Saturday, November 26, 2011

Steve Jobs interview from 1990, recently surfaced


Watch An Interview With Steve Jobs on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Steve Jobs talks about the future of computing in a rare 50 minute TV interview aired on PBS. 

When asked how computers have changed civilization, Steve begins by noting how humans were able to leapfrog the more efficient locomotion of other animal species by using tools, or technology. 

Offering the example of how a human on a bicycle could easily surpass the locomotive advantage of the most efficient animal, a condor, Jobs concludes: 

"We humans are tool-builders. And we can fashion tools that amplify these inherent abilities that we have to spectacular magnitudes. So for me, a computer has always been a bicycle of the mind: something that takes us far beyond our inherent abilities. I think we're just at the early stages of this tool."

You can see by the re-do of his 1st interview response that Steve was always "on message" and rehearsing and delivering the exact points he wanted to make when selling his vision of how we use technology and Apple products. 

It also highlights the fact that modern TV interviews are often actually rehearsed, taped, and edited performances, rather than the more spontaneous give-and-take than the finished product tries to convey.. Steve could see this, and he crafted his message to the medium, whether he was out on his own at NeXT or selling to a larger consumer market for Apple. 

Enjoy the discussion and insights, and see our related posts for more on Steve Jobs.

Related articles and posts

1. Interview: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at D5 conference - Finance Trends.

2. In Charts: Apple (AAPL) vs. Microsoft (MSFT) - Finance Trends.