In light of the passing of our modern-day genius, Steve Jobs, core member of the Apple Macintosh team, Andy Hertzfeld, takes you on a journey that is as fascinating as it is historical. Hertzfeld brings drawings, images, and stories, with the help of the 34 team members and Steve Jobs himself, to compile and amazing story of an incredible computer that brought us WSYWIG, the graphical interface (GUI), and the famed mouse. Having met Hertfeld (yes, he signed my copy of the book 
), I was unable to even get even a glimpse of what he achieved in that short time with him. With Revolution in the Valley, it will be as if you have been friends with him all your life.
Sebastopol, CA—There was a time, not too long ago, when the typewriter and notebook ruled, and the computer as an everyday tool was simply a vision. Newly released in paperback form, Revolution in the Valley takes this vision back to its earliest roots: the hallways and backrooms of Apple, where the groundbreaking Macintosh computer was born. The book traces the development of the Macintosh, from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979 to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond.
The stories in Revolution in the Valley come on extremely good authority. That’s because author Andy Hertzfeld was a core member of the team that built the Macintosh system software, and a key creator of the Mac’s radically new user interface software. Dubbed the “software wizard,” Hertzfeld was the ultimate insider.
Revolution in the Valley evolved from stories that Hertzfeld wrote and collected on his website, folklore.org, combining his own stories with those contributed by others to tell short snippets of a long tale.
“When I began to write stories for my website in June 2003, I had no intention of trying to publish them in book form,” Hertzfeld says. “I was excited by the idea of developing a web site to facilitate collective historical storytelling, where a group of participants could collaborate to recollect an interesting event. I chose the format of numerous interlinked anecdotes because it seemed natural for the web and better suited to a collaborative effort than a single, continuous narrative, allowing a tale to be elaborated indefinitely without compromising the voices of the individual authors.”
When Revolution in the Valley begins, Hertzfeld is working on Apple’s first attempt at a low-cost, consumer-oriented computer: the Apple II. He sees that Steve Jobs is luring some of the company’s most brilliant innovators to work on a tiny research effort, the Macintosh. Hertzfeld manages to make his way onto the Macintosh research team, and the rest is history.
Through lavish illustrations, period photos, and Hertzfeld’s vivid first-hand accounts, Revolution in the Valley reveals what it was like to be there at the birth of the personal computer revolution. The story comes to life through the book’s portrait of the talented and often eccentric characters who made up the Macintosh team. Some 30 years later, millions of people are benefiting from the technical achievements of this determined and brilliant group of people.
With the recent death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Revolution in the Valley is a particularly resonant recollection; in fact, Jobs helped Hertzfeld collect the unique archival photos gathered here. In Revolution, Hertzfeld describes Jobs’ “reality distortion field,” how the first Macintosh was influenced by Porsche and Louis Comfort Tiffany, and how the initial machine was autographed inside the case by each of the 35 team members. Steve Wozniak wrote the book’s foreword, framing the extraordinary story of the extraordinary young men who changed tech—and the modern world???forever.
About the Author
Andy Hertzfeld was a graduate student in computer science at UC Berkeley in January 1978 when he purchased one of the first Apple IIs. He quickly lost interest in grad school as he began writing programs for his Apple II, eventually leading him to join Apple Computer as a systems programmer in August 1979. He joined the Macintosh team in February 1981, and became one of the main authors of the Macintosh system software, including the User Interface Toolbox and many of the original desk accessories. He left Apple in March 1984, and went on to co-found three companies: Radius (1986), General Magic (1990) and Eazel (1999). In 2003, he developed web-based software for collective storytelling that he used to write the stories in this book. In 2005, he joined Google, and was one of the main creators of Google+.
Steve Jobs began putting a dent in the Universe in 1976 when he and his friend released to the world the Apple I. A year later, they gave it a keyboard and case and called it the Apple II. Then came Lisa in 1983 which in itself spawned the cheaper and faster Macintosh in 1984. Anyone that could claim just these few accomplishments to their name would be satisfied but this was just the beginning for Steve Jobs.
Jobs was forced out of the company he co-founded by the man he won over from Pepsi to be Appe’s CEO by asking him if he wanted to sale sugar water or change the world. So Jobs left Apple and brought a few engineers with him and started NeXT computer. After the Macintosh and the once-in-a-lifetime game changing invention, Jobs did it again with the NeXT Workstation. While it wasn’t a huge hit, like the Lisa, its influence is what made it so great. From the worlds first web browser being invented on a NeXT to the operating system of today’s Macs and iPhones based on it, NeXT was an amazing accomplishment.
Then Jobs started down a new road, one of animation. Helping a friend out, Jobs purchased Pixar from Star Wars fortune George Lucas to help pay for his divorce settlement. Jobs got a bargain at a few million and turned it around into the most successful animated entertainment company of all time. From the Lifesavers commercial to Toy Story, Jobs took animation to infinity and beyond.
While Jobs was building a new empire with Pixar, Apple was struggling to stay alive. It begged him to return and he agreed to help the ailing company he co-founded and even branded himself the iCEO. i for interim. The little i also appeared on his first success back to Apple with the iMac. i for Internet. Not only could it connect to the Internet easily, a service in its infancy, but one could also see through its exterior case. It came in lime and berry colors as well as orange. It was also the first computer to have a USB port. Yes, in 1998, Steve Jobs introduced yet another massive hit.
The Internet not only popularized the way people did things but also how people heard things. Napster and the MP3 began a new revolution that filled up hard drives with compress music quicker than a Beatles hit airing on an AM radio for the first time in 1964. Steve Jobs didn’t sit and wait for others to figure out solid state memory and taxing interfaces were not the way to put music into peoples pockets. No, in 2001, he marveled the world with the iPod. Sure, Creative had a hard drive digital music player but it didn’t have the iPods ease of use. The iPod was an instant hit and put white ear buds into millions of peoples heads.
Two years later, Jobs changed the music industry, again, with an easy – and legal – way to get music onto your iPod. He brought all the major labels into a single place called iTunes Music Store. It would later drop the Music from its name as Jobs pulled in Hollywood and its popular TV shows and movies to round out the digital hub as Jobs refereed to iTunes a year later at Macworld. In only five years, iTunes became the largest music retailer in the US surpassing long time giant Wal-mart.
In January 2007, I had the honor to witness the unveiling of Steve Jobs’ greatest invention since the Macintosh. The iPhone. It was rumored for months and yet when he showed it off to the crowd of reporters at Moscone West, all we could do is keep gasping and applauding. It was magnificent and fixed everything RIM, Nokia, Motorola, and Microsoft never thought was even broken to begin with. Even the $600 price didn’t phase most of us. We were all floating. Of course, the iPhone changed the mobile phone industry forever.
Steve’s final dent came last year as he introduced the iPad. Apple wasn’t the first tablet maker, Bill Gates touted it nearly a decade earlier at CES, but rather Apple was the first to do it right. Explaining to the crowd, Jobs told reporters that the iPad went back as far as to the time of Gates’ announcement in 2001. Jobs illustrated that the technology just wasn’t ripe enough for the iPad. So, instead, Jobs took what they had and turned it into the iPhone. While first impressions from many was that the iPad was nothing more than an over-sized iPhone, in just a few short months, the iPad sold millions and began a new age which Jobs would later call the Post-PC era.
Now, we wrestle with the Post-Steve era and wonder what would have been in just a couple more years. Most likely, Steve had already began the next Big Thing and maybe even a few other of Jobs brilliant ideas are already being nurtured. The fact is, sadly, Steve Jobs was a genius and with his passing, so ends his amazing journey through technology.
“I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
“Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.”
There has been much talk of Steve Jobs failures since his resigning as CEO of the company he co-founded in 1976. The interesting thing about these lists, such as the one below in the cnet video, is the lack of one of Apple’s biggest flop to say the least since Steve officially dropped the i from iCEO in the late 90s. That flop? The Apple iPod Hi-Fi. You remember, the very speaker system for your iPod that replaced Steve Jobs entire high-end audio system at his Palo Alto home. His words, not mine.
Audiophiles around the globe immediately commented on the quality of this $350 white speaker box and the comments weren’t pretty. Muddy high frequencies were soaring on most lists while the lack of an AM/FM radio found its way on others. The placement of the iPod, on the top of the Hi-Fi itself, was another criticism due to the expensive media player being susceptible to damage due to lack of protection that seemingly begged to be hit by a passing object. The inability to use anything but an iPod, and only the older ones on top of that, was another gripe from the masses.
What most likely killed Steve Jobs home stereo replacement, the iPod Hi-Fi, was its price. For less money, one could pickup a quality speaker from either Bose or Altec Lansing for example. Competing brands also offered auxiliary inputs as well as other features lacking in Steve’s beloved white box.
For me, when I first saw the iPod Hi-Fi and it’s associated price, I laughed (yes, a true LOL!) and figured it would quietly disappear soon after introduction. It didn’t take long for that to happen. Just a little over a year after its May introduction in 2006, Apple discontinued the iPod HI-Fi in late 2007 without apology. No one’s sure if Steve eventually put his home audio system back into his AV rack but chances are good he did.
Last year Apple stunned, excuse the pun, the Mac world and announced it would no longer attend Macworld Expo or any other trade show event effective after Macworld 2009. Many reasons circulated why Apple would make such an incredible decision with most boiling down to expense. Apple didn’t need trade shows, trade shows needed Apple was the governing thought. While that may be true — Macworld 2010 attendance and vendor participation will reveal that answer — there really is more to the reason for Apple’s ignoring the industry standards of dog and pony shows. Three words: Steve Jobs ego.
It’s no new news to make reference to the iCEOs audacity as folklore is strong when concerning Jobs character. Apple does like to put spin on things no matter what the announcement and when it told the world that it was removing itself from the trade show circuit due to cost and the desire not to be forced for product release dates, it sounded “about right” on the surface. However, one has to scratch their head and wonder why not even a year after that announcement, Apple declared to the world, in a building on the same block Macworld is held, the iPad. Okay, so it must have been the cost thingy, right? Well, maybe, but for a company with tens of billions — ya, billions — of dollars in cash, this argument doesn’t seem that valid, either.
Digging deeper into the iPad launch, one finds many interesting facts. First, the gathering was by invite only. A typical Apple strategy. Second, only well known organizations received these invites. Third, the hands-on demonstration was limited, for example CNET was only allowed to have three of its members take a look at the device to prevent “inner cross-over”. Lastly, the public was visibly forced out and prevented from entry. In the end, Steve Jobs ran the show from start to finish down to who was allowed to sit in the halls of his majesty. Plain and simple, Steve is a control freak and he couldn’t command what IDG did with Macworld Expo. So, he pulled Apple out of it.
There are many examples of Steve’s ego getting in the way of catching a bit closer to Apple-related “stuff” such as when he pulled the less than flattering biography iCon from Apple Stores world wide. The stories are extensive how Apple would fail during Jobs’ day-to-day absence during his liver ordeal of 2008/2009. Since Jobs micro-managed everything, down to what color ties his lieutenants could wear (just kidding on the last one…I think) no one thought Apple had a chance without Jobs running the ship. Really, it does not take much to run the case for Apple leaving Macworld because Jobs doesn’t like how he can’t run the show.
I’m on record for loving Apple and its products and I admit many of the reasons I came back to Apple in 2001 was because of the many great things Jobs brought to Apple. Yet, I am also very vocal about what a pompous jerk Steve Jobs is, as well. From suing blogs due to printing leaked information and talking about how they are “breaking the law”, and yet he forgets about all those free long distance calls he made in the 70s using Woz’s Blue Box as well as “ripping off” Xerox PARCs mouse and GUI for the original Mac, to naming his company similar to the then worlds most popular record label and then telling companies with iPod-like names today to “change your name, it’s simple enough;” it’s tough to accept Jobs as the genius the world wants to paint him.
As long as Jobs has a strong product on stage with him, he’ll continue to ride his high horse with little worry of being jousted off of it. Yes, Jobs can give the pseudo finger to IDG and then show the world the iPad weeks before the revised Apple-less Macworld Expo but remember this, Steve, not all empires last for ever. Rome fell and so well you. How you want to be remembered in history depends how you treat those in the present.
We’ve all seen the “leaked” photos of the full-screen iPod for months now. This picture is one of the earliest and has been pretty much discounted as a hoax. However, the notion that a widescreen video iPod is coming keeps fueling the rumor fire and thus many believe not if but when. So indeed, when? When Apple gets more movies to slap onto it. That’s when.
CEO Steve Jobs has had a tough time convincing Hollywood to listen to some computer guy tell it how to run the music and movie business. Understandably, what’s a geek know about movies? Nothing, but he knows how to get it to everyone who wants to buy one; that’s what he knows. Jobs also knows that no one, relatively, is going to buy an expensive iPod that plays widescreen movies if there is really no widescreen movies to be had. All one has to do is look at the new HD DVD players that have been out for almost a month now. ‘What HD DVD players?’ Exactly. Good luck trying to find any kind of selection of titles on the new high def format. Jobs doesn’t want that problem when the next true video iPod hits the streets.
SvenOnTech believes that Jobs has had Apple engineers working on the next level iPod for some time. Just like he had OS X engineers running that operating system on Intel chips since day one. Jobs needed a dog for show-and-tell down there in Hollywood and that may be the what we’re seeing on the Internet with most of these leaked photos. We also believe that Jobs needed to get the ball rolling on content and thus had to give reason for a video iPod, hence the 5G iPod. Enlarging the screen on that iPod took little effort on Apple’s part and would allow the Cupertino-based computer company to have reason to start selling video at the iTunes Music Store.
Now that this is all in place, it’s time to bring real movies to iTMS. A little of that is happening and rumors have it that the next version of OS X, code named Leopard, will have a BitTorrent built-in. With no other reason for BitTorrent than to assist in huge downloads, this seems to add more weight to the fact a full-screen iPod is coming soon. That coupled with the fact that Jobs took a powerful role at Disney instead of cash for the Pixar buy out should really point to movies are coming.
Jobs understands many things and he understands the chicken and the egg problem. Once a good foundation of movies are available on iTunes Music Store (by this Christmas?), you’ll see the next iPod in all of it’s full-screen glory in the hands of a smiling Steve Jobs. Trust us, we nailed the MacBook Pro was coming, so we think we’re on a roll with these predictions.