Apple's Perspective on the Silicon Valley of 1990

This wonderful pictorial map depicts the corridor running south from San Francisco to San Jose, though with no attempt at a consistent scale. The emphasis is almost entirely on the ecosystem of the technology sector, with the headquarters of dozens of firms shown, including among them giants or future giants such as Apple Computer (at its then-headquarters at 20525 Mariani Ave. in Cupertino), AT&T, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel, Siemens, and Sony, as well as now-defunct (or acquired) players such as Synoptics Communications and Tengen Video Games (an Atari subsidiary).

Other area landmarks are also represented, such as San Francisco’s distinctive skyline, Candlestick Park, and San Jose Airport. The cheerful color scheme, cartoonish style, and two surfers heading for the beach all convey the area’s freewheeling lifestyle.

The map appears to have been commissioned by Apple Computer, which at the time was entering a long decline marked by leadership struggles (Jobs had resigned in 1985), cannibalization of higher-margin sales by lower-priced products, brutal competition with Microsoft, and a growing series of product flops. Its fortunes didn’t begin to turn around until the return of Steve Jobs in 1997.

Rarity

The map is surprisingly rare, and we find no others offered for sale, while OCLC lists none in institutional collections.