When Apple launched the Apple II in 1977, it was still far from certain that consumers would want or need a home computer. While hobbyists were tinkering with computers they built and programmed themselves, Apple saw a need for something easier, and introduced the Apple II.
This article, republished from the May 1, 1978, edition of Computerworld, sets the scene at the time and describes how a young Apple Computer was looking to the future. (DP was an industry term of the day for "data processing.")
Apple Vying for Share of Home DP Market
By a Computerworld Staff Writer
CUPERTINO, Calif. -- As soon as low-cost computers were available in configurations designed for use by consumers, with programming features and language that non-technicians could use, the personal computing market began to grow rapidly, according to Apple Computer, Inc., one of the firms vying for a share of that blossoming market.
With more than 100,000 units sold, the personal computer market is finally being recognized as much larger then the original hobby market, a spokesman stated, observing that there have already been forecasts of $2 billion in sales by 1985.
Apple, which introduced a self-contained personal computer (Apple II) in June 1977, believes the personal computer will make home life better for middle-income families. The spokesman said such systems will provide for better financial decision making and tighter control over family finances, better protection against fire and theft, better environmental control with attendant energy cost savings and more free time for all family members.
Additional benefits, he predicted, will include better educational opportunities, lower cost communications, immediate access to all family records and increased family interaction through the entertainment aspects of the systems.
At present, the vast majority of non-business computer users are still considered to be hobbyists, Apple noted, because until self-contained machines like Apple II came along, home computers required some technical understanding to assemble and program them. Now, the self-contained machines can be taken home, unpacked, plugged in and put to work.
