VII-16
sound and engineering new phonographs. The Home phonograph, however, had Edison's name on
it and quickly became best seller.
The latter was become immensely important the
Edison laboratory; increasing level competition the
phonograph business made production engineering work as
important basic research. The National Phonograph Company
was not alone the phonograph industry. It
retailed $40 but still could not compete with the $25
Columbias. was step closer to
Edison's goal phonograph every home. was more compact phonograph, with the same
reproducer and controls, but with much smaller spring motor. In
Europe, cheap French and German machines were outselling the
phonographs sent from the West Orange Works. The Columbia
Phonograph Company had acquired the rights manufacture
graphophones and placed spring motor model the market.
This greatly reduced the bulk the Home model which was
approximately half the weight the earlier machine. The Edison spring
motor phonograph could not beat the competition price and
the National Phonograph Company was therefore pressed to
re-engineer their new product into cheaper, more competitive
machine. The laboratory was put work reducing the size
and cost the spring motor phonograph and two years
completed smaller machine that was introduced the "Home"
model.
The success the "Home" phonograph did not bring end
to the R&D the phonograph the West Orange laboratory for
