Xerox PARC

        When many people today think of Xerox, they probably think of some old printer company. However, since its inception in 1906, they’ve had a few ventures out of their comfort zone and into the world of consumer technology. One of these ventures was the creation of Xerox PARC: Xerox Corporation Palo Alto Research Center. Xerox PARC was initially created in 1970 as a method for diversifying Xerox’s business since all they had to show was their paper copier market (although they had been dominating this market for the past few decades). The location of Palo Alto was chosen as a way to be close to Stanford University, which showed promise in developing the electronics industry and Silicon Valley.

The research center was quick to gather brilliant minds—they assembled a staff full of ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) members and new ideas and innovation found a home at PARC. One of the key developments here was the first personal computer: the Xerox Alto. Through the research and funding at PARC, Xerox was able to create the first personal computer before companies like Apple, Commodore, and IBM. However, even with all these advancements, Xerox was not able to capitalize on the idea (they believed that the consumer PC market was not going to grow) and before they could get a successful product to market, other companies like Apple put forth cheaper machines.

Xerox Alto - The first personal computer with a graphical interface.

Even though PARC was disconnected from the corporate offices up in Rochester, New York (thus resulting in there not being enough communication for Xerox to profit off these ideas), the team of researchers still made countless advancements. For example, in 1975, they were the first to come up with a graphical user interface for personal computers, a design that other companies like Apple would implement in their own machines. Additionally, the world of networking and the Internet may not be as incredible as it is today without the help of the research at Xerox PARC since these researchers invented Ethernet and developed fiber optics cable networks, both of which allow for the Internet to exist in the first place. This new attitude towards electronics and technology during the Cold War and beyond allowed for these industries to flourish and pour resources into the creation of all the technological advancements we see today.

Sources:
https://www.parc.com/about-parc/parc-history/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Xerox-PARC
https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html