The HP-01 was HP's unsuccessful attempt at
entering the digital watch market. The
contribution was that this digital watch was also
a calculator. Quite a few were sold, but they
were too hard to use. A "stylus" was included
which was a small pushing tool to push the keys.
This really made the product unacceptable from a
user's standpoint. (Who cares about users?)
 
The display was the red LED emitter type, which
washed out in the sunlight and drained battery
life quickly.
 
The was a lot of controversy about the
requirement for being a piece of fashionable
jewelry versus being a usable, functional
instrument. The product achieved neither, of
course. The electronics were quite start of the
art for the time and reliable, too. If you see
one today, it probably still works.
 
This product was designed by the Advanced
Products Division, which was responsible for
pocket calculators, such the HP-35, 45, 55, 65
and 80. This was in 1974 and 1975. Other
divisions in HP at the time had spurned offers
from Corporate to take on the pocket calculator
products as the products were seen as a mere
flash in the pan, and were not a real part of
computing. Thus, a separate division was set up.
Since the calculator products subsequently became
enormously successful, other ideas like the
"calculator watch" came along.
 
This division was located in Cupertino, CA, at
the time. It was in this division, at just this
point in time, that Steve Wozniak demonstrated
his micro-computer to the management of the
division. The division chose not to puruse this
project, which later became the basis for Apple
Computer. Other projects, like the
"calculator-watch" and a handheld data recorder
that used tapes similar to today's DAT media (but
without the helical scan technology), appeared
more attractive.
 
Andre Marion was the R&D project manager for the
HP-01. Andre later went on to found the very
successful Applied Biosystems. I was the
marketing product manager.
 
Larry Kelly
Kelly Computer Systems
 
 
Mike Millard wrote:
 
>Date:          Thu, 23 Feb 1995 10:02:30 EST
>Subject:       HP4000
>To:            Multiple recipients of list HP3000-L <[log in to unmask]>
>
>[cut - to the chase]
 
Come on, into deflation mode!
 
Who knows what an HP-01 was/is?
                  ^^^^^
Does anyone remember seeing one?
 
[I've seen one, but it certainly was not mine, or belong to where I was working
a t the time]
 
Mike M.
[Macintoys 'R Us^H^H^H^H^HAm I]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Millard,                                ([log in to unmask])
Computer Services,                           (+1-604-986-1911, x2794)
Capilano College,
North Vancouver  BC                          CANADA   V7J 3H5
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