NO WIRES: How the Apple Airport Changed Everything

Summary

This video delves into the intricate history of wireless networking, highlighting the pioneering efforts of Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil in developing spread spectrum technology during WWII. It traces the evolution from military use to civilian applications, leading to the FCC's 1985 ruling that unlocked unlicensed frequency bands. The narrative focuses on Bruce Tuck's work at NCR, the creation of the Waveland wireless system, and the formation of the 802.11 standard under Vic Hayes. Apple's game-changing introduction of the AirPort, which made wireless technology accessible and affordable, is a key highlight, showcasing how it spurred a wireless revolution and transformed home networking.

Takeaways

• 📡 The history of wireless communication dates back to the late 19th century, with early techniques like spread spectrum developed to minimize radio interference and avoid jamming.
• 🎭 Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil patented a secret communication system using spread spectrum during World War II, which was later declassified and became the foundation for modern wireless networking.
• 🛠️ Spread spectrum technology was classified as military technology until 1981, and in 1985, the FCC allowed its use in the ISM bands without a license, paving the way for wireless networking.
• 💡 Bruce Tuck, an electrical engineer at NCR, played a pivotal role in the development of wireless networking by creating a prototype wireless transceiver for retail stores, leading to the concept of a wireless local area network (WLAN).
• 🔄 The Barker code, discovered by Hans Van de Lune, was key to achieving higher data rates in wireless transmissions, allowing for the development of faster wireless networks.
• 🏢 NCR's Vic Hayes was instrumental in the formation of the 802.11 working group, which was responsible for creating the first wireless networking standard, setting the stage for widespread adoption.
• 💼 The 802.11 standard faced initial challenges with interoperability and high costs, but the industry eventually rallied around a common standard, leading to the development of 802.11b.
• 🍎 Apple's introduction of the iBook and the Airport, under Steve Jobs' leadership, marked a significant milestone in making wireless networking mainstream, with a focus on simplicity and affordability.
• 🔧 The collaboration between Apple, Lucent, and Doug Carl was crucial in developing the Airport's hardware and software, overcoming technical challenges to meet Apple's aggressive timeline.
• 🚀 The success of the Airport and the subsequent widespread adoption of 802.11b demonstrated the power of taking bold risks in technology, as Apple's commitment to wireless networking reshaped the industry.

Q & A

What is the significance of spread spectrum technology in wireless communication?

Spread spectrum technology is significant in wireless communication as it spreads the transmission of information over a wider range of frequencies, making it more resistant to interference and jamming, and also providing secrecy since the transmission appears as noise to outside observers.

Who are Hedy Lamar and George Antheil, and what is their contribution to wireless communication?

Hedy Lamar and George Antheil were an actress and composer, respectively, who developed a patented secret communication system using spread spectrum technology during World War II. Their system was designed to minimize radio interference and avoid jamming.

Why was spread spectrum technology classified as military technology until 1981?

Spread spectrum technology was classified as military technology due to its advantages in secrecy and resistance to jamming, which were crucial for military communications. It was declassified and allowed for civilian use after 1981.

What prompted NCR to explore wireless technology for their cash registers?

NCR explored wireless technology to connect their cash registers and terminals to back office computers without cables, thus avoiding the need to drill holes in their clients' floors after redesigning store layouts.

What was the role of Bruce Tuck in the development of wireless networking at NCR?

Bruce Tuck, an electrical engineer specializing in analog RF design, was hired by NCR to help design cost reduction for their wired internet system. He later contributed to the feasibility study and prototype development of a wireless transceiver using direct sequence spread spectrum for retail stores.

How did the Barker code contribute to the development of wireless networking?

The Barker code was a method of encoding a single bit of data in a wireless transmission that allowed for higher data rates without sacrificing range and resistance to interference, which was crucial for the application in retail stores that NCR was developing.

What was the significance of the 802.11 working group and its formation?

The 802.11 working group was significant as it was responsible for creating the 802.11 standard, which laid the foundation for modern wireless local area networks. The formation of this group marked the beginning of a standardized approach to wireless networking.

Why was the release of the first 802.11 standard considered 'too little, too late' by some?

The first 802.11 standard was considered 'too little, too late' because by the time it was published in 1997, there were already many proprietary wireless products in the market, and the standard did not gain immediate popularity or widespread adoption.

What was the role of Apple in popularizing wireless networking with the introduction of the Airport?

Apple played a pivotal role in popularizing wireless networking by introducing the Airport, which was a user-friendly and affordable solution that came pre-installed in Apple devices. This move by Apple helped to accelerate the adoption of wireless technology in the mainstream market.

How did the collaboration between Apple, Lucent, and Doug Carl lead to the development of the Airport product line?

The collaboration between Apple, Lucent, and Doug Carl led to the development of the Airport product line through a combination of Apple's vision for simplifying home networking, Lucent's wireless technology, and Doug Carl's efficient embedded software. This partnership resulted in a product that was both innovative and accessible to consumers.

Outlines

00:00

📡 The Evolution of Wireless Networking

The script begins by challenging the notion that progress is driven by sudden breakthroughs, instead emphasizing the gradual process of trial and error. It delves into the history of wireless communication, dating back to the late 19th century, with a focus on the development of spread spectrum technology. This technology, which spreads transmissions over a wide frequency range to minimize interference and enhance secrecy, was famously used by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil during World War II. The script then transitions to the 1980s, discussing the FCC's decision to allow unlicensed use of spread spectrum in certain frequency bands, paving the way for new wireless applications.

05:01

🛠️ The Pioneering Work of Bruce Tuck and the Birth of Wireless LAN

The narrative shifts to Bruce Tuck, an electrical engineer at NCR, who was tasked with exploring the use of direct sequence spread spectrum for retail applications. Tuck and his team developed a wireless transceiver prototype that operated in the 900 MHz band, capable of transmitting at 500 kilobits per second. The script highlights the discovery of the Barker code by Hans Von Drube, which allowed for higher data rates and resistance to interference. This breakthrough led Tuck to realize the potential of creating a wireless local area network (WLAN) that could work with existing protocols, setting the stage for the development of wireless standards.

10:01

🏢 The Corporate Journey Towards Wireless Standardization

This section discusses the formation of the 802.11 working group, led by Vic Hayes of NCR, which aimed to create a wireless standard based on NCR's Waveland design. The script outlines the challenges faced by the group, including the need for interoperability and the competition with other wireless technologies. It details the process of standardization, including the formation of the 802.11b standard, which was nearly derailed by a contentious vote between Harris Semiconductor and Microor. The script also touches on the impact of AT&T's acquisition of NCR and the subsequent creation of Lucent, which inherited the Waveland technology.

15:01

🍎 Apple's Bold Leap into Wireless Technology

The script recounts Apple's entry into the wireless market with the iBook, which was code-named '$7.99' after the target cell price. Apple's vision for the iBook included home networking capabilities, and after considering various technologies, they settled on wireless as the best solution. The narrative follows the collaboration between Apple and Lucent, which was tasked with developing a wireless card and access point for the iBook. The story highlights the challenges faced, including the need to meet Steve Jobs' aggressive price point and the technical hurdles that had to be overcome, such as the metallic paint that interfered with the access point's functionality.

20:01

🚀 The Launch of Apple Airport and Its Industry Impact

This section describes the development and launch of Apple's Airport product, which included both the wireless card and the base station. The script details the collaboration between Apple, Lucent, and Doug Carl, who provided the embedded software for the wireless card. It outlines the technical specifications of the Airport, including its use of the 802.11b standard and the inclusion of a 56k dialup modem. The narrative culminates in the successful unveiling of the Airport at Macworld, where Steve Jobs demonstrated its capabilities live on stage. The script also discusses the industry's reaction to Apple's move, with competitors like Michael Dell being caught off guard and the 802.11b standard's eventual approval, solidifying Apple's leadership in the wireless market.

25:03

🌐 The Legacy of Wireless Networking and the Future Ahead

The final section of the script reflects on the legacy of wireless networking, from its early days of connecting cash registers to the widespread adoption of 802.11 technology in homes and businesses. It acknowledges the contributions of pioneers like Bruce Tuck and the visionaries at Apple, who took a bold risk in embedding wireless technology in their products. The script concludes by celebrating the innovation and perseverance that have made wireless networking an integral part of modern life, and it looks forward to the continued evolution of this technology.

Keywords

💡Wireless networking

Wireless networking refers to the communication between devices without the use of cables. In the context of the video, wireless networking is the central theme, highlighting the evolution and development of technologies that allow data transmission without physical connections. The script discusses the history of wireless communication, starting from the late 19th century and leading up to the creation of wireless local area networks (WLANs).

💡Spread Spectrum

Spread Spectrum is a technique used in wireless communication to spread the transmission of information over a wider range of frequencies. This technique was utilized by Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil during World War II for secret communication systems. In the video, Spread Spectrum is mentioned as a foundational technology that allows for the minimization of radio interference and avoidance of radio jamming, which is crucial for the development of wireless networks.

💡FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a U.S. government agency responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by wire and radio in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. In the script, the FCC is noted for its landmark ruling in 1985 that allowed the use of Spread Spectrum techniques without a license in certain frequency bands, which opened up opportunities for the development of wireless technologies.

💡National Cash Register (NCR)

NCR, or National Cash Register, is an American company that was involved in the development of early wireless technologies. The video script mentions NCR as the employer of Bruce Tuck, an electrical engineer who worked on wireless communication systems. NCR's involvement in wireless technology is highlighted by their work on direct sequence spread spectrum for retail applications, which is a significant part of the wireless networking history.

💡Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum is a modulation technique used in wireless communication that spreads the signal over a wider frequency band. The video discusses how NCR conducted a feasibility study to determine if DSSS could be used in retail environments to connect terminals and cash registers wirelessly, which was a precursor to modern wireless LANs.

💡Barker code

The Barker code is a method of encoding a single bit of data in a wireless transmission, allowing for higher data rates with good range and resistance to interference. In the script, it is mentioned that Hans Von Drun found the Barker code to be key to achieving higher data rates in wireless transmissions, which was essential for the advancement of wireless networking technology.

💡802.11

802.11 is a set of IEEE standards for wireless local area networks (WLANs). The video script details the formation of the 802.11 working group and its role in creating a standard for wireless communication. The development of 802.11 marked a significant milestone in making wireless networking interoperable and accessible to a broader range of devices.

💡Lucent

Lucent Technologies, a spin-off from AT&T, is mentioned in the script as the company that continued the development of wireless networking technology, particularly the Waveland range. Lucent played a crucial role in the development of the 802.11 standard and later supplied Apple with the wireless networking components for the iBook, demonstrating the commercialization of wireless technology.

💡Airport

Airport, in the context of the video, refers to Apple's line of wireless networking hardware products, including the Airport Card and Airport Base Station. The video highlights the Airport's introduction as a pivotal moment that brought wireless networking to the mainstream, with Apple's commitment to embedding wireless technology in its devices and simplifying home networking for consumers.

💡Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., is mentioned as a key figure in the video for his vision and the strategic decisions he made regarding wireless technology. Jobs' insistence on including wireless networking in Apple products, such as the iBook, and his negotiations with Lucent to supply wireless components at a low cost, exemplify his influence on the adoption and普及 of wireless networking.

Highlights

The history of wireless communication dates back to the late 19th century, with early techniques like spread Spectrum being developed to minimize radio interference and avoid jamming.

Hedy Lamar and George Antheil patented a secret communication system using spread Spectrum during World War II, which was classified as military technology until 1981.

In 1985, the FCC allowed spread Spectrum to be used without a license in certain frequency bands, paving the way for new wireless applications.

Bruce Tuck, an electrical engineer at NCR, developed a wireless transceiver prototype for retail stores, operating in the 900 MHz band.

The use of the Barker code allowed for higher data rates in wireless transmissions, reaching up to 2 megabits per second with good range and interference resistance.

NCR's Vic Hayes played a pivotal role in the formation of the 802.11 working group, which aimed to create a new wireless standard.

The first 802.11 standard was published in 1997, but it took time for the technology to gain widespread acceptance due to competing standards and high costs.

Apple's Steve Jobs envisioned a future where wireless networking was integral, leading to the development of the iBook with built-in wireless capabilities.

Lucent Technologies, which had acquired NCR, was approached by Apple to supply wireless networking technology for the iBook at a significantly reduced cost.

Doug Carl, a pioneer in wireless Ethernet bridges, was instrumental in developing the software for Apple's wireless products, ensuring high efficiency and performance.

The Apple Airport was introduced in 1999, featuring a user-friendly design and affordable pricing, which helped to popularize wireless networking.

The Airport's success demonstrated the potential of wireless technology, leading to rapid advancements and widespread adoption across the industry.

The 802.11 standard has evolved significantly, now supporting multi-gigabit data rates and playing a crucial role in how we use our devices today.

The story of wireless networking is one of innovation, collaboration, and the vision of pioneers like Steve Jobs, who recognized the potential of wireless technology early on.

The dedication of engineers and the bold decisions of companies like Apple and Lucent have shaped the wireless landscape we enjoy today.

Transcripts

[Music]

we often like to think of sudden

breakthroughs and Eureka moments as the

drivers of progress but these are really

the exception they obtain greater

Fidelity and stability more often there

is a long drawn out process of peac Mill

advances setbacks and struggles that

eventually add up to something greater

but even when something revolutionary

seems like it's within our grasp it

still requires a leap of

faith so today on the serial Port we're

exploring the surprisingly complicated

and contentious history of Wireless

networking we'll be looking at a device

that no one saw coming and talking to

the people that made it

[Music]

happen the history of wireless

communication goes back to the late 19th

century but even during these very early

days people were figuring out how to

both minimize radio interference and

avoid radio

jamming one of the techniques that

emerged is known as spread Spectrum this

was famously utilized by Hollywood

actress and inventor Hedy Lamar and

composer George antile in their

development of a patented secret

communication system in 1941 during the

height of World War II spread Spectrum

works as the name suggests by spreading

the transmission of information which

would normally be in a relatively narrow

band over a wider range of frequencies

the rece if they know the modulation

scheme can then despread the

transmission to extract the information

to an outside Observer the transmission

may look just like noise which has

obvious advantages for secrecy the

technique also helps avoid radio jamming

because the transmission is spread

across a wider bandwidth which can make

some radio jamming techniques

ineffective spread Spectrum was actually

classified as military technology until

1981 and in 1985 the FCC issued a

landmar Mark ruling allowing the

technique to be used without a license

in the ism or industrial scientific and

medical frequency bands these included

the frequencies around 9915 MHz 2.4 GHz

and 5.8 GHz and with the newly open

bands available for unlicensed activity

and spread Spectrum authorized for

civilian use it didn't take long for new

applications to

appear

in 1986 just a year after the FCC ruling

Bruce Tuck an electrical engineer that

specialized in analog RF design

responded to a job posting from a

company called National cash register or

NCR founded in Dayton Ohio in the late

19th century NCR manufactured the first

ever mechanical cash register invented

by James ridy and in the 1950s they got

their start in computers and electronics

and even jointly developed the scuzzy

interface in

1982 however tuck was hired for his RF

expertise at their utre facility in the

Netherlands first project I was doing

there was you know I I came because of

the carrot of Wireless research but uh

the first thing was actually a very

standardized wir based internet you know

NCR had cash registers connected so you

could call it their sort of inra net I

guess and it was done over wire and I

was there to help design some of the

cost reduction ship report it was like 1

megabit per second over twist the P

that's when NCR began a feasibility

study to determine if something called

direct sequence spread Spectrum which is

a spread Spectrum modulation technique

could be used in retail department

stores their clients wanted to connect

their Terminals and cash registers to

the back office computers without cables

so that they did not need to drill holes

in their shiny marble floors after

redesigning store layouts so so tuck and

his colleagues created a prototype

wireless transceiver as a result of the

study it operated in the 900 MHz band

and transmitted at 500 kilobits a second

but even higher data rates were possible

a colleague of tux Hans Von D found that

using something called The Barker code

was the key to higher data rates without

delving into too much technical detail

here this was a method of encoding a

single bit of data in a wireless

transmission that allowed data rates to

reach upward of 2 megabits per second

with excellent range and resistance to

interference exactly what they needed

for their application at the time and

after this breakthrough tuck had a

realization you know this this is really

really a wireless local area network

right the prospect of creating a

wireless land was enticing but tuck knew

that whatever they built it had to work

with existing protocols that was for me

interesting to look at to make

strategically whenever we do we have to

make sure that we build something that

doesn't require tcpip to be changed uh

you know how does bridging work and

could we do something that's a wireless

bridge and make it look like any other

Bridge so on people plug this in

eventually they just think hey I know

how to do this on ethernet and I could

do it on wessy theet but to get this

kind of interoperability a standard

would be needed so how do you do that

and and and try to do that in a

propriatary way we thought wasn't the

way to go because one of the things with

wireless connectivity is you need you

need to either own the whole system

right to have things communicate or or

make sure the ego system is there so if

you're building a radio and someone else

is building a different radio if they

don't communicate with each other then

you get in these feef Stones right and

all of a sudden there's not

interoperability then you have to be the

biggest player to make sure that this

becomes a big system so I would say no

you know this will be better to have uh

this as a standard that's when ncr's Vic

Hayes got involved with the 8024 L

working group of the i e standards

organization the same place where the

ethernet standards were formulated 82.4

L was formed to investigate whether the

token bus standard could be extended to

include Wireless but after determining

that neither token bus nor the existing

ethernet standard would be a good fit

Hast submitted a request to create a new

one and on September 10th of 1990 at a

GM plan in ashaa Canada the 802.11

working group was formed with Vic Hayes

as the elected chairman the meetings

that week included dozens of

participants from NCR Toshiba Motorola

IBM and many other companies wanting to

be involved in the formation of the new

wireless standard and amazingly the

handwritten diagrams and notes are still

available to see from this first meeting

the working group would use ncr's design

now coined Waveland as a basis for the

emerging standard but their work was

just getting

started in 1990 NCR released their first

Waveland products at networld interop in

Dallas Texas Waveland operated at 9915

MHz over one Wireless Channel with a

maximum data rate of 2 megabits per

second and in 1991 NCR was acquired by

AT&T and they continued to developed the

Waveland range throughout the

9s with the technology now out in the

wild but still no official standard the

next few years produced a bevy of new

wireless products these include products

like the deck rout access point a design

licensed from NCR then there was aeronet

AR land with both 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz

versions proxim developed their

rangeland line starting in 1991 and

symol Technologies had their own

Spectrum 24 system as well but there was

a problem many of these systems were not

interoperable with one another despite

all of these companies having a presence

in the 802.11 working

group and the prices were

astronomical while there were some

successful applications of these early

Wireless Solutions PC manufacturers were

apprehensive and few showed any interest

due to the sheer number of proprietary

Solutions in the market and the high

price points and in 1996 AT&T

restructured and created Lucent which

The Wire less land groups now fell under

and among these setbacks and changes the

first 802.11 standard was finally

published on November 18th of 1997 with

little to no Fanfare and was some saying

it was too little too

[Music]

late in over the years the 82.1 working

group had grown tremendously in size and

scope there were competing standards

like home RF and hyperland supported by

different camps of Manufacturers which

were vying to gain control on the

marketplace and claim wiress superiority

8021 at that time was getting a little

bit more popular it was still not there

but we realized we had to break the 10

megabit barrier and it all came to a

head in May of

1998 the working group met for their buy

annual interim meeting at a Holiday Inn

in utre Netherlands part of the agenda

was to vote on ad

211b an extension of the original

standard which would support an 11

megabits per second data rate proposals

of how to achieve this higher speed were

put forth by several companies

represented in the working group

lucent's proposal had been voted down so

two contenders were left one from Harris

semiconductor and another from micore a

relative newcomer to the

scene the voting was split almost evenly

with microor edging out Harris by a

single vote vote this was thrown into

chaos though as a product manager from

3com stood up and contested the entire

voting procedure claiming that members

had voted along quote party or in this

case manufacturer lines this was against

the spirit of the I rules which state

that votes must be for what the voter

considers to be the best technical

proposal regardless of who put it forth

and according to the 3com product

manager this was undoubtedly Harris's

solution after this the meeting erupted

in conflict and went quote down in

flames and the working group itself was

nearly torn apart by these events

however cooler heads prevailed as

representatives from both Lucent and

Harris set down to reach a compromise

solution and actually the compromise

technology turned out to be I think

better than either one so that's doesn't

necessarily it's not necessarily the

case usually that when you compromise it

comes out better the end result was

something called complim lary code

keying or cck this was a new modulation

scheme that not only improved

performance over Harris's original

proposal but decreased complexity in the

original Lucent scheme with the solution

now in hand what

802.11b really needed was the right

company one willing to be bold to take a

risk and introduce Wireless to a wired

world

there has been so much that's happened

in terms

of network computing as an example that

Apple's completely missed out on Steve

Jobs had been back at Apple as interim

CEO since September of

1997 his mission was to bring the

company back from the brink of

bankruptcy and part of that plan was

resting on simplifying their product

lineup jobs devised a new product road

map consisting of four

quadrants a desktop and portable meant

for

consumers and a desktop and portable for

professionals these would be the four

new systems that would help reinvent

Apple for the 21st

century around this time Les vogle a

software engineer who had been working

on the recently shuttered Apple Newton

project moved to the new group

responsible for the consumer portable

this would eventually become the iBook

but internally it had a different

moniker the original code name was

$7.99 which was the target cell

price now we couldn't figure out how to

build it for $799 let alone sell it for

$7.99 vogle had known Steve Jobs and

Steve wnc since he was a teenager having

met them through Alex camad who ran call

computer in the early '70s both Bogle

actually started working at call

computer at the age of 15 and later

attended meetings of The Homebrew

Computer Club Bogle eventually became an

early customer of wnc was upgraded my HP

35 to an HP

55 I believe I gave him money for that

vogle had originally been tasked to work

on implementing the CPU on the iBook

which was now internally referred to as

P1 however Apple wanted something to

differentiate the new system we wanted

to have home

networking so we looked at uh every

technology we could we looked at uh

infrared we looked at power line and we

looked at uh Wireless but these other

Technologies all had insurmountable

shortcomings so it came to wireless but

I had been doing the research for uh

Wireless and it kind of got to the point

where

if we were going to do it someone had to

be leading this project and so I asked

to lead it and

Mantia

CPU which people told me was crazy but

uh I'm like Wireless is more

important Fogle then recommended that

Apple rehire Dick Allen who he knew from

Apple's Advanced Technology Group Allan

had a presence on the 802.11 working

group and jobs asked him to find the

best inclass Wireless solution for the

iBook Allan then brought on Art Astron

to help with the hardware engineering

and

Manufacturing Allan knew that the

802.11b standard was close to being

completed he also knew Bruce tuck and

had the confidence in loosen that their

wireless radio development was the most

advanced with apple involved what

happened there is you know Apple was

talking to us that sometime before I got

a call from uh Dick Allen he used to be

uh in California he had a startup

phonics and he was doing Wireless

infrared and so then he called me up and

goes Bruce you know I like your models

and stuff and I know you're doing a chip

are do are you doing the new standard

chip for 11 megabit that's going to fit

the standard I go yeah we're we're going

to do that right so I morphed thought

our technology we were doing our own

chip that got changed and we're now

doing the standard chip and he said okay

are you almost done yes are you going to

you know sell that product to other

people yet not yet we're not ready good

so he says you know cuz got hired by by

Steve to uh look at Wireless and I says

I know you're Bruce and I think your

stuff is good so let's see what happens

and then he hung up you know and then

all a sudden Ripple fact you know art

Astron then went to utre to meet with

the Lucent team I remember flying their

first month to Holland and meeting with

the whole team and they were also very

depressed

demoralized cuz they already been at it

for like 10 years and uh they had a

product line called Waveland which was a

PC

board and an

access uh point which was basically a

PC like a rack moded PC with hard drives

and two slots for PCM CIA

cards and he was offered offered to sell

it to us for

$1,500 not exactly an apple price point

and Steve just

went okay we'll talk to you later

despite this high price point a meeting

was scheduled with apple and Lucent on

April 20th in

1998 prior to the meeting the Lucent

group gathered together at the

Peppermill Lounge in copertino just

across from Apple's headquarters to

formulate a plan for Success the CEO of

Lucent Rich mcin had shown little

interest in Wireless networking and was

mainly concentrated on multi-billion

dollar deals with OS at the time but he

was a quick student and after a brief

briefing he was able to talk about

Wireless technology like a seasoned Pro

and they headed across the street to

Apple

HQ the difference between the two groups

could not have been more Stark with the

formal business attire of Lucent

contrasted against the California style

Birkenstock wearing Apple crew there was

one notable person missing though Steve

Jobs the room fell into an awkward

silence but thankfully jobs finally

walked in needing no introduction jobs

immediately took over the meeting laying

out his vision for the iBook and why it

was the right time for wireless as case

links a manager at Lucent pointed out

presenting to jobs was easy as he would

often do the talking and explanation for

you and that's when jobs dropped the

bomb Lucent would Supply the wireless

Nick to Apple for

$50 the room fell silent jobs stood up

and

left this was a Monumental challenge for

Lucent they had to deliver not only the

new 802.11b Nick but the access point as

well and both of these had to be done by

the spring of

1999 but luckily for Lucent they had an

ace up their sleeve in the form of Doug

Carl

okay

Carl was a pioneer of Wireless to

ethernet Bridges first developing them

at Ohio State University to help link

buildings across campus using early NCR

Wireless Nicks exactly like the one we

saw earlier this later morphed into his

own company called carlet which provided

Wireless Bridges firewalls and

specialized in outdoor Wireless

technology so because of that work that

we've been doing with the NCR card

somehow we got the attention of the NCR

uh corporation which was in uh Holland

in the Netherlands and um got a call or

something email I don't know that a

couple NCR guys were going to stop by

OSU and see what we're doing after

attempting their own in-house software

development NCR turned to Carl who ended

up developing the embedded software for

many of their Wireless products

throughout the 90s the secret to Carl's

success was his embedded software which

was extremely efficient and the the Reon

reason that it worked which was a pro

and a con for for the software package

at the time was the curl was written in

highly optimized assembler 386 assembler

and the reason that that was is because

the project that it came out of had to

do full wire speed uh ethernet to

ethernet and with without fail that it

supported it it fronted all of the labs

and buildings that we had at the

University because we had a need for

that of of packet filtering a bridging

you know firewall thing at the at the

border of each building and so we had to

handle a lot of traffic and the only way

I could get that to happen is by re I

had an oscilloscope on the motherboard

watching the timing of every one of the

instructions and how long it took from

one packet to another to actually

process that and where I mean it was fun

but it was it was very detailed and in

1998 NCR then loosened asked him if he

could help on a project for a consumer

device but little did he know at the

time it was for Apple so we negotiated

price for that which I they they never

told me who it was they just said well

we'll probably get our volume up and I

was like great if the volume goes up

that's great so we got a little bit of a

one-time development cost and then well

then they said oh okay well that's fine

we signed the contract and they said

well it's for Apple it's a consumer item

it's they're shipping all around the

World there'll be hundreds of thousands

of them and I'm like oh you know crap

with the cat out of the bag Carl

provided Lucent with a list of required

components necessary to implement his

software the Lucent developed access

point was powered by a single board

computer with the AMD Elon SC 400 a

processor based on the

486 and Lucent used their newly

developed 802.11b compliant PC mcia

wireless card as the radio the access

point could be connected to an ex

existing wired land but with Broadband

still Out Of Reach for most households

an apple developed 56k dialup modem was

included as well and then there was the

product design itself Astron worked with

Johnny IV Apple's legendary design Chief

to come up with the physical design of

the access point which was actually

inspired by a mushroom shaped lamp in

astron's office and with all three

companies rushing to meet the deadline

there were a number of challenges close

to production tuck received a phone call

from Allan complaining that the access

point was not working what do you mean

it's not working well I turned it on and

it doesn't work and it turns out that

the the paint they used was metallic so

it didn't work because he had a faraday

cage with our antenna inside there I say

he go I go hey this is not going to work

dick you know and it was a secret I

couldn't see what the casing was right

that was why he says yeah I know I know

but the that we can't I said you have to

tell you go we can't change it because

you know Steve you know he he accepted

it if you tell them something as reality

Distortion field he'll tell you to

change the little Wars of Nature and so

so so what what they did eventually they

found their paint guys and they found a

paint that was plastic in the

composition that had the same glossy

look so that was able to be done so

let's just show you the development

scenarios going on there with that

crisis averted the airport was ready to

debut but Apple had gone one step

further they had so much faith in

Wireless that they built antennas into

every single device from that point

forward they were betting big on

wireless and this could be either apple

and Steve Jobs next world changing

Innovation or a Monumental

fumble so on July 21st of 1999 the

airport was ready to be unveiled at

macworld except there was a last minute

problem just before doors for the

announcement we couldn't get anything to

work Steve was like well we'll just not

announce it then at the last minute I

noticed that the router the lights on it

were going crazy I'm

like who's using it and we finally found

in the Green Room that um Frank

covo had been streaming QuickTime movies

be called doors and we figured out we're

just going to go with it live and hope

that it works

and we stopped Frank from

streaming and it did work with job

signature flare after debuting the new

iBook to the crowd he said well but

there is one more thing there is one

more thing Let me just show this to you

for a minute okay I'm going to go to CNN

interactive here and uh see what's on

CNN oh there's CNN you can see uh and uh

maybe I'll go to Disney here you know I

can I can come over here let me show

them the uh show show these guys how

work come on over here you want to skip

behind me then yeah uh so uh I can just

go to disney.com

[Applause]

here oh you notice

something thank

you you notic

uh

no

wires no

why the airport card would sell for a

near unbelievable $99 in the base

station for

$299 far lower than anyone in the

industry thought possible and it sold in

huge numbers their first day saw

150,000 units sold another 150k that

second day and again on the third day

the demand was so high that they had to

shut down online orders on the fourth

day after launch the question of whether

the public was ready for wireless had

been answered and it was a resounding

affirmation of Apple's big betat the

airport kickstarted the next generation

of Wireless into overdrive and the PC

industry was scrambling to play catchup

Michael Dell was reportedly Furious that

apple had beaten Dell and in fact the

enti higher PC market to the punch and

shortly after the airport's release

802.11b was finally approved on

September 16th

1999 the 80211 working group now at

nearly 100 members celebrated this

achievement in Santa Rosa California

with Vic Hayes still at the helm as

working group

chairman the history of Wireless is

complicated with twists and turns

successes and failur years but here we

are today where 802.11 signals are

nearly as ubiquitous as sunlight from

its meager Beginnings at 2 megabits per

second and now supporting multi- gigabit

data rates 802.11 completely transformed

how we use our devices and freed the

local area network from the confines of

the wire but so much of its success is

due to the airport and the company that

took a bold risk embedding it all on

wireless that whole saying I'm going to

come out first a company like apple was

willing to take that risk of saying I'm

going to put it as you know in every PC

it has to be this price and uh and we're

going to create the market but I would

say that was a important Reflection

Point where Apple you know launched and

it was it and then everyone else got on

the bang wagon right I think Apple was

the right company because we worked hard

to simplify it our goal was to solve

home networking we just wanted it to be

easy so to celebrate this incredible

device we're setting up our very own

Apple airport to dial in the serial Port

ISP so that we can recreate the magic of

discovering Wireless for the first

time all right let's try to connect

wireless

graphite

connect

C

and we did it we're online and connected

to the internet with the

airport it's incredible that this really

all started with wanting to wirelessly

connect cash registers back in the80s

and all of these devices that are in

millions of households today can trace

their routs back to the airport and it's

thanks to the dedication and passion of

the pioneers of wireless and the

audacity of people like Steve Jobs that

were willing to take a leap of

faith to change our

world thanks for watching the serial

port and we'll see you next

time