For the first time, a computer mouse was demonstrated in 1968. It happened during a live broadcast. It was the father of computer technology, Douglas Engelbart, who gave this presentation.
Years later, his inventions—one of the first computer mice and a set of coding keys—were auctioned for $178,936.Like the two predecessors of this "tech beast," this one was sold at RRAuction in Boston.
If we turn to history, the prototype used in the iconic "Mother of All Demonstrations" in 1968 impressed everyone. And in the early 1970s, most of the inventor's team ended up at Xerox PARC, where they continued research on human-computer interaction and constantly improved their inventions.
But one day, during a tour of the research center, Engelbart's gadget was seen by Steve Jobs. He was impressed by the user-friendliness of this device. However, in the end, it had to connect to Apple computers.
A little later, the tech giant received a license for Engelbart's mouse patent, for which the company paid $ 40,000. However, it was decided to change the appearance of the gadget, and Jobs hired the design firm IDEO to conduct an advertising campaign for the device among potential consumers.
And if we return to the small record holder that was sold at the RRAuction in Boston, auction experts are convinced that Engelbart's rare legacy has only a few units. And almost all of them are in private collections.
Source: noworries.news
