Cell Phones: The Motorola Dyna-TAC 8000x turns 20
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2003 12:22 pm
It was 1983. (Denim jackets and side ponytails reigned supreme.) And at 13 inches and 28 ounces, the first cell phone was introduced to the world.
The cost was $3,995
On Motorola Dyna-TAC 8000x’s 20th birthday, Elise Christenson spoke with its designer, Rudy Krolopp.
Your team had three days to design a model for the first phone.
There’s a law that exists that says that whatever time you’re given will be consumed.
What problems did you face?
They were just too damn big. But Marty Cooper, who was in charge of all this, said anyone who didn’t believe we could do this program should leave the room. With egos like we had, nobody got up.
And Motorola got the first patent.
It took somebody to prove that it could be done.
It’s come a long way since 1983.
I’ve been surprised. I thought it would take almost a generation to saturate. From just me and my team, then to 1.2 billion people now. It just blows my mind.
What do you see for the future of cell phones?
It’s not going to change a hell of a lot. It’s like the spoon, which has been around for thousands of years. The design has changed slightly, but its function is still just to pick up soup. But where it can go now is only restricted by the limits of people’s imaginations.
Do you get bothered by people talking loudly in public places, like the rest of us?
Absolutely! People should have some semblance of privacy and decency with these things.
The cost was $3,995
On Motorola Dyna-TAC 8000x’s 20th birthday, Elise Christenson spoke with its designer, Rudy Krolopp.
Your team had three days to design a model for the first phone.
There’s a law that exists that says that whatever time you’re given will be consumed.
What problems did you face?
They were just too damn big. But Marty Cooper, who was in charge of all this, said anyone who didn’t believe we could do this program should leave the room. With egos like we had, nobody got up.
And Motorola got the first patent.
It took somebody to prove that it could be done.
It’s come a long way since 1983.
I’ve been surprised. I thought it would take almost a generation to saturate. From just me and my team, then to 1.2 billion people now. It just blows my mind.
What do you see for the future of cell phones?
It’s not going to change a hell of a lot. It’s like the spoon, which has been around for thousands of years. The design has changed slightly, but its function is still just to pick up soup. But where it can go now is only restricted by the limits of people’s imaginations.
Do you get bothered by people talking loudly in public places, like the rest of us?
Absolutely! People should have some semblance of privacy and decency with these things.
