The Simplifier was introduced by Penguin Products Inc in 1986

 

The launch was was described as follows:

Source: New England Business
Publication Date: 06-OCT-86

PENGUIN GROUP OFFERS SOFTWARE SIMPLIFIER, TOY AND JEWELLERY LINES

Mort Reisfield, second vice president at Shearson Lehman Brothers, rarely travels outside of the metropolitan New York area to attend presentations of new companies. But when he heard that Eric Bromley, president of Penguin Group Inc., would be unveiling a new product at a meeting of securities analysts in Hartford, Reisfield made the 3 1/2-hour trek on a rainy Thursday night from his office in Chatham, N.J.

In a packed room, Reisfield and other analysts looked on as Bromley demonstrated his new product, which he calls the Simplifier--a device Bromley says will be the "salvation for the woes of computer users.' Once the Simplifier is attached to a computer, a program cartridge is inserted. This allows a neophyte to operate complicated programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 or dBASE III without needing to consult an owner's manual or guide.

Bromley told the analysts, "The trouble with computers and automation today is that most people can't learn to use it, and if they do, they forget how. Simplifier will allow any software package to be made useful with little or no training.'

The demonstration itself nearly flopped. Approximately 75 people crowded around a computer trying to see the Simplifier do its thing. Beads of sweat gathered on Bromley's brow as he looked back and saw that only the people nearest to the computer could see what he was doing. Frustrated viewers in the back of the crowd wandered off in the direction of the bar and the hors d'oeuvres table.

But when the demonstration was over, and Bromley and other Penguin representatives were talking to analysts and members of the press, several observers meandered back from the bar in groups of two and three to try the Simplifier. Many were surprised to find that Bromley was right. All they had to do was touch a few buttons, read the display's prompt messages, and--voila!--they were using Lotus to perform complicated tasks. Murmurings of several in the crowd seemed to address the same theme: Bromley may not have developed the right technique for a dog-and-pony show, but the Simplifier is definitely something worth keeping an eye on.

 

Our model No 7072-XT/AT is in excellent condition and is with the manuals.

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