Paradise Lost: The Xerox Alto
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Paradise Lost: The Xerox Alto
1.What were the reasons for success/failure ?
As we know Xerox was the first company who made it was the first stand-alone personal computer to combine bit-mapped graphics, a mouse, menu screens, icons, an Ethernet connection, a laser printer, and word processing software.And these everything was in 1973 , while Steve Jobs presented Apple Computer in 1979 and had a great success ( nowadays too) .
I think that the main problem was both sides, people and the company, werent ready for this innovation . I assume that they ( company) didnt know how to use their computer in real life. They couldnt tell customers why they needed it. Also there was a mistake of Top Management because in 1974 there was launched Model 800 magnetic tape word processor rather than the Alto. If they launched Alto no one knows what would happen. But after seeing that Model 800 wasnt so successful as they predicted , they werent thinking about Alto, they forgot about it. So this opportunity was taken by Apple company and everything was lost for Xerox.
2. Do you see a logical contradiction in Xeroxs willingness to devote millions of dollars to support pure research sites like PARC and then its refusal to commercially introduce the products produced?
There is no logical contradiction because , first they spent a lot of money in the research of Alto but then launched Model 800. They dont have any clear vision about what their company should do . Thats why they lost their opportunity in 1979.
3. How does Xeroxs strategic vision work in favor of or against the development of radical new technologies such as the Alto?
First they spend a lot money in R&D but then , when the critical situation comes they forget about everything they did. They though that old ones wont be helpfull and start inventing new ones , and we know that they arent true because Alto was a successful project which they didnt launch and their popularity went down.
3. How did other unforeseeable events combine tomake Xeroxs executives unwilling to take any new risks precisely at the time that the Alto was ready to be released?
As we know at that time IBMs lead in office automation and Xerox an IBM were rival companies. So Xerox thaught that the secon project Model 800 was less risky and profitable than Alto, but as we can see they were wrong. And after that Model 800 wasnt selling they thought that Alto counldt do anything and started new projects.
4. “Radical innovation cannot be too radical if we want it to be commercially successful.”Argue either in favor of or against this statement.
In such way thought Xerox and lost billions of dollars. But when apple