The Lonesome Tale of Burrell Smith

This will be my last "introduction of the iPhone" post. Promise.

I have been mixed up with computers since 1979 and have religiously followed the characters of the Silicon Valley since 1982. I know the history of Apple particularly well, especially around the creation of the Macintosh. Thus, I've become acquainted with the stories of the players in that story.

Let me introduce you to three players in particular, numbered below. 1 is Andy Hertzfeld, one of the software geniuses on the original team (He works at Google now). 2 is Bill Atkinson, another of the software geniuses (he invented Hypercard, created the original MacPaint program, started General Magic, and is now an acclaimed photographer). And 3 is Burrell Smith, considered the hardware genius behind the product.


Here's another photo of them, taken on the day the Macintosh was unveiled. You can see how exuberant they look. Notice another circled face, that of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.


Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since those photos were taken (incredibly...) So fast-forward to the present.....well, last Friday, when I was hanging around the Palo Alto Apple store. And look who wanders in......none other than Steve Jobs!

Now, you've got to recognize what a big deal this is. It's iPhone day. And this store is the epicenter of techies and geek-freaks. And Steve Jobs shows up. It would be like having a unveiling of a major new edition of the Bible and God beams down for a visit. You can imagine the reaction. So in this clip you see him checking out the store and deciding to go back across the street to grab his wife and bring her in too.


And once they are in the store, Jobs immediately sees the aforementioned Andy Hertzfeld (who, 30 seconds into the clip, you can hear saying "Bill stayed here all night", referring to Atkinson) and, at 1:00 into the clip, you can see Jobs amble over to Atkinson to chat with him a while. So it's like a micro-reunion.


So where was Burrell? That, to me, is kind of the sad part.

My understanding is that after the Macintosh-crazed 80s, he ran into some issues. Suffice it to say that I see him on the street at least a couple of times a month. He has a very long beard, partly grey. He walks at a quick pace, but looking at the sidewalk the entire time. And, to a random stranger, he might even look like a homeless guy (although I'm pretty sure he's living comfortably and likes to make regular jaunts to Whole Foods to get out and about).

What's striking to me is that most people would really assume he's just another homeless guy, without realizing what a major figure this person was in computers - and the Mac in particular - today. And his absence from all the excitement in the video above just reminded me of the juxtaposition. Because as the accidental reunion was taking place, their missing member was probably alone, walking to the grocery store, stare affixed to the sidewalk, destined to pick up another quart of milk.