Xerox was not — still isn’t — a company that markets to individuals. It’s not in their DNA. They specialize in big, shared machines and systems. But what Xerox had at PARC, like the late lamented Bell Labs and IBM’s labs (Armonk?), was a monster of pure research.
Their approach was “pursue it now, figure out how to make a product out of it later.” It served the larger economy well, even if the company didn’t get the biggest return it could have. If Bell Labs had kept a tight rein on its semiconductor innovations, the company could have gotten more out of them, but it would have stifled the staggering growth of the whole industry.
I don’t know where the next wave of really visionary, world-changing technology will come from. There are fewer places where geniuses can tinker away without worrying about the budget — impatient shareholders and fund managers have made the focus narrower and narrower, and there’s less tolerance for big expensive incubators that may yield marketable products several years out.
BTTT
new mac in my near future. I will keep in mind the cautions. thanks for your input & ideas.
I will still have the PC however