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Subject: "NeXT opinions"

 
Sometimes its interesting to compare the notions others have
about new technology / products.  Here are a few quotes from
today's _Wall Street Journal_ (Oct. 13, 1988), reproduced without
permission:
 
"...[the Next computer offers so much more for the money that it
will] redefine what people expect from a personal computer.  THe
big question is whether Steve can master some of the destructive
side of his personality that has emerged in the past.  If he can
do that - and there are signs he has - I think he can succeed." 
    - Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Development Corporation
 
"Steve [Jobs] always tries to make his computers exceed what
people expect them to be, and the guy has done it again."  In
response to a question regarding Jobs chances of creating another
computer standard:  "He's done it twice before, hasn't he?"
    - Stewart Alsop, publisher of _PC Newsletter_
 
"Frankly, I'm disappointed.  Back in 1981, we were truly excited
by the Macintosh when Steve showed it to us because when you put
it side-by-side with another computer, it was unlike anything
anybody had ever seen before [because of its distinctive
graphics].  In the grand scope of things, most of [NeXT's]
features are truly trivial. [There is] *no way* [I will have my
programmers write software for NeXT any time soon]." (Emphasis
added by poster).
    -Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft
 
"Steve is going to talk revolution in the computer business, but
unfortunately you'll find more similarities than differences
between his machine and other workstations.  And some of the
differences that glitter now may well tarnish in a while."
    -Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems
 
"[Regarding the initial market thrust into universities:]  The
idea appears to be to seed the nerds and enthusiasts and let them
make the computer look good, much like hobbyists transformed the
original Apple II into a broadly popular machine.  Once it's
established in the universities, they can take it into the
mainstream."
    - David Grady, publisher of the _Grady Report_
 
"He has to win a niche market somewhere to get started.  But I
think it's going to be fairly tough to win in education, because
all the biggies - IBM, Apple, Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard,
Sun and Appolo - already are fairly well established.  They also
give away a lot of free equipment."
    - Regis McKenna, founder of Regis McKenna, Inc.
 
"[Regarding the announced price of $6,500 and snappy features in
the NeXT computer:]  I think it's an incredible value.  They
listened to what we asked for and gave it to us."
    - Peter Lyman, director of the Center for Scholarly
Technology, UCLA
 
"[Regarding her experience of being on the NeXT advisory board (a
group of university officials who made suggestions regarding the
computers functionality):]  You wouldn't believe the pressure
we've been under to give people hints about the machine.  I'm not
sure i'd want to do this again."
    - Barbara Morgan, director of advanced technology planning,
UCB
 
"[Regarding Steve Jobs inability (or unwillingness) to keep
developments secret while at Apple:]  At Apple, we used to joke
that it was the only ship we knew of that leaked from the top."
    - John Couch, former director of the Apple Lisa team
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