Tog Tognazzini joined Apple in 1978, Employee No. 66, and worked at the company for 14 years, founding the Apple Human Interface Group along the way. He explains why he thinks the iPhone will be a hit—and why Apple is so far ahead in a Q&A with BusinessWeek’s Jessie Scanlon.
A few samples of Tog’s replies:
It looks like the iPhone will be a hit out of the box. Both Steve Jobs and Apple now have 30 years experience bringing entirely new products to market. They know now to wait until the silicon technology is available that will allow them to produce a full-featured, mature product on Day One. [In contrast,] both Apple’s Lisa and Newton were terribly underpowered, leading to their failure in the marketplace. Gesture technology as incorporated in the iPhone has been under development in the lab for more than 15 years. It is well understood, and the power and speed of today’s silicon is well up to the task.
Steve is a man with three elements that make up the story of his success. First, he worships good industrial design and good behavioral design. He wants to make every product a jewel, something that can be exhibited in MOMA [the Museum of Modern Art] and that people will be attracted to. The second thing is his common sense, which is greatly undervalued as one of his strengths. He looks at something and knows whether it’ll work or if it’s simply a quirky, cute thing. The third thing is that he’s got a marvelous lack of fear, which could easily get him killed. He does things like betting the company on the Mac—or the iPhone. He’s more often right than wrong, so it pays off. But in my experience, his courage is something that’s sadly lacking at many other large corporations.
I think it is fair to say that [Apple’s iPhone] team is bringing out what would quite possibly be a sixth- or seventh-generation product for many of the giant, noninnovators that are dominating our industry today.
Much more in the full Q&A here.
that “bug five” should have been “big five”, I think. Maybe it was a subliminal message going on. I’m not sure.
Mac Realist, to think I defended you on another thread… I realise now that you are nothing but a troll who just stepped across the line of decency with that comment. Fanboyism is fanboyism and at the end of the day its just technology and gadgets, but you just singlehandedly dragged everything to a new low. Get some real perspective on life cos you’re taking things way too serious. Either get a life or get lost cos even PC fanboys don’t want anything to do with your hate filled diatribe.
“It is obvious that Apple hates the poor, blacks, and hispanics because they do not put those groups in their ads. They are truly the most racist company on the planet.”
It is quite obvious that you Sir are a Jackass and it is you who is the racist. Take your drivel someplace else…. A bunch of unfounded racist hate has no place in the discussion of a cellphone..
Pathetic.
We should hear from Jef Raskin at any moment, from beyond the grave, about how Apple screwed up his interface guidelines with the iPhone.
I apologize for my stupid comments. It’s obvious I’ve sniffing the fumes from my own arse a little too much.
I love races. The Ilse of Man is my favourite, but I also love horse races. Formula 1 races are killer. In my spare time I work on my MotoGuzzi cafe racer. Races rule.
@ChrissyOne,
Holy frijoles, I didn’t realize that Raskin had passed on. I must have been in a cave that day.
@ Thorin
It was pretty sudden, if I remember it right. Pancreatic cancer, I think.
Mac Realist = MS Employee
The same kind of cancer (generally speaking) that almost got Jobs. Crazy
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Speaking of ‘the poor’ getting an iphone…
Check out this hilarious video of a guy and his daughter begging for an iphone on the streets!
Here’s the youtube video:
And, for those of you wanting to help the poor, here’s the site devoted to his cause –funny too!
http://www.iphoneplease.com
Tog’s palindromic slogan:
Got Tog?
Now we know what Leif looks like…
Thorin: “This makes me wonder. What employee has been at Apple the longest?”
Considering Jobs absence, I think technically it might be Woz. He still gets an Apple paycheck.
(Re: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak)
“Wozniak ended his full time employment with Apple for good on February 6, 1987, nine years after setting up the company. However he still remains an employee (and receives a paycheck) [4] [2] and a shareholder [5]. “
Italics (which makes up the majority of the article above) is almost impossible to read on WinXP Firefox!
Re: Moo
“Tog” is Bruce Tognazzini’s nickname, not his given name. (Apple grew pretty quickly back then; I joined about a year after Tog, and my badge was #1640. Left five years later, along with 1200 others.)
I wonder if he still keeps bees?
@Mac Realist does have a point…and misses several. Apple marketing and advertising really is way white. Other than a musician, where else do they show people of color in their advertising? But I am offended that he says Apple is racist because they don’t build stuff for poor people. So @Mac Realist, does that mean that all people of color are poor? Who is the racist now? This is one white guy who has a few Latino and Blacks friends that I KNOW will get iPhones before me, because they are less poor than me.
MDN Magic Word: WRONG
let’s see…
iPhone $500 (same as $20/month over 2 years)
minimum service package $60/month (still allows use of ALL iPhone functions)
2 year contract $60 x 24 = $1440
a little addition… $500 + $1440 = $1940 over 2 years (taxes not included)
Where’s this $3000 coming from? Even with the 8GB model you’re looking at $2040 over 2 years. This in minumum cost to play. Given the feature set you get, this is a bargain compared to regular ol’ phone plans.
“What employee has been at Apple the longest? is there anyone who has been there since the 70’s? Even if it’s a janitor. Anyone know?”
I am not sure that Steve himself qualifies due to his 10 years at NeXT, but Chris Espinosa has been there since about 1976. He was recently seen at the WWDC, so he’s still there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Espinosa
They gotta be scared shitless when they get their mouthpiece to play the race card.
@ Moo
Tog is his nickname (diminutive of his last name), his first name is Bruce.
@ Thorin
Jobs has been there the longest, if u don’t count his exclusion.
if u don’t count him, Bill Fernandez might hold the record, he is employee number #4, and was still working for Apple in the mid 90’s (he worked with Tog by the way)
@ ChrissyOne
Tog made a lot more of those guidelines than raskin.
—
Woz might get a paycheck, but he is not working for Apple anymore.
the only thing i’m certain about is that Bill Fernandez is the only one who went from the garage to the mid 90’s (he used to package the Apple 1)
@ lurker
ever heard of something called, “The world” ?
phones are used outside of the USA 😀
ok it’s espinoza 😀
we have a winner (i didn’t know he was there in the garage days, i should have)
Mac Realist : aka Paid MS astrosurfer.