The future, as described by Steve Jobs in 1983

The Center for Design Innovation made available a speech given by Steve Jobs in 1983 at the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado. While citing some historical parallels in the development of different technologies, Steve Jobs set the landscape of the then-current state of the personal computer and the coming tidal wave it was going to have on society over the next several years.

He also discussed some longer term visions, such as someone walking around with a radio linked mobile device and being able to access their data from it. Being a design conference, he also enlisted help from the audience regarding the visual design of computers, acknowledging the reality of computers at the time, “If you’ve looked at computers, they look like garbage.”

Jobs described the early 1980s as the “I Love Lucy” stage of society’s experience with computers. He then forecasted the different effects computers would have on varying media. His predictions were pretty much on the money and we have certainly exceeded the vision of some of his ideas.

The speech is little over 20 minutes and with hindsight being 20/20, there is little that can be disagreed with regarding what he sees in the future. Share your thoughts with us about the speech.

sources: Center for Design Innovation via AppleInsider

Holiday special: Iconic Phones is now 10% off!

Our new coffee table book, Iconic Phones, is a stunning visual tribute to the legends in the world of phones, featuring exclusive high-resolution photography, stories, quotes and fun trivia. Save 10% by using this code at checkout: XMAS10. Offer lasts until 1 January 2026.

Shop Now