Editing Wang Laboratories (section)

===Wang Freestyle===
'''Wang Freestyle'''<ref name="usc">{{cite web|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CMN/is_n3_v27/ai_8245288 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060320224824/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CMN/is_n3_v27/ai_8245288 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-03-20 |title=CBSi |publisher=FindArticles.com |access-date=2016-05-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ascilite.org.au/aset-archives/confs/olnt90/foks.html |title=OLNT'90 Proceedings: Foks - technology and open learning |access-date=May 22, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831151033/http://www.ascilite.org.au/aset-archives/confs/olnt90/foks.html |archive-date=August 31, 2006 }}</ref> was a 1988<ref name=FSty.NYT>{{cite news
   |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
   |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/01/business/wang-offers-new-system-for-offices.html
   |title=Wang Offers New System For Offices
   |url-access=subscription
   |author=John Markoff  |date=November 1, 1988}}</ref> product consisting of:
* A touch-sensitive tablet and a special stylus for written annotation of any file that could be displayed on the PC.<ref name=FSty.NYT/>
* A phone handset for voice annotation, but not voice communication. Demonstrated with the tablet for explaining the text annotations.
* Email, via [[Wang OFFICE]], of the resulting document set.

The pricing of the low-end product at {{US$|long=no|2000}} precluded the important features such as "facsimile and voice options" (priced at {{US$|long=no|12000}}). ''Freestyle'' was not a success in anything except marketing terms. A description of the system at the [[University of Southern California]] (USC) shows the symptoms of the failure<!-- The comment below doesn't even explain how the Freestyle was a failure. -->:

<blockquote>''The {{US$|long=no|1.2 million}} USC system includes a VS 7150 mid-range computer; 30 image workstations, 25 with Freestyle capabilities; a laser printer; five endorsers; and five document scanners. Initial storage for document images is eight gigabytes of magnetic disk storage.''<ref name="usc" />

25 of the stations were Freestyle stations. The Freestyle was only affordable for highly specialized or very senior staff in Wang Laboratories. It was sold as a C-Level<ref>C-Level refers to "Chief level" officers in an organization</ref> tool for C grades to communicate with other C Grades. This reduced the marketplace immediately from the mass market, where the system would have been effective.<ref>Assume 10 C-level officers per [[Fortune 1000]] organization. Market size is 10,000 units. Assume 1000 ordinary clerical workers in the same organization. Market size is 1,000,000 units.</ref></blockquote>