I don't know if they were ahead of their time, or woefulily, even negligently, unaware of their market. I remember going to "the mall" as a kid with my Mom and spending (what seemed like) hours staring, coveting, and sometimes purchasing the blue blister pack ICs; all while she waited patiently to do her shopping. I didn't have the income they were looking for, and was far from their target demographic. Some time in 1979 my dad paid the local RS a visit with an intent to purchase a computer for the family. After spending an hour in an effort to get some answers from the salesman who, according to my father, was more interested in selling battery memberships, he walked out. I now recognize and appreciate that, at the time, a $2.5k purchase might have been seen as the exceedingly unlikely result of questions from "just another lookie loo". But if R.S. took even a moment to see the potential of their customer base, I likely wouldn't have awoken Christmas 1979 to an Apple ][+.