March 3, 1985: LaserWriter Launched
If you ask the average Mac fan why the Mac is still around when so many others have fallen by the wayside, they'll likely spout off about the first commercial use of the graphical user interface or the first use of a mouse in a consumer oriented machine.
The truth might be a little more mundane. The Mac did have a nicer looking interface than its contemporaries but it also did something no other personal computer could do at the time. That something was the revolution known as “wysiwyg,” short for "what you see is what you get." The new technology turned everyone with the right equipment into a print shop capable of stunning layouts, multiple typefaces and scalable fonts. For a time, the "right equipment" meant a Mac and a LaserWriter.
The innovation that made wsyiwyg possible resided in both the Mac and a printer. The printer that took greatness from screen to paper was known as the LaserWriter and was introduced this week in 1985.
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You might want to mention that the MSRP was a mere $6,995.
Of course this entire thing makes no sense. No one is going to say “Apple is still around because they did some stuff back in the 80’s”, they’ll point to Apple’s consistant record of inovation.
However, if it were not for the Laserwriter and WYSIWYG capabilities, during this decade without Steve Jobs’ vision and constant strive for innovation, Apple might not have survived the hiatus, up until his return, in late 1996. Innovation alone, without leadership to implement it, will not make a company successful.
“The new technology turned everyone with the right equipment into a print shop”
I think there’s a typo… it should say “The new technology turned everyone with the right wallet into a print shop”