1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: a show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're talking about what many 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: consider to be the first modern laptop computer, Apples industry 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: changing power Book one hundred. The day was October one, 7 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: Apple launched its PowerBook one hundred series of laptop computers. 8 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: The lineup was presented by product developers Wayne Westley and 9 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: Bruce g at the Computer Dealer's Exhibition in Las Vegas. 10 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: It was Apple's first foray into true notebook computers, and 11 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: by almost every measure, it was a winning one. In 12 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: the short term, power Book sales gave the company its 13 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: most successful fiscal year to date at the time, and 14 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: in the long run, the device helped turn laptop computers 15 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: into the accessible, user friendly technology we know today. The 16 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: power Book one hundred series may have been Apple's first 17 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: true laptop, but it wasn't the company's first portable computer. 18 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: In nine Apple had debuted the Macintosh Portable, a battery 19 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: powered personal computer that could be folded shut and carried 20 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: by a built in handle. It wouldn't qualify as a 21 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: laptop by modern standards, as the mac Portable weighed just 22 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: under sixteen pounds and wasn't anything you'd want to set 23 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: on your lap, at least not for long. Besides its 24 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: hefty weight, the Macintosh Portable was also held back by 25 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 1: its considerable price six thousand, five hundred dollars the equivalent 26 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: of nearly sixteen thousand dollars today. In contrast, the three 27 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: power Book models that launched in October weighed between five 28 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: and six point eight pounds and ranged in price from 29 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: twenty three hundred dollars to forty hundred. On the low 30 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: end of that spectrum there was the power Book one hundred, 31 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: in the middle was the power Book one forty, and 32 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: the high end of the range was the power Book 33 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: one seventy. Lightweight frames and low prices weren't the only 34 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: things that made the power Book series more practical than 35 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,679 Speaker 1: the Macintosh Portable. The series was also loaded with new 36 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,839 Speaker 1: features that would eventually become standard across the industry. At 37 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: the time, the two leaders in the laptop category were 38 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: Toshiba and Compact. Apple knew that in order to compete, 39 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: it had to set itself apart from its competition, and 40 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: it aimed to do so by offering the most convenient, comfortable, 41 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: and stylish laptop on the market. The design team behind 42 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: the power Book was led by Robert Brunner, Apple's head 43 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: of industrial design at the time. According to him, the 44 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: goal was to create a computer that quote would be 45 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: as easy to use and carry as a regular book. 46 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: Size and weight were key factors in that equation, but 47 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: even more important was the devices layout and ease of use. 48 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: For example, the power Book was the first laptop to 49 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:29,119 Speaker 1: introduce a built in pointing device or mouse. Before that, 50 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: users either had to carry around a plug in cable mouse, 51 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: or else clip a separate track ball onto the side 52 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: of their machine. The power Book got around this awkward 53 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: need for accessories by embedding its track ball directly in 54 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: the middle of the computer, a design choice that was 55 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: copied and carried forward in the form of modern track pads. 56 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: The inclusion of a built in trackball also led to 57 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: another Power Book innovation, the ergonomic palm rest. At the time, 58 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: all other laptop ops had their keyboards at the very 59 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: front of the device. This made it difficult to type 60 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: for extended periods when sitting in a compact space, such 61 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: as at a desk or on the seat of an airplane. 62 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: Users had to hold their hands high and type at 63 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: an angle, which inevitably led to sore wrists over time. 64 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: Robert Brunner and his team solved the issue by pushing 65 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: the keyboard back toward the computer screen. This left plenty 66 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: of room up front, with the track ball mounted in 67 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: the middle, an empty space on either side of it, 68 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: the perfect place to rest your palms while typing. Brunner's 69 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: team clearly put more thought into the functional design of 70 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: their laptop than most other manufacturers at the time. That 71 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: was a conscious choice and was done in an effort 72 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: to make the power Book feel more like a personal 73 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: accessory than a business tool. The goal, as Brunner put it, 74 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: was to design a computer that quote says something about 75 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: the identity of the person who is carrying it. That 76 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: intention was reflected in the machines color as well. Apple's 77 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: power Book had a dark granite gray color scheme, which 78 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: helped it stand out amidst the sea of beige or 79 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 1: platinum colored laptops that dominated the era. It's also worth 80 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: noting that while Apple's internal design team developed the look 81 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: of the power Book one forty and one seventy. The 82 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: power Book one hundred was actually designed and manufactured in 83 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:27,279 Speaker 1: collaboration with Sony, a partnership that was not repeated for 84 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: future hardware. The Apple power Book was developed during a 85 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,600 Speaker 1: ten year period when co founder Steve Jobs was no 86 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: longer involved with the company. Instead, the project was overseen 87 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: by then CEO John Scully. He had successfully grown Apple's 88 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: market share by releasing lower cost desktop computers like the 89 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: Macintosh Classic and the Macintosh LC. Scully hoped to replicate 90 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: that success in the laptop category, but he wasn't convinced 91 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: the power Book would be the machine to do it. 92 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: This led Scully to play it safe by giving the 93 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: project a mere one million dollars for marketing. For comparison, 94 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: the Macintosh Classic received a twenty five million dollar marketing 95 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: budget when it was released the previous year. Despite having 96 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: considerably less money to work with, the marketing team behind 97 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: the power Books still managed to produce a hit campaign. 98 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: Most of the budget went to making a TV spot 99 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: featuring retired l A Lakers basketball star Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 100 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,599 Speaker 1: The memorable commercial highlighted the ergonomic features of the power Book. 101 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: It showed the seven ft two Kareem sitting uncomfortably in 102 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: a cramped seed on an airplane. When he pulls out 103 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: his power Book, he finds that while he doesn't have 104 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: much leg room, his hands have plenty. Take a listen. 105 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: Having embarked on a new career at the age of 106 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 1: forty five, Kareem found himself traveling in coach. At least 107 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: his hands were comfortable. Only power Book is designed to 108 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:06,280 Speaker 1: fit the way you work power from Apple. The ad 109 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:09,119 Speaker 1: proved to be a hit for Apple. The PowerBook line 110 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: quickly captured of all laptop sales, surpassing both Toshiba and 111 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: Compact as the market leader for portable computers. In its 112 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: first year on store shelves, the power Book series generated 113 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: more than one billion dollars in revenue for Apple. By 114 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: the end of the company announced its highest sales figures yet, 115 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: seven point one billion dollars in revenue, driven largely by 116 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: sales of the power Book. Power Book remained a flagship 117 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: product for Apple throughout the nine nineties. New and improved 118 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: models were steadily released, cementing the company's now familiar business 119 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: model of offering new versions of hit products every couple 120 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,119 Speaker 1: of years. The power Book name was retired for good 121 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: in two thousand six, ten years after Steve Jobs triumphant 122 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: return to the company. Since Jobs hadn't played a role 123 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: in the products development, he likely had no misgivings about 124 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: replacing it with the MacBook. As he said that year quote, 125 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: it's a new name because we're kind of done with 126 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: Power and we want Mac in the name of our products. 127 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: Apple may be done with Power, but its current line 128 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: of MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones are still beholden to the 129 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: series that helped them break into the mobile computing market 130 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: all those years ago. The power Book is dead and gone, 131 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,599 Speaker 1: but the effect it had on the design and functionality 132 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: of laptops lives on. The surest proof of that is 133 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: that my wrists don't hurt after typing this. Thanks power Book, 134 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier and hopefully you now know a little 135 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: more about computer history today than you did yesterday. You 136 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 1: can learn even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 137 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i HC Show, and if 138 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send 139 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: them my way at this day at iHeart media dot com. 140 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,319 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks 141 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,559 Speaker 1: to you for listening. I'll see you back here again 142 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: soon for another day in history class.