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Rare, early pairing of items related to Forethought, Inc., the software company that developed the PowerPoint presentation program in the mid-1980s, both of which derive from the personal collection of Forethought cofounder Taylor Pohlman. The lot includes:
Scarce, unopened original PowerPoint 1.0 software developed by Forethought, Inc., for the Apple Macintosh in 1987. The box contains its 3.5˝ disks (PowerPoint Disk and Presentation Library), its linen-bound hardcover manual, and brochures/registration paperwork.
Original stapled 26-page Forethought, Inc. presentation slideshow entitled “Next Steps for Forethought,” which was presented to the company’s board of directors on September 16, 1985. Per Pohlman, this presentation was from the meeting when Forethought approved development go-ahead for PowerPoint, which was then code-named ‘Presenter’ – 'Bob Gaskins, our VP of Engineering, whom I brought on in 1984, had proposed the product, and the slides from the meeting feature some mockups of the early interface design, including the ’slide sorter’ concept.’ The packet, 11 x 8.5, begins with a slide marked “Forethought Premise,” which reads:
“- Personal computers are going to have to become easier to use
- The next step will be adoption of a new style of user interface visually rich, based on bit-mapped graphics, like a Xerox Alto, ‘see and point’ not ‘remember and type’
- This will happen on the next (1984-1986) generation of mainstream high-volume low-cost personal computers
- Software products to exploit this technology transition must be newly designed and developed – ‘reconceptualized’
- Existing software products do not port easily to new-generation machines, and backward-compatibility can actually prevent full exploitation of the new generation's potential
- Hence – an opportunity to become a major software company by early entry to the market for new software to exploit the new user interface on personal computers
- True in 1983 – still true today (‘Our Original-Formula Business Premise’).”
In overall fine condition, with some tears to the box’s shrinkwrap, some of which have been repaired with tape. Accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from Taylor Pohlman. Forethought released PowerPoint on April 20, 1987, initially for Macintosh computers only. This copy is from the only production run. Just three months later, Microsoft acquired Forethought—and with it, PowerPoint—for about $14 million in the company's first significant acquisition. Today, PowerPoint remains a staple of the Microsoft Office suite.
