Steve Jobs discusses his legacy in rare 1994 video interview

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
A reportedly never-before-seen video from 1994 surfaced on the Web on Tuesday, showing late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs discussing his legacy and what it means to contribute to the industry he helped shape.

The interview, which comes from the Silicon Valley Historical Association, was first spotted by The Loop after YouTube channel EverySteveJobsVideo uploaded the video on Tuesday.





As seen above, Jobs realized even in 1994 that his actions and innovations were fleeting at best in the fast moving field technology.

Jobs likened his contribution as a layer of sediment in a growing mountain. From someone standing on the surface, it's impossible to see and appreciate every individual layer, except for "that rare geologist." It seems that Jobs viewed his legacy as part of a larger collective building toward a higher goal, not a single product or innovation.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    Little did he know....
  • Reply 2 of 37
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    If you take him at his word, and I do, Jobs really wasn't interested in the business as a way to become fabulously wealthy. He really did want to make the world better through technology. This video clip just reinforces what he said many times over the years. Build great products that improve people's lives.
  • Reply 3 of 37
    am8449am8449 Posts: 392member
    I think Steve was rather insightful to be able to see things this way. And although I believe what he said generally holds true, I think he's a special case, and he's an icon that more than just geologists will remember.
  • Reply 4 of 37
    If Star Trek is any indication, I have a feeling touchscreens will be with us for a long time.
  • Reply 5 of 37
    "I think he's a special case, and he's an icon that more than just geologists will remember."

    I think you could possibly say that he's an icon that 'even' geologists will remember.
  • Reply 6 of 37
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member


    And those who are standing higher will look down at the previous layers of sediment and say:


     


    "It was natural evolution. Stop being a bully in court.".


     


    image

  • Reply 7 of 37
    rainrain Posts: 538member
    Steve who?



    warning: this post contains troll bait
  • Reply 8 of 37


    Note that he said the Macintosh would be "obsolete in a few years", almost 20 years ago. I think that was coming from an axe he was still grinding, prior to his historic return to Apple. image

  • Reply 9 of 37
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Not never before seen footage. Just not seen by the masses because most people wrote NeXT and Steve off by 1994.
  • Reply 10 of 37
    mrstepmrstep Posts: 513member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Zapf Brannigan View Post


    Note that he said the Macintosh would be "obsolete in a few years", almost 20 years ago. I think that was coming from an axe he was still grinding, prior to his historic return to Apple. image



     


    True, but the Mac and next generation devices like the iPhone/iPad are running NeXTSTEP, not MacOS. The Mac of 1994 is long dead. :)

  • Reply 11 of 37
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Intelligence in people is dime-a-dozen. What this man had -- in spades, and will not be easily replicated -- is intuition and insight.

    It'll be a long time coming, before we something like this again in tech. We'll know it when we see it.
  • Reply 12 of 37
    mrstep wrote: »
    Note that he said the Macintosh would be "obsolete in a few years", almost 20 years ago. I think that was coming from an axe he was still grinding, prior to his historic return to Apple. ;)

    True, but the Mac and next generation devices like the iPhone/iPad are running NeXTSTEP, not MacOS. The Mac of 1994 is long dead. :)

    These types of fools are not even worthy of a response, let alone a serious response. ;-)
  • Reply 13 of 37
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    I don't agree with Steve, which is rare. Anyone that receives a decent education will learn that much of the computer equipment they are using was possible because of Steve Jobs, just as the electricity they are using was possible because of Thomas Edison and the vehicle they drive everyday was because of Henry Ford.
  • Reply 14 of 37
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bdkennedy1 View Post



    I don't agree with Steve, which is rare. Anyone that receives a decent education will learn that much of the computer equipment they are using was possible because of Steve Jobs, just as the electricity they are using was possible because of Thomas Edison and the vehicle they drive everyday was because of Henry Ford.


     


    You're not looking at the big picture.  Henry Ford was just the blink of an eye ago, (and he had little to do with the invention of the automobile actually).  Edison was only a few years further back (and he stole every invention he ever came up with actually).  


     


    Already no one really remembers the pioneers of the computer age, and few outside of the tech community could tell you anything about how the first computers were made.  In 50 years (another blink of an eye), no one will remember Steve Jobs or what we do remember about him will be so distorted that it might as well be fantasy. Certainly, no one will remember or care about any of this a hundred or two hundred years from now.  


     


    Why would someone in the 23rd century give even a moments thought to the first Apple computer?  

  • Reply 15 of 37
    >Why would someone in the 23rd century give even a moments thought to the first Apple computer?

    Why would anyone in the 21st century give even a moment's thought to Gutenberg's first printing press?

    (And yes, the personal computer and the GUI are as big a deals as the printing press. Of course, the problem is that most people connect Jobs with his second stint at Apple, when his first was of greater historical significance).
  • Reply 16 of 37
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member


    Because history is rarely taught anymore. Kids today don't even know that a potato is a vegetable, not a french fry.


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


     


    You're not looking at the big picture.  Henry Ford was just the blink of an eye ago, (and he had little to do with the invention of the automobile actually).  Edison was only a few years further back (and he stole every invention he ever came up with actually).  


     


    Already no one really remembers the pioneers of the computer age, and few outside of the tech community could tell you anything about how the first computers were made.  In 50 years (another blink of an eye), no one will remember Steve Jobs or what we do remember about him will be so distorted that it might as well be fantasy. Certainly, no one will remember or care about any of this a hundred or two hundred years from now.  


     


    Why would someone in the 23rd century give even a moments thought to the first Apple computer?  


  • Reply 17 of 37
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member
    Sad but mostly true. Mac would have been obsolete had he not returned to Apple. Most people using computers far in the future will have no idea about the people and hardware/software of the past that made it happen.
  • Reply 18 of 37


    Man oh man, I really miss him.


     


    Having said this, the last WWDC was really well done. Loads better than anything Google, MS, Blackberry, Sony ever put on! :)

  • Reply 19 of 37

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post



    Why would someone in the 23rd century give even a moments thought to the first Apple computer?  


     


    Assuming there are still humans in the 23rd century and that technological evolution remains linear then future computer scientists, at least, will be taught about the accomplishments of Steve Wozniak and Douglas Engelbart. They pretty much invented the personal computer and the GUI. As for Steve, I'm sure he'll get a paragraph there somewhere for his vision and drive for innovation in the consumer segment. I don't expect any of the M$ or Google guys to be remembered at all as their contributions so far have been close to nil. image

  • Reply 20 of 37
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Assuming there are still humans in the 23rd century and that technological evolution remains linear then future computer scientists, at least, will be taught about the accomplishments of Steve Wozniak and Douglas Engelbart. They pretty much invented the personal computer and the GUI. As for Steve, I'm sure he'll get a paragraph there somewhere for his vision and drive for innovation in the consumer segment. I don't expect any of the M$ or Google guys to be remembered at all as their contributions so far have been close to nil. ;)

    I guess I'll have to add a little to this. Steve Jobs developed the personal computer for the masses, and it turns out, the company to make it happen on a massive scale. He's comparable to Ford, or Porsche with the Volkswagen, in taking a nascent chaotic technology to the next level of mass production, while humanizing it for the masses at the same time.

    Ford, Porsche and Jobs were as crucial to the success of their industries as the inventors whose ideas they used to build their companies' products. Steve Jobs will get much more than a paragraph, I think.
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