Model II Picturephone - 1969 to 1978

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Duffy sent me a link to an eBay auction as a contest tip but was priced too high to use for that

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Electric-Bell-Picturephone-Videophone-RARE-AT-T-Picture-Phone-Telephone/222727350599 (see first reply)

but I did take some time to first do a bit of research on the Model II Picturephone. Learned something new and interesting in doing that so will post it here for posterity. too.

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This item looks like just the shell with a CRT inside and a plaque on the outside. Seems to fit the purpose, a thank you to the company that worked with AT&T to promote the Model II. This item was presented one year before AT&T pulled the plug on the project (197) that started in 1969 as the replacement for the  Model I Picturephone. They didn't sell that many?

1)  This picture is from paul-f's site at http://www.paul-f.com/wef/pic69.jpg

2)  This is from another site showing the power supply, controller and display - maybe the display is quite empty but with all those vents, I would think something hot had to be inside the cabinet.  http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/images/picture_phone_3_parts_640.jpg

3 and 4)  Here are two 1969 ads for the Model II http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/images/1969_picturephone_set_cropped.jpg and http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/images/b1969_picturephone_set.jpg

The Model 1 was 1964, the Model II 1969. Not sure how many they sold. This eBay unit does not have the controller or power supply so it seems to be the display only. The Model II didn't sell either, a huge loss for WE in development costs. Big mistake.

5)  Just found the display opened showing a lot of stuff, reason for all the vents in the housing, so the one on eBay is most likely only an empty commemorative shell. They stopped the project in 1978 so this commemorative unit was a year before pulling the plug. http://computerdesignsolutions.com/PicturePhone/DSCF1844a.jpg

6)  This seems to be 2 complete units showing all the parts. Don't know what the mouse hole smaller box is in front of the power supply. It's not a phone. http://computerdesignsolutions.com/PicturePhone/DSCF1832a.jpg

7)  Here are two units in operation, the one on the right has one of those wood boxed hide away phones attached to it. Both show the two controller boxes for each. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UdYxYNQyA0k/maxresdefault.jpg

The above phones are at the JKL museum, or were (who knows after the fire) and they did a YouTube demo.

     https://youtu.be/UdYxYNQyA0k

The video states that WE lost about $500,000,000 in this attempt to go Jetsons (half a billion dollar marketing mistake).


REF: (everything used to write the above)

http://computerdesignsolutions.com/PicturePhone/
http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/the_bell_system_telephone_story.html
http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/telephones-picturephone.html
https://youtu.be/WzdCKBZP4Jo  --  The history of the picture phone ($1,000 a month rent in today's dollar to have one in your home)

http://www.paul-f.com/wepic.html

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This is the eBay listing and the plaque on the housing:

     https://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Electric-Bell-Picturephone-Videophone-RARE-AT-T-Picture-Phone-Telephone/222727350599

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Great info, John!

I'm not sure the Picturephones were ever actually sold--I don't think the switching equipment and existing phone equipment were built to handle video calls. I think it was one very long prototype process that eventually failed. Do we have any evidence of any that were in service in businesses or homes? I'm not sure what "pilot production" means in the telephone progress snippet, but it sure doesn't seem to mean "high volume" production.

I think this was Bell's very expensive pet project that they tried to get lots of publicity for. The idea was great, but if I remember correctly, the end consensus was that people did not like having a camera aimed at them while they were talking on the phone. Being listened to and watched at the same time was very uncomfortable for most people 40 years ago.

With Skype, times have changed, but even now, it's more of a novelty than practicality. What major advantage do you have seeing someone in a tiny black-and-white CRT monitor over simply talking to them, especially considering the expected cost of a Picturephone plus the cost of talk time involved.

Today it's free, with much higher quality picture, on a potentially bigger, more portable, wireless screen, and many still turn the video off to just use the service as a phone, simply for being uncomfortable with someone watching them while they talk.

[Haf]

Wow, starting bid dropped from $800 to $100.If it becomes a contest phone now, I would guess $350

Haf

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Wow, starting bid dropped from $800 to $100.If it becomes a contest phone now, I would guess $350

Haf

Contest started and guess recorded:

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=19310.0

[Fabius]

Wow, starting bid dropped from $800 to $100.If it becomes a contest phone now, I would guess $350

Haf

I guessing the seller had a buy it now of $800 but with no reserve so the first bid removed the buy it now.

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I guessing the seller had a buy it now of $800 but with no reserve so the first bid removed the buy it now.

No, there was no BIN at $800. Of that I am very certain. It was a open auction with no reserve starting at $800, way to high for a contest so I passed on it until Haf posted the seller came to his senses and dropped it to 1 $100 open.

And when I started the contest, the seller had dropped the starting bid to $100 but there were still no bids. The first bid was placed at "25 Nov 2017 at 6:15:58AM PST" and the contest was started on November 25th 03:46:57 PM, about 2 1/2 hours before that first bid came in. Just way to high of a starting bid for that item at $800. It may sell for more than $800 but only because the starting bid was lowered, and maybe too late to get notice.

I can't add it to my watch list. Couldn't last night and can't this morning. Maybe that's why it is not showing up on the CW most watch list, and as such, not getting much attention. I suspect since many passed it by at $800, couldn't watch it and won't see it again unless they are monitoring the "about to end" listings, it may fly under the radar. Of course, the contest will give it some notice but only to a handful of people who would buy this type of item.

It now has two bids (and both bidders are big time buyers on eBay) so who knows where it will end, the reason for a contest - lot of unknown in the desirability of this item, and a wide open market (ending) price.

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While it started too high at $800, the seller did the right thing and dropped it to $100 and let the market decide what it was worth.

In the end, it was one of those auctions where each bidder place just one bid, 7 bidders and 7 bids.

3 of those came within the last 30 seconds with two of them in the last 5 seconds but neither was high enough to exceed the bid placed 30 seconds before end time.

Went for more than I thought it would at $532.55. It was just a stand with housing that contained a CRT and a plaque, nothing more. But it was WE and it was a piece of history so a few bidders saw some value in it, some more than others.