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Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

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Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#11

Post by pazimzadeh »

thecompilr wrote: post #7

> Jobs: Computers are actually pretty simple. We’re sitting here on a bench in this café [for this part of the Interview]. Let’s assume that you understood only the most rudimentary of directions and you asked how to find the rest room. I would have to describe it to you in very specific and precise instructions. I might say, “Scoot sideways two meters off the bench. Stand erect. Lift left foot. Bend left knee until…

I wonder if Steve saw this lecture by Richard Feynman, where Feynman uses a similar metaphor to explain how computers work.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#12

Post by Synaesthesia »

1984, pre-internet! Or at least pre WWW and big internet

>Playboy: Those are arguments for computers in business and in schools, but what about the home?

...

This will change: Computers will be essential in most homes.

Playboy: What will change?

Jobs: The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people—as remarkable as the telephone . Playboy: Specifically, what kind of breakthrough are you talking about?

Jobs: I can only begin to speculate. We see that a lot in our industry: You don’t know exactly what’s going to result, but you know it’s something very big and very good.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#13

Post by eradicatethots »

thecompilr wrote: post #7

> Jobs: Computers are actually pretty simple. We’re sitting here on a bench in this café [for this part of the Interview]. Let’s assume that you understood only the most rudimentary of directions and you asked how to find the rest room. I would have to describe it to you in very specific and precise instructions. I might say, “Scoot sideways two meters off the bench. Stand erect. Lift left foot. Bend left knee until…

I don’t know, should it be special to be able to explain things? I think it should actually be normal

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#14

Post by Sangermaine »

eradicatethots wrote: post #13
thecompilr wrote: post #7

> Jobs: Computers are actually pretty simple. We’re sitting here on a bench in this café [for this part of the Interview]. Let’s assume that you understood only the most rudimentary of directions and you asked how to find the rest room. I would have to describe it to you in very specific and precise instructions. I might say, “Scoot sideways two meters off the bench. Stand erect. Lift left foot. Bend left knee until…

I don’t know, should it be special to be able to explain things? I think it should actually be normal

Most people are actually pretty bad at explaining things in a clear, concise, helpful way, very often especially people well-versed in the field they are trying to explain. Communicating complex concepts to non-experts is indeed a fairly rare skill.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#15

Post by 5_minutes »

valuearb wrote: post #2

I'm amazed at how mature he sounds in this interview at age 29, like far more direct, honest, confident and smart than say, Zuckerberg. He was very prescient and when wrong (he didn't anticipate the clone makers, saying there wouldn't be another $200M+ PC company) it was an area he really didn't care to be involved in.

Compared to Zuckerberg anyone not-evil looks great.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#16

Post by fredliu »

>Playboy: And in the meantime?

>Jobs: The developments will be in making the products more and more portable... maybe the merging of the telephone and the personal computer.

Hard to believe this was 1984, it almost sounded like the original iPhone was 20+ years in baking

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#17

Post by twoodfin »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #12

1984, pre-internet! Or at least pre WWW and big internet >Playboy: Those are arguments for computers in business and in schools, but what about the home? ... This will change: Computers will be essential in most homes. Playboy: What will change? Jobs: The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stage…

Interesting. This is only 5 years after Jobs’ visit to Xerox PARC, where he would later say he “missed [their developments in] networking” because he was so fascinated by their GUI work.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#18

Post by julian_1 »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #12

1984, pre-internet! Or at least pre WWW and big internet >Playboy: Those are arguments for computers in business and in schools, but what about the home? ... This will change: Computers will be essential in most homes. Playboy: What will change? Jobs: The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stage…

> reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network.

It's difficult to avoid the comparison with Bill Gate's book "the road ahead" published a decade later, that first neglected and then had to be revised in hardback edition to include the internet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Ahead_(Bill_Gates_boo...

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#19

Post by justonepost »

pazimzadeh wrote: post #11
thecompilr wrote: post #7

> Jobs: Computers are actually pretty simple. We’re sitting here on a bench in this café [for this part of the Interview]. Let’s assume that you understood only the most rudimentary of directions and you asked how to find the rest room. I would have to describe it to you in very specific and precise instructions. I might say, “Scoot sideways two meters off the bench. Stand erect. Lift left foot. Bend left knee until…

I wonder if Steve saw this lecture by Richard Feynman, where Feynman uses a similar metaphor to explain how computers work.

Probably, great artists steal.

Re: Playboy Interview: Steve Jobs (1985)

#20

Post by Spooky23 »

julian_1 wrote: post #18
Synaesthesia wrote: post #12

1984, pre-internet! Or at least pre WWW and big internet >Playboy: Those are arguments for computers in business and in schools, but what about the home? ... This will change: Computers will be essential in most homes. Playboy: What will change? Jobs: The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stage…

> reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. It's difficult to avoid the comparison with Bill Gate's book "the road ahead" published a decade later, that first neglected and then had to be revised in hardback edition to include the internet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Ahead_(Bill_Gates_boo...

Gates was wrong about the internet, but he assumed that proprietary networks like MSN, AOL, etc would be the network.

Given the dominance of Facebook, etc, he may have been right the first time!

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