just take last summer's predictions and slap on a "You are Here"
sticker.

     Though loyal, literally, to a fault, II users are not likely to
long tolerate a situation which not only saddles them with sub-par
performance, but also shuts them out of the major vendor software
stream. Mainly, you 'won't take it any more' because you don't have to.
Look at the economics: As a IIgs owner you are probably looking forward
to a speed/graphics upgrade and the addition of a 40-60MB hard disk.
Well, at normal Apple stuff prices (and assuming a graphics upgrade
becomes available) your planned outlay comes painfully close to the
total cost of the "typical PC AT"! This much seems clear, by next summer
many (perhaps most) II owners will also be PC users.

     Doom? Gloom? The 'end of forever'? Not at all. In fact, the gruds
may have delivered what Apple only promised: practically unlimited II
continuance. One of the ironies of the present situation is that the
very forces which make taking the PC plunge so appealing (e.g. low
prices) also make dumping your IIgs stuff unattractive. Even as the
junior partner in a two-machine installation, your IIgs is worth vastly
more to you than it is likely to sell for. (Besides, all of your records
are in Appleworks files; little Suzy just started "Dungeon Master",
etc., etc..)  So long as II's remain in the hands of skilled users there
will be no lack of interest in performance enhancements, peripherals,
and new software.

     The gruds may be dancing in the streets, but the biggest winner in
Computer Wars I is the computer user. Proprietary fiefdoms and
semi-monopolistic pricing are being swept away; and, for the first time,
we can look forward to a unified software base spanning home, school,
and business users. Granted, this was a conflict that ended, not with
the clash of cymbals, but the toot of a kazoo. The big name
manufacturers, assorted publications, and many others will, naturally,
try to pretend that it's 'business as usual'. It isn't. Computer Wars I
is history. Computer Wars II is a whole new ball game!