"No wires." This simple phrase from Steve Jobs during Apple Airport's debut in 1999 contained more than a decade of history behind it. Follow along as we chart the perilous and unbelievable journey of wireless networking, and hear from the people that were there during it all.

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#apple #networking #technology

00:00 — Leap of faith
00:47 — Beginnings
02:29 — NCR
07:03 — The next decade
08:52 — 802.11b
11:28 — Apple
26:22 — Recreating the past
29:08 — Credits

Huge thanks to:

Bruce, Les, and Doug for their time and candidness!

Computer History Museum for letting us use a portion of their Art Astrin interview conducted back in 2015. Check it out at https://www.computerhistory.org/colle...

References:

Tuch, Bruce. (2023). Interview conducted by Serial Port.
Vogel, Les. (2023). Interview conducted by Serial Port.
Karl, Doug. (2024). Interview conducted by Serial Port.
Lemstra, H., Hayes, V., Groenewegen, J. (2011). The innovation journey of WiFi : the road to global success. Cambridge University Press.
Links, C. (2003). The Spirit of WiFi.
Marconi video. https://www.britannica.com/video/2259...
IEEE 802.11 Photographs. https://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/1...
IEEE 802.11 Archives Documentation. https://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/1...
The Homebrew Computer Club. Acquired by Arkive (2022). https://arkive.net/gallery/homebrewc...
Scholtz, R. A. (1982). The Origin of SpreadSpectrum Communications. IEEE
VOCAL Technologies. 802.11b White Paper.