History of computer design: Apple II
4-frogdesign || 5-Corporate focus || Conclusion || Bibliography & links
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Steve Jobs
believed that appearance guided a user's approach to a
computer, and as Steve Wozniak improved the design of the
Apple for its next version, Jobs concentrated on the case.
The Apple II was advertised as a "complete, ready to use
computer, " and had an integrated keyboard with ports for a
separate colour display and a cassette recorder for data
storage. Marketed towards consumers rather than computing
hobbyists, the Apple II was introduced with an advertisement
illustrating a scene in a kitchen, a man resting his hand
familiarly on his computer as it displays a chart of the
stock exchange, and a woman in the background smiling
towards him from her own work at the sink. Technical details
are isolated to a single column that tersely reveals that
the Apple II is also available "in board-only form for the
do-it-yourself hobbyist" (Apple ad in
Byte, Jan. 1978). This
was an entirely novel repositioning of the computer towards
the general public, with a promise that computing could be
easy, fun and productive. Jobs insisted that the design of
the case reflect this new audience.
Wanting the Apple II to be what would later be described as an "appliance" computer (Helmers, 18), Jobs looked for inspiration among household appliances at Macy's department store before hiring Jerry Manock, an industrial designer. Manock describes the shape of the Apple II case as having been "dictated by the size of the circuitboard and the keyboard that fits into a wedge on the front. It had to be tall enough for expansion cards to be slotted vertically onto the motherboard and have enough interior space to dissipate heat thrown off by the power supply" (Kunkel, 13-4). Jobs and Wozniak conflicted over using expansion slots for additional customized circuitboards, Jobs believing that they were inappropriate for a consumer market which would not be comfortable altering circuitry. Wozniak's desire for expandability prevailed and the height of the Apple II case reflects its eight expansion slots. However, the necessary removable lid does not interfere with the simple integrity of the design. The wedge of the keyboard at the front of the machine is angled downwards so to facilitate typing, and angled more sharply inwards towards its bottom at the base of the keyboard. Above the keyboard, a narrow trench in the wedge visually isolates the interactive front of the machine, and at the left of the portion of the wedge above it there are two chocolate-brown badges with Apple's logo and the model name of the computer to help reinforce its unique physical identity. The rectangular back portion of the case has short vertical vents that wrap around the sides, over chamfered corners, to extend slightly onto the top of the case. This wedge of the keyboard, the vents wrapping around the corners of the sides, and the 45-degree chamfers on each corner all result in a case that appears smaller and less boxy.
Though constructed with enough space to satisfy the expansionist desires of most hobbyists, the Apple II case presents a closed face to the user, an appearance of integrity that is strengthened when a monitor is placed on the top of the long rectangular back to leave only the front wedge exposed. It suggests a self-contained appliance and not simply a protective enclosure for electronics intended for manipulation. However, at the time of its introduction, its identity as an appliance was generated most strongly by the material of the case. The Apple II was the first computer to be enclosed in plastic. Sheet metal enclosures were cheaper to manufacture and provided better shielding for the electromagnetic radiation generated by circuitry, but Steve Jobs insisted that molded plastic was essential to the computer as a consumer item. The desired effect was evidently achieved. A review in the popular "small systems journal" Byte, then marketed towards computing hobbyists, called it "elegantly styled" and compared it to an "overgrown pocket calculator" (Helmers, 20).
Though thought impressive on its introduction, the plastic of the initial Apple II case was quite crudely constructed. To fit a tiny budget and tight deadline - Jerry Manock was hired only nine weeks before the West Coast Computer Faire in April 1977 where the Apple II was introduced - reaction-injection molding was used. This process is fast and inexpensive to set up, but leaves surface irregularities. Many case parts had to be sanded to fit together properly. Moreover, the light brown paint chosen did not adhere well to the polyurethane, so that surviving cases from early production inevitably have flakes revealing the lighter colour of the plastic below. By December 1977, tooling was completed for cases made out of the more durable and smooth ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic which did not require painting or finishing and could be produced in larger volume (Kunkel, 15).
Large-scale production was quickly needed. Apple's ads attracted a far larger audience than previous mass-produced computers, and the development of software increased demand for the machine. In particular, VisiCalc, the first commercially successful spreadsheet program, was a "killer application," helping to increase sales of the Apple II from $770 000 in 1977 to $7.9 million in 1978 (Kunkel, 15). In early 1978, Apple offered an external disk drive at a lower price than any previous, solidifying the position of the Apple II as a computer for those interested in the functionality of software rather than tinkering with electronics. By August of 1978, the Apple II could be advertised quite honestly as "the world's best selling personal computer" (Apple ad in Byte, August 1978, p. 14-15).
To Early History
(1976-80)
To Commodore PET
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