October 1, 1989

PARIS — It was brave for Apple France to be the very first exhibitor in the newly remodeled CNIT convention center at La Defense on the western edge of Paris. As of Saturday, some 7,000 workers were still shrouded in sawdust finishing the gigantic hall, which also houses a raft of computer stores and its own hotel. Vendors trying to move in their exhibits in time for Applexpo couldn’t get near the place for all the trucks.

Jean Calmon, head of strategic development for Apple Europe, laughed about the hubbub while waiting for John Sculley’s presentation to begin on Wednesday morning. “It just goes to show that Apple is still willing to take risks, no?” he said.

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: Not much has been said in the U.S. about Apple Europe’s role in the announcement of the Mac Portable. While it was being announced in the U.S., the year-old European R&D center (headed by Ed Colby, a technical heavy once based in Cupertino) unveiled its first product, a pan-European modem code-named Asterix.

To know why Asterix is significant, you have to understand the state of telecommunications in Europe. Every country has its own telephone company, or PTT, each with its own way of transmitting signals across phone lines. (For example, people visiting France from the U.S. can’t use their modems on French phone lines. They speak different electronic languages.)

In addition, the PTTs of each European country are known to be highly politicized and not particularly desirous of approving telecom equipment from other countries.

As you can imagine, this is a nightmare for anyone who travels with a computer. Without a modem like Asterix, users must buy a separate modem for each country, and each modem has to be approved by the government where it will be used.

“It’s a big rat’s nest,” says Colby of the PTT system. Though his engineers are skilled in each country’s telecom characteristics, that doesn’t help with what he calls a “lengthy and tedious process” of PTT approval. To deal with the mess, he hires specialists from each country, much the same way that non-profit organizations in the U.S. hire experts in writing grant proposals.

So it’s remarkable that Asterix was PTT-approved in five countries at its debut, with seven countries pending. And the modem hardware contains all the necessary specifications for all European PTTs.

For about $100 each, users buy DAAs (data acquisition modules) specific to each country’s phone lines and connectors. When a user plugs into the correct DAA, Asterix goes to the phone line, “sniffs” what country it’s in, and automatically configures the modem.

Other modem companies should take a clue from Apple’s design. It’s a significant leap forward toward the kind of standards that could make a global, connected future easier for everyone.

NOW THE BAD NEWS: While at the Apple European Developers Conference here, I was shocked to hear that Apple, which bills itself as a business computing company, is losing ground in the business software market. Someone told me about an article he saw in an Apple in-house publication showing negative growth in databases and accounting software, despite the fact that Software Publishers Association numbers show a huge increase in the amount of Mac software sales.

He said that Apple dealers in some regions are even telling people to buy IBM PCs to do these data-intensive applications, even though companies like Layered (which markets the accounting package At Ease for Teknon in Scottsdale) and ACIUS (which sells the French database 4th Dimension) have highly praised products in those areas.

As a result, expect Apple to announce co-marketing agreements with certain database and accounting software firms. As my source said, “It’s time for Apple to get off the desktop publishing bandwagon and get real.”

GET TOGETHER: The woman responsible for documentation at Next Inc. is a sister sufferer of repetitive motion syndrome, or RMS. Caroline Rose can’t type at all because of a severe case of tendinitis that requires her to wear arm splints to work every day. More generous than most companies, Next hired a temp to take dictation from Rose and keep her off her hands, so to speak.

Rose wants to start a support network for people who have the same kind of RMS as she does. One reason, she says, is that the medical establishment doesn’t help nearly as much as the suggestions she’s gotten from others with RMS.

This is a great idea, not just for the camaraderie of shared pain, but because I think RMS support groups could be a powerful motivating force to shove corporations into policies on keyboards, workstation ergonomics, lower monitor emissions, etc. You can reach Rose at “rosenext.com” on Internet.