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To be fair - thats what computers were back then. Pretty much just boards. The Apple I was impressive because you didn't have to solder that board together your

To be fair - thats what computers were back then. Pretty much just boards. The Apple I was impressive because you didn't have to solder that board together yourself, unlike most other home computers at the time. I don't really agree with the authors premise once you put it under a historical lens

jonhendry 14y ago
If I recall correctly, you still had to supply (and wire up) the power supply, keyboard, and screen.
alyx 14y ago
"To be fair" implies there is unfairness. I'd like to better understand who's being shortchanged fairness here. Is it Apple or is it Steve Jobs? In either case, I think protecting the extremely successful, seems like a waste of (argument) energy.
- cleverjake 14y ago
  Im not really protecting anyone. The author puts forth the idea of Apple having a minimum viable product (just a board), and shipping it because they were once young and scrappy. I counter, saying this was simply par for the course at the time. I don't think he has a valid point. 'To be fair' is being used in more of a colloquialistic sense - a sort of introduction to a counter point.
famousactress 14y ago
Whether or not it's true, the author's argument isn't that the first product wasn't better than what was available at the time, his argument is that it was a giant compromise compared to what the founders wanted to provide.
- cleverjake 14y ago
  And my argument is there isn't a basis for this.
tferris 14y ago
Back then computers were not just boards. Most sold computers had cases.
- cleverjake 14y ago
  Most came /with/ a case - but almost all commercially available computers had to be hand assembled by the end user. Within a year or two, mass marketed computers were common place. But pre 1977 there were not that many to choose from, and even fewer to pick that were as completed made as the Apple.
- nsxwolf 14y ago
  Products like the Altair 8800 certainly came in a case, but they were not able to receive keyboard input or output test to a CRT display without significant aftermarket modifications. (Or various S-100 expansion boards that were released later)

jonhendry 14y ago

If I recall correctly, you still had to supply (and wire up) the power supply, keyboard, and screen.

alyx 14y ago

"To be fair" implies there is unfairness. I'd like to better understand who's being shortchanged fairness here. Is it Apple or is it Steve Jobs? In either case, I think protecting the extremely successful, seems like a waste of (argument) energy.

cleverjake 14y ago
Im not really protecting anyone. The author puts forth the idea of Apple having a minimum viable product (just a board), and shipping it because they were once young and scrappy. I counter, saying this was simply par for the course at the time. I don't think he has a valid point. 'To be fair' is being used in more of a colloquialistic sense - a sort of introduction to a counter point.

famousactress 14y ago

Whether or not it's true, the author's argument isn't that the first product wasn't better than what was available at the time, his argument is that it was a giant compromise compared to what the founders wanted to provide.

cleverjake 14y ago
And my argument is there isn't a basis for this.

tferris 14y ago

Back then computers were not just boards. Most sold computers had cases.

cleverjake 14y ago
Most came /with/ a case - but almost all commercially available computers had to be hand assembled by the end user. Within a year or two, mass marketed computers were common place. But pre 1977 there were not that many to choose from, and even fewer to pick that were as completed made as the Apple.
nsxwolf 14y ago
Products like the Altair 8800 certainly came in a case, but they were not able to receive keyboard input or output test to a CRT display without significant aftermarket modifications. (Or various S-100 expansion boards that were released later)