Jerry Manock
Encyclopedia
Jerrold C. Manock is an American industrial design
er. He worked for Apple Computer from 1977 to 1984, contributing to housing designs for the Apple II
, Apple III
, and earlier compact Apple Macintosh computers. Manock is widely regarded as the "father" of the Apple Industrial Design Group
. Since 1976 he is the president and principal designer of Manock Comprehensive Design, Inc., with offices in Palo Alto, California
, and Burlington, Vermont
.
, where he earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering
in 1966 and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering–Product Design in 1968. For his master's project, he worked on a device to aid in percussion-drainage therapy for children with cystic fibrosis
.
From 1968 to 1972 Manock worked as a product design engineer in the Microwave Division of Hewlett-Packard
, Palo Alto, California. From 1972 to 1975 he was chief mechanical engineer at Telesensory Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto. He then worked as a freelance product design consultant; in 1977 he took on Apple Computer as a client and consulted on the product design and mechanical engineering of the Apple II personal computer
.
, Manock designed the "Cuisinart
-inspired" upright casing for the Apple III computer, which necessitated a detached keyboard
. Manock also worked on the Disk II
, Disk III, and Apple Lisa
office computer.
In January 1981, when Jobs became manager of the Macintosh project, he brought in Manock and Terry Oyama to design the computer housing. According to Jason O'Grady in Apple Inc., Manock was "hand-picked" by Jef Raskin
to work on the Macintosh design team. In a 1984 interview, Manock said that the initial design goal was for a computer housing with "portability", but that idea was replaced by the design goal of "minimal desk space". As a result, the design team created a keyboard that was smaller than the width of the computer. Manock himself contributed the idea of using icons
on the outside of the machine rather than English
words to make the Macintosh more international. This style was mirrored in the ROM
, which used icons instead of English-language directions, such as a frowning face when the computer needed to reboot
and a smiling face indicating booting
.
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
er. He worked for Apple Computer from 1977 to 1984, contributing to housing designs for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, Apple III
Apple III
The Apple III is a business-oriented personal computer produced and released by Apple Computer that was intended as the successor to the Apple II series, but largely considered a failure in the market. Development work on the Apple III started in late 1978 under the guidance of Dr. Wendell Sander...
, and earlier compact Apple Macintosh computers. Manock is widely regarded as the "father" of the Apple Industrial Design Group
Apple Industrial Design Group
The Apple Industrial Design Group is the industrial design arm of Apple Inc. responsible for crafting the appearance of all Apple products, including the Apple Macintosh computer line.-History:...
. Since 1976 he is the president and principal designer of Manock Comprehensive Design, Inc., with offices in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, and Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
.
Education and career
Manock attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
in 1966 and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering–Product Design in 1968. For his master's project, he worked on a device to aid in percussion-drainage therapy for children with cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
.
From 1968 to 1972 Manock worked as a product design engineer in the Microwave Division of Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, Palo Alto, California. From 1972 to 1975 he was chief mechanical engineer at Telesensory Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto. He then worked as a freelance product design consultant; in 1977 he took on Apple Computer as a client and consulted on the product design and mechanical engineering of the Apple II personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
Apple Design Team
Manock joined Apple in 1979 as corporate manager of product design. Working under the direction of Steve JobsSteve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, Manock designed the "Cuisinart
Cuisinart
Cuisinart is a brand for small kitchen appliances, especially the food processor of the same name, one of the first to become popular in the United States. It was founded by Carl Sontheimer in 1971, and became a leading brand in the United States and Canada....
-inspired" upright casing for the Apple III computer, which necessitated a detached keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
. Manock also worked on the Disk II
Disk II
The Disk II Floppy Disk Subsystem was a 5¼-inch floppy disk drive designed by Steve Wozniak and manufactured by Apple Computer. It was first introduced in 1978 at a retail price of US$495 for pre-order; it was later sold for $595 including the controller card and cable...
, Disk III, and Apple Lisa
Apple Lisa
The Apple Lisa—also known as the Lisa—is a :personal computer designed by Apple Computer, Inc. during the early 1980s....
office computer.
In January 1981, when Jobs became manager of the Macintosh project, he brought in Manock and Terry Oyama to design the computer housing. According to Jason O'Grady in Apple Inc., Manock was "hand-picked" by Jef Raskin
Jef Raskin
Jef Raskin was an American human-computer interface expert best known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple in the late 1970s.-Early years and education:...
to work on the Macintosh design team. In a 1984 interview, Manock said that the initial design goal was for a computer housing with "portability", but that idea was replaced by the design goal of "minimal desk space". As a result, the design team created a keyboard that was smaller than the width of the computer. Manock himself contributed the idea of using icons
Computer icon
A computer icon is a pictogram displayed on a computer screen and used to navigate a computer system or mobile device. The icon itself is a small picture or symbol serving as a quick, intuitive representation of a software tool, function or a data file accessible on the system. It functions as an...
on the outside of the machine rather than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words to make the Macintosh more international. This style was mirrored in the ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
, which used icons instead of English-language directions, such as a frowning face when the computer needed to reboot
Rebooting (computing)
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted.Reboots can be either "hard", whereby the power to the system is physically turned off, or "soft" where the system restarts without the need to interrupt the power or trigger a reset line.- Hard reboot :A hard...
and a smiling face indicating booting
Booting
In computing, booting is a process that begins when a user turns on a computer system and prepares the computer to perform its normal operations. On modern computers, this typically involves loading and starting an operating system. The boot sequence is the initial set of operations that the...
.
Patents
Manock is the co-inventor of:- Personal computer (U.S. Patent No. D268584), 12 April 1983
- Dual disk drive (U.S. Patent No. D271102), 25 October 1983
- Housing for moveable cursor control for a video display (U.S. Patent No. D284284), 17 June 1986
- Computer housing (U.S. Patent No. D285687), 16 September 1986
- Keypad (U.S. Patent No. D286047), 7 October 1986
- Disk drive housing (U.S. Patent No. D286050), 7 October 1986
- Disk drive case (U.S. Patent No. D290257), 9 June 1987
- Equatorial sundial apparatus utilizing one or more concave cylindrical focusing mirrors (U.S. Patent No. 6301793), 16 October 2001