As the computer industry began to reach into homes and small busineses around the world, there arised the need for many new products for the PC. Martin Alpert, the founder of Tecmar, Inc., was one of the first people to foresee this need. When IBM released its first PC in 1981, Alpert bought the first two models. He took them apart and worked 24 hours a day to find out how other products could be attached to them. After two weeks, he demonstrated the first peripheral devices for the IBM PC, and later became one of the most successful creators of personal computer peripherals. For example, he designed memory extenders1 that enabled the computer to store more information, and insertable boards2 that allowed people to use different keyboards while sharing the same printer. After 1981, Tecmar produced an average of one new product per week.
Alpert had neither the technical training of Noyce nor the computer clubs of Jobs and Wozniak to encourage his interest in computer engineering. His parents were German refugees who worked in a factory and a bakery to pay for his college education. They insisted that he study medicine even though his interest was in electronics. While attending medical school, Martin privately studied electronics. He became a doctor, but practiced only part time. In his spare time, Alpert pursued electronics. His first electronics products were medical instruments that he built in his living room.
His wife recognized the potential of his projects before he did, and enrolled in a graduate program3 in business management so she could run his electronics business successfully. Their annual sales reached $1 million, and they had 15 engineers working in their living room before they moved to a larger building in 1981. It wasn't until 1983 that Alpert stopped practicing medicine and gave his full attention to Tecmar. By 1984 Tecmar was valued at $150 million.
Notes: 1memory extender – расширитель памяти;
2insertable board – съемная плата;
3graduate program – последипломный курс, магистратура [Предполагает двухлетний срок обучения после окончания четырехлетнего колледжа. При успешном окончании выпускнику присваивается степень магистра].