Apple has successfully disrupted several industries with groundbreaking inventions like the iPod and the iPhone, but it often had to disrupt its own processes along the way.
All the way back in 1980, Apple had a problem. It had been founded four years prior in 1976 as a technology company, and in 1979, had launched the Apple Writer, which was a word processor for its Apple II series of personal computers. But even as Apple was developing software to be used for word processing on its computers, several of its employees were still using the trusty old typewriters in its offices.
At that point, Mike Scott, who was the first CEO of Apple, decided to take action. He sent a memo to all employees titled “You all better read this” with the subject “Typewriters”.
“Effective immediately!! No more typewriters are to be purchased, leased etc etc,” the memo sent on 1st February 1990 declared. “Apple is an innovative company. We must believe and lead in all areas. If word processing is so neat, then let’s all use it!” the memo said.
The memo set about a hard deadline for Apple employees. “By 1-1-81, no typewriters at Apple,” the memo said. And it even threw in a carrot for employees who would’ve been reluctant to give up on their old machines. “Typewriter users giving up their machines in favour of Apple II-Apple Writer Systems will get first priority on new Apple high performance systems. Those who can justify direct typing capabilities and will turn in their typewriter will get first Qume with Keyboard/Apple installations,” the memo continued.
“We believe the typewriter is obsolete. Let’s prove it inside before we try and convince our customers,” the memo concluded.
The memo shows just how far ahead of its time Apple was — it was looking to sell word processors when typewriters were so much the norm that its own employees were using them, and seemed quite content to keep doing so. But this was clearly a problem — Mike Scott realized that if their own employees used typewriters, Apple’s sales teams would never have the conviction to sell word processors to other companies. Also, not using Apple’s own products meant that its designers and engineers would never get feedback from their colleagues, and would never be able to improve on them. These days, many companies ‘dogfood’ their own products, which means trying and testing them out before they’re released to the public. And the fact that it took a stern memo — and a promise of faster upgrades — to get even Apple employees to begin using Apple word processors shows just how hard it can be for companies to launch new products and have them become popular among the masses.