The're everywhere
July 9, 2015 3:08 AM Subscribe
Back in 1987 Apple looked forward to the far future of 1997 (SLYT)
I think it's almost remiss show this without the other classic apple video from 87, knowledge navigator.
...Which is the name of my iphone, and has been the name of all my iphones since the very first one because it freaking is the knowledge navigator.
20 years wasn't bad for taking something that was essentially star trek tech and making it real.
posted by emptythought at 3:46 AM on July 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
...Which is the name of my iphone, and has been the name of all my iphones since the very first one because it freaking is the knowledge navigator.
20 years wasn't bad for taking something that was essentially star trek tech and making it real.
posted by emptythought at 3:46 AM on July 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
And of course, someone else posts it at the exact same time as me >_<
posted by emptythought at 3:47 AM on July 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by emptythought at 3:47 AM on July 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Came for the Australian character who's accent approximates a Boston Southie recorded on a heat-damaged C90 cassette. Was not disappointed (at 1:35).
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 4:05 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 4:05 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
3:43
Backlit Beardo Man [taps keyboard keys futilely]: "I don't get it. What'd I do wrong here?"
Computer [using computer voice]: "Please...plug...in...the...keyboard."
Backlit Beardo Man: "Oh."
[fade]
posted by jammy at 4:44 AM on July 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
Backlit Beardo Man [taps keyboard keys futilely]: "I don't get it. What'd I do wrong here?"
Computer [using computer voice]: "Please...plug...in...the...keyboard."
Backlit Beardo Man: "Oh."
[fade]
posted by jammy at 4:44 AM on July 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
I love this because the humour is genuinely goofy and daft (the Arctic Mac with fur lining for the screen!), which we will never see from Apple again.
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 4:49 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 4:49 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
While Apple was farting around internally with these videos, in 1987 they were also sponsoring a contest across 12 universities to "design the computer of the year 2000".
The winning team from the University of Illinois (including a pre-Mathematica Stephen Wolfram) designed "Tablet", which pretty much looks like an iPad from a distance while giving credit to Alan Kay's Dynabook.
Thankfully once Jobs returned this concept video silliness went away, for good reason. It's something that other companies haven't learned yet while continuing to question why Apple does what it does.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:21 AM on July 9, 2015 [10 favorites]
The winning team from the University of Illinois (including a pre-Mathematica Stephen Wolfram) designed "Tablet", which pretty much looks like an iPad from a distance while giving credit to Alan Kay's Dynabook.
Thankfully once Jobs returned this concept video silliness went away, for good reason. It's something that other companies haven't learned yet while continuing to question why Apple does what it does.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:21 AM on July 9, 2015 [10 favorites]
" It's something that other companies haven't learned yet while continuing to question why Apple does what it does."
They usually did what they did out of Steve Jobs' weird obsession with not having fans or air vents:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III#Design_flaws
posted by I-baLL at 5:29 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
They usually did what they did out of Steve Jobs' weird obsession with not having fans or air vents:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III#Design_flaws
posted by I-baLL at 5:29 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
JoeZydeco: Thankfully once Jobs returned this concept video silliness went away, for good reason.
Indeed - and it is interesting to contrast (via another article linked from your 2008 "for good reason" link) the design constraints of the knowledge navigator prototype (almost none) with the incredibly exacting and scary constraints the original iPhone designers, Steve Jobs and Apple as a whole, had to meet. That they achieved this by investing in a huge number of concepts - but then never breathing a word about them to the public - is what is so interesting in their change of approach.
posted by rongorongo at 6:07 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Indeed - and it is interesting to contrast (via another article linked from your 2008 "for good reason" link) the design constraints of the knowledge navigator prototype (almost none) with the incredibly exacting and scary constraints the original iPhone designers, Steve Jobs and Apple as a whole, had to meet. That they achieved this by investing in a huge number of concepts - but then never breathing a word about them to the public - is what is so interesting in their change of approach.
posted by rongorongo at 6:07 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't know if you can blame Jobs' picadillos alone for the III's failure, there were a number of problems with the design and manufacturing. Sounds like everyone was full of hubris in those days, and Woz had been kept out of the loop on the III.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:04 AM on July 9, 2015
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:04 AM on July 9, 2015
When I watched this, I was wondering who the hell it was made for. It's clearly not intended as a realistic forecast of what computers would be like in 10 years. It's not intended for anyone with any kind of technical aptitude. Was it something that would be shown to investors? Even that seems like a bit of a stretch, because it shows Apple as a company that's silly. I don't get it.
posted by adamrice at 7:17 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by adamrice at 7:17 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
BTW, today in 1997 is the day Apple announced the departure of CEO Gil Amelio and the installation of Jobs as "temporary" CEO.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:24 AM on July 9, 2015
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:24 AM on July 9, 2015
I feel a little twang of loss when I remember my Apple ][
posted by mattoxic at 7:26 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mattoxic at 7:26 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Does it make me a dirty old man that I remember one of the first commercial HyperCard stacks to hit the market was something called "Carnal Knowledge Navigator"? (Click the doors and windows of the picture of a bordello, and you can see naked people!)
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:54 AM on July 9, 2015
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:54 AM on July 9, 2015
When I watched this, I was wondering who the hell it was made for. It's clearly not intended as a realistic forecast of what computers would be like in 10 years. It's not intended for anyone with any kind of technical aptitude. Was it something that would be shown to investors?
My guess is that it could have been put together for a conference audience - maybe at somewhere reasonably large and specialising in UI stuff - like the ACM's CHI 87. Or it might have been for internal showing to bigwigs visiting Apple's research facilities. That would explain the academic context and use use of humour - which would be verboten in a briefing to investors and slicker if run past an ad agency. Apple did have some influential UI people during this area - like Bruce Tognazzini - who later used Knowledge Navigator as an inspiration for this 1994 StarFire prototype for Sun.
posted by rongorongo at 8:09 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
My guess is that it could have been put together for a conference audience - maybe at somewhere reasonably large and specialising in UI stuff - like the ACM's CHI 87. Or it might have been for internal showing to bigwigs visiting Apple's research facilities. That would explain the academic context and use use of humour - which would be verboten in a briefing to investors and slicker if run past an ad agency. Apple did have some influential UI people during this area - like Bruce Tognazzini - who later used Knowledge Navigator as an inspiration for this 1994 StarFire prototype for Sun.
posted by rongorongo at 8:09 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was at Apple in 1987 I don't remember ever seeing or hearing about that video. It was very curious that the 1984 Mac design still existed in 1997, except for that flat origami eyeglasses thing. Weird juxtaposition of old existing and new non-existing stuff - old Mac and hologram dude. All these tech of the future things seem to be way off when you look back on them. It was great to see the old management people, the jokes as well as the few who were good. Sculley? He was a joke. He once asked to join us for lunch in the cafeteria. How can you tell the head of the company no? My sandwich had more personality.
posted by njohnson23 at 8:56 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by njohnson23 at 8:56 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
They were only five years out with BBC3
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:09 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:09 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Weird juxtaposition of old existing and new non-existing stuff - Indeed. It's odd how the computer voices are metallic and computer-y, the computer typefaces are computer-y, the designer at 0:08 and 5:40 is using a drafting board, and when the Australian bloke receives the order, he reaches for paper and pen. How analog!
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:21 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:21 AM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think at 5:40 that is supposed to be a computerized drafting board as an input device. Note that she's drawing ontop a big grey cube that's next to the big grey cube that materializes a new computer.
posted by RobotHero at 9:42 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotHero at 9:42 AM on July 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Really the problem with that she's using this advanced technology to make a computer with a 5¼ inch floppy drive.
Maybe she's really into applepunk. Same for the guy with those glasses. (Which would be possible to make now!)
posted by RobotHero at 10:25 AM on July 9, 2015
Maybe she's really into applepunk. Same for the guy with those glasses. (Which would be possible to make now!)
posted by RobotHero at 10:25 AM on July 9, 2015
"...easy to repair..."
"...big without becoming Big Business..."
Yeah, fuck you too, AppleComputers, Inc.
The "Macintosh X" bit was rather prescient, though. But I'm still waiting for that ultra-crisp, ultra-boxy late 80s business look to make a comeback.
posted by loquacious at 1:20 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
"...big without becoming Big Business..."
Yeah, fuck you too, Apple
The "Macintosh X" bit was rather prescient, though. But I'm still waiting for that ultra-crisp, ultra-boxy late 80s business look to make a comeback.
posted by loquacious at 1:20 PM on July 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
The dig at Jack Tramiel and the "Coke bottle-- er, Pepsi bottle" were both amusing. Pretty painful to watch overall though.
posted by Spatch at 1:28 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by Spatch at 1:28 PM on July 9, 2015
Is that Julia Sweeney on the psychiatrist's couch at 4:12?
posted by Mchelly at 1:32 PM on July 9, 2015
posted by Mchelly at 1:32 PM on July 9, 2015
Correction "...they're simple to fix..." was the pull quote, obviously.
I think I'm still suffering the trauma of the last time I tried to repair someone's iPhone screen.
posted by loquacious at 1:39 PM on July 9, 2015
I think I'm still suffering the trauma of the last time I tried to repair someone's iPhone screen.
posted by loquacious at 1:39 PM on July 9, 2015
What I found most interesting was the following videos pointing out 1987 (Next - Steve Jobs), 1988 and then 1997.
Steve Jobs ages throughout and still hands down wins the inspiration game.
As he comes back 10 years later after Next to Apple, he talks about a partnership and investment by Microsoft (low point in Apple) with a "satellite link up" with Bill Gates - by the end of it - even the most die hard Apple fans are applauding.
The navigation of Apple throughout turbulent times and ability to refocus the company starting at the Board level with the likes of Larry Elison and others is nothing short of a transformation most companies could not even imagine. They managed to keep the brand and innovation intact.
If you look at Steve Jobs, by the time he was introducing the iMac and iPod, it is apparent he was on his way out. Time wasn´t on his side. However that cannot take away from his influence and inherit understanding of start up principles before there even was a personal computer market. He gave people what they wanted.
My take from the 1987 video is Apple had been stroking their own egos for far too long based on previous succes. Looking through everything, it is clear everyone involved felt the Apple II was the pinnacle at the time. Little did Apple know it would be left in the dust within corporate markets and more importantly cheap PCs. While Apple was focused on publishing and educational markets, they screwed the pooch to towards the future.
Fast forward ten years to 1997 when Steve Jobs came back and added the energy and drive to build a vision, the real talent was the same type of people they continue to employ today.
Apple made the right choices back in the late 90s early 00s to be a relevant player in computing that culminates on retaining the brand appeal and working towards innovation.
And if you really dig deeper into Apple history, you can easily see they realised quickly software was the game combined with a deep sense of ownership for customers.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 6:05 AM on July 10, 2015
Steve Jobs ages throughout and still hands down wins the inspiration game.
As he comes back 10 years later after Next to Apple, he talks about a partnership and investment by Microsoft (low point in Apple) with a "satellite link up" with Bill Gates - by the end of it - even the most die hard Apple fans are applauding.
The navigation of Apple throughout turbulent times and ability to refocus the company starting at the Board level with the likes of Larry Elison and others is nothing short of a transformation most companies could not even imagine. They managed to keep the brand and innovation intact.
If you look at Steve Jobs, by the time he was introducing the iMac and iPod, it is apparent he was on his way out. Time wasn´t on his side. However that cannot take away from his influence and inherit understanding of start up principles before there even was a personal computer market. He gave people what they wanted.
My take from the 1987 video is Apple had been stroking their own egos for far too long based on previous succes. Looking through everything, it is clear everyone involved felt the Apple II was the pinnacle at the time. Little did Apple know it would be left in the dust within corporate markets and more importantly cheap PCs. While Apple was focused on publishing and educational markets, they screwed the pooch to towards the future.
Fast forward ten years to 1997 when Steve Jobs came back and added the energy and drive to build a vision, the real talent was the same type of people they continue to employ today.
Apple made the right choices back in the late 90s early 00s to be a relevant player in computing that culminates on retaining the brand appeal and working towards innovation.
And if you really dig deeper into Apple history, you can easily see they realised quickly software was the game combined with a deep sense of ownership for customers.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 6:05 AM on July 10, 2015
There is a fairly helpful Wikipedia page on the Knowledge Navigator demo. It was indeed produced for a conference (1987's Educon - keynoted by Sculley) - by Apple's "Higher Education Marketing Group". That group looks like being a part of Apple's strategy of dominating the educational sector (and preventing encroachment by Job's "Next").
The concept of The Knowledge Navigator was apparently motivated by a conversation between where Alan Kay warned John Scully "Next time, you won't have Xerox" - implying that Apple should start to develop more of its own future concepts rather than commercialising PARC's. The action of the video was set in an imaginary 2009 - a couple of years before Apple released Siri in real life. The demo was put together by Mike Leibhold - who had come to Apple from Atari and who had an interest in "pervasive computing".
In fact the demo had an contemporary impact quite beyond what would be expected from most conference keynotes - for example it got Sculley depicted as a visionary on the front of Fortune magazine holding a wooden mock-up of the device. Here are Kay, Woz, Ray Bradbury, Alan Tofler and others defending the idea of the Knowledge Navigator concept (with several further elaborations) in 1988. We may deride Sculley in comparison with Jobs - but The Knowledge Navigator concept looks like an important link in the chain that made Kay's 1972 Dynabook into Apple's 2010 iPad.
The navigator demo also started quite a lot of debate amongst UI researchers on the idea of agency - as opposed to direct manipulation - as a way of controlling computers. The fact that Siri is - for most - now seen as a novelty while every sort of touch screen manipulation and keyboard input are ubiquitous - show how that one played out. But that was not at all obvious in an era when using a QWERTY keyboard was a relatively arcane skill. It is quite interesting to note those aspects of the demo which are still beyond today's computers - and to consider whether or not this is a good thing.
posted by rongorongo at 7:12 AM on July 10, 2015
The concept of The Knowledge Navigator was apparently motivated by a conversation between where Alan Kay warned John Scully "Next time, you won't have Xerox" - implying that Apple should start to develop more of its own future concepts rather than commercialising PARC's. The action of the video was set in an imaginary 2009 - a couple of years before Apple released Siri in real life. The demo was put together by Mike Leibhold - who had come to Apple from Atari and who had an interest in "pervasive computing".
In fact the demo had an contemporary impact quite beyond what would be expected from most conference keynotes - for example it got Sculley depicted as a visionary on the front of Fortune magazine holding a wooden mock-up of the device. Here are Kay, Woz, Ray Bradbury, Alan Tofler and others defending the idea of the Knowledge Navigator concept (with several further elaborations) in 1988. We may deride Sculley in comparison with Jobs - but The Knowledge Navigator concept looks like an important link in the chain that made Kay's 1972 Dynabook into Apple's 2010 iPad.
The navigator demo also started quite a lot of debate amongst UI researchers on the idea of agency - as opposed to direct manipulation - as a way of controlling computers. The fact that Siri is - for most - now seen as a novelty while every sort of touch screen manipulation and keyboard input are ubiquitous - show how that one played out. But that was not at all obvious in an era when using a QWERTY keyboard was a relatively arcane skill. It is quite interesting to note those aspects of the demo which are still beyond today's computers - and to consider whether or not this is a good thing.
posted by rongorongo at 7:12 AM on July 10, 2015
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posted by Halloween Jack at 3:46 AM on July 9, 2015 [6 favorites]