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One to write the lightbulb product-revision plan.

One to analyze the lightbulb’s profitability.

One to negotiate the vendor contract.

Seven to alpha-test the lightbulb.

One to revise the lightbulb operating system.

One to obtain FCC certification.

One to write the manual.

One to do the foreign translations.

One to develop the lightbulb product-training pack.

One to design the artwork.

One to design the package.

One to write the data sheet.

One to write the self-running lightbulb demo.

One to copy-protect the lightbulb.

One to write the ECO.

One to forecast use.

One to enter the part number in the computer.

One to place the order for each lightbulb.

One to QC the lightbulb.

One to distribute the lightbulb.

One to seed vendors with the revision.

One to organize the product introduction party.

One to make the press announcement.

One to explain the lightbulb to the financial

community.

One to announce the lightbulb to the sales force.

One to announce the lightbulb to the dealers.

One to train service.

And one service technician to swap out the

lightbulb.

A few of the Mac group were hovering around a Lisa prototype. Programmer Andy Hertzfeld provided a commentary as Michael Boich fiddled with features of the machine. “I couldn’t work at Lisa,” Hertzfeld said to no one in particular. “The only thing that gets done there is by committee and politics. Lisa equals competent engineering.”

Boich and Hertzfeld eyed the performance of the Lisa with the critical air that men once used to inspect tappets and pistons. Boich pressed a button on the mouse and Hertzfeld said as he watched a list appear on the screen, “They’ve got a really ugly font for their menu. I’ve seen it take five minutes to make a menu.”

Boich chuckled. “It thrashes pretty badly.”

“It’s a total misuse of the menu,” Hertzfeld insisted with the air of an offended monk.

“It’s in one of those thrash modes,” Boich said as he waited for a file to appear on the screen. “They’ve got a lot of things to do.”

“We’re never going to have these performance problems,” Hertzfeld said, “but our programs are never going to be this big.”

Engineering manager Bob Belleville, who was watching the scene from the entrance to the cubicle, cautioned quietly, “‘Never’ is not a word I feel real comfortable with.” He said that the comments reminded him of a time when some former colleagues at Xerox, who were developing a laser printer, had greeted the appearance of a machine from a competitor with the comment, “Our specs are much better than that.”

Boich continued to play with the machine, looked at Hertzfeld, and mentioned the Xerox computer that bore some similarities to Lisa. “It’s still as fast as the Star.”

“The Star is an incredible pig. It’s a disaster. It’s unusable,” Hertzfeld said. He pointed at the Lisa and added, “To see how slow it is you should try opening another application.”

“I’m almost afraid to do it.” Boich grinned.

“It’s a tribute to three years of programming when it works,” Hertzfeld said.

THE BEST SALESMEN

The custodians of Apple quickly learned the art of making friends and influencing people. Markkula, who guided Apple’s early contacts with outsiders, used precisely the same technique that Scott employed to manage the internal affairs of the company. Markkula made others help Apple grow. More than any of his colleagues Markkula understood the importance of appearance. The tone of his strategy was summed up in the way he kept prodding Jobs to spruce up his dress. “You judge a book,” Markkula kept repeating to his younger partner, “by its cover.” He recognized the power of gilt-edged associations. He knew that it was more important to lavish attention on a few people rather than many. He understood that reputable investors lent a sheen to a business that was difficult to acquire in any other way and the Regis McKenna Agency demonstrated that a magazine story was cheaper and far more influential than a splashy, multicolored gatefold.

Apple was more a production of the whispering grapevine that linked investors and