This interview is included in the anthology The Playboy Interview: Moguls, which also features conversations with Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, David Geffen, and many others.
Playboy: We survived 1984 — computers didn't take over the world, although not everyone may agree with that. The widespread adoption of computers can primarily be blamed on you, the 29-year-old father of the computer revolution. The boom you experienced made you an incredibly wealthy individual — the value of your stock package reached half a billion dollars, correct?
Jobs: When the stocks dropped, I lost $250 million in a year. [laughs]
Playboy: Do you find this amusing?
Jobs: I won't let things like that ruin my life. Isn't it funny? You know, the money issue amuses me quite a bit — it interests everyone so much, even though I've had many far more valuable and enlightening experiences in the last ten years. It also makes me feel old — for instance, when I speak on campus and see how much admiration my million-dollar status evokes in many students.
When I was in school, the sixties were ending, and the wave of practicality hadn't yet arrived. Today's students lack idealism — at least, much less than we did. They clearly don't let current philosophical issues distract them too much from studying commerce. In my time, the wind of the sixties ideals hadn't lost its strength, and most of my peers held onto those ideals forever.
Playboy: It's interesting that the computer industry made millionaires out of...
Jobs: Yes, yes, young crazies.
Playboy: We meant people like you with Steve Wozniak, who were still working in a garage a decade ago. Tell us about this revolution that you two initiated.
Jobs: A century ago, the petrochemical revolution took place. It gave us affordable energy, in this case, mechanical energy. It changed the very structure of society. Today's information revolution is also about accessible energy — but now it's intellectual. Our Macintosh computer is in the early stages of development — but even now it can save you several hours a day, consuming less electricity than a 100-watt bulb. What will computers be capable of in ten, twenty, fifty years? This revolution will overshadow the petrochemical one — and we are at its forefront.
Playboy: Let's take a moment to define a computer. How does it work?
Jobs: In fact, computers are very simple. Right now, we are at a café. Imagine that you can only understand the most primitive instructions, and I need to explain to you how to get to the restroom. I would have to use the most precise and specific instructions, something like: “Slide off the bench, shifting two meters to the side. Stand up straight. Lift your left leg. Bend your left knee to a horizontal position. Straighten your left leg and shift your weight three hundred centimeters forward” and so on. If you could process such instructions a hundred times faster than anyone else in this café, you would seem like a wizard to us. You could dash for a cocktail, place it in front of me, and snap your fingers, making me think that the glass appeared at the snap — it all happened so quickly. This is how a computer works. It performs the most primitive tasks — “take this number, add it to that number, insert the result here, check if it's greater than that number” — but at a speed of, roughly speaking, a million operations per second. The results seem magical to us.
That’s a simple explanation. The point is that many people don't need to understand how a computer works. Most people have no idea how an automatic transmission functions, but they can drive a car. You don’t have to study physics or understand the laws of dynamics to drive. You don’t need to understand all of this to use a Macintosh — but you asked. [laughs]
Playboy: You clearly believe that computers will change our personal lives, but how will you convince skeptics and opponents of this?
Jobs: The computer is the most amazing device of all that we've seen. It can simultaneously be a tool for typing, a communication hub, a supercalculator, an organizer, a document storage folder, and a means of self-expression — all it needs is the right software and instructions. No other device possesses the power and versatility of a computer. We don't know how far it can go. Today, computers make our lives easier. Tasks that would take us hours can be completed in mere seconds. They enhance our quality of life by taking on monotonous routines and expanding our capabilities. In the future, they will handle even more of our tasks.
Playboy: What might be specific the reasons for buying a computer? One of your colleagues recently said: 'We gave people computers but didn't explain what to do with them. I find it easier to balance my accounts manually than on a computer.' Why for a person to buy a computer?
Jobs: Different people have different reasons. The simplest example is businesses. With a computer, documents can be created much faster and with higher quality, improving office productivity in many ways. A computer frees people from a significant part of their routine work and allows them to engage their creativity. Remember, a computer is a tool. Tools help us work better.
As for education, computers are the first invention since the book that interacts with people tirelessly and without judgment. The Socratic method of education is no longer accessible, and computers can make a breakthrough in the educational process with the support of competent teachers. Computers are already present in most schools.
Playboy: These arguments are suitable for businesses and educational institutions, but what about at home?
Jobs: At this stage, this market exists more in our imagination than in reality. The main reasons for buying a computer today are if you want to bring some work home or set up an educational program for yourself or your children. If neither of those reasons apply, the only remaining option is the desire to improve computer literacy. You notice that something is happening, but you don't quite understand what it is and want to learn something new. Soon, everything will change, and computers will become an integral part of our home life.
Playboy: What exactly will change?
Jobs: Most people will seek to acquire a home computer to connect to the nationwide communication network. We are at the early stage of an incredible breakthrough, comparable in scale to the spread of the telephone.
Playboy: What breakthrough are you talking about?
Jobs: I can only make assumptions. In my field, we see a lot of new developments. We don't know exactly what it will look like, but it will be something huge and remarkable.
Playboy: So, you are suggesting that home computer buyers invest three thousand dollars based on your words?
Jobs: In the future, this will not be an act of trust. The most challenging problem we face is our inability to answer people's questions about the specifics. If someone had asked Alexander Graham Bell a hundred years ago how to use a telephone, he wouldn't have been able to describe all the ways in which the phone changed the world. He didn't know that people would use the phone to find out what's playing at the movies, order groceries for delivery, or call loved ones on the other side of the planet. Initially, in 1844, the telegraph was introduced for public use, marking a significant achievement in communications. Messages were sent from New York to San Francisco within hours. Suggestions were made to place telegraphs on every desk in America to boost productivity. But that wouldn't have worked. The telegraph required people to know Morse code, a mysterious language of dots and dashes. Learning it took about 40 hours. Most people would never have mastered it. Fortunately, in the 1870s, Bell patented the telephone, which essentially served the same function but was more user-friendly. Moreover, it allowed not only for the transmission of words but also for singing.
Playboy: So?
Jobs: It allowed infusing words with meaning through intonation, not just through simple linguistic means. They say that to increase productivity, an IBM computer should be placed on every desk. That won't work. Now, you need to learn other spells, such as /q-z and similar. The manual for WordStar, the most popular text editor, spans 400 pages. To write a novel, one needs to read another novel, which for most appears like a mystery. Users will not learn /q-z, just as they did not learn Morse code. This is what Macintosh is — the first 'telephone' of our industry. And what I think is the coolest thing about Macintosh is that, like the telephone, it allows you to sing. You're not just transmitting words; you can type them in different styles, draw, and add images, thus expressing yourself.
Playboy: Is this really remarkable or just a new 'gimmick'? At least one critic has called the Macintosh the world's most expensive magic Etch A Sketch.
Jobs: This is as remarkable as the phone that replaced the telegraph. Imagine what you would have created in childhood with such an advanced magic screen. But that's just one aspect: with the Macintosh, you can not only boost your productivity and creativity but communicate more effectively using images and graphics, not just words and numbers.
Playboy: Most computers receive commands by pressing keys, while the Macintosh uses a device called a 'mouse' — a small box that, when moved across the table, controls the cursor on the screen. For those used to the keyboard, this is a significant change. Why the mouse?
Jobs: If I want to point out that there is a stain on your shirt, I won’t resort to linguistics: 'The stain on your shirt is 14 centimeters down from the collar and three centimeters left of the button.' Upon seeing the stain, I'll simply point to it: 'Here' [points]. This is the most accessible metaphor. We conducted numerous tests and studies that showed a whole range of actions, such as 'Cut' and 'Paste,' become not only simpler but also more efficient with the mouse.
Playboy: How long did the development of Macintosh take?
Jobs: The creation of the computer itself took two years. Prior to that, we worked for several years on the technology behind it. I don’t think I have ever worked on anything as intensely as the Macintosh, but that experience was the best of my life. I believe all my colleagues would say the same. By the end of development, we didn't want to release it — we felt as if we knew that after its launch, it would no longer be ours. When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the room rose to their feet and applauded for five minutes. The most amazing thing was seeing the Mac development team in the front rows. None of us could believe we had finished it. We all cried.
Playboy: Before the interview, we were warned: get ready, you'll be 'processed' by the best.
Jobs: [smiles] My colleagues and I are just enthusiastic about our work.
Playboy: But how can a buyer discern the actual value of the product behind this enthusiasm, the multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns, and your ability to communicate with the press?
Jobs: Advertising campaigns are essential for maintaining competitiveness — IBM's advertising is everywhere. Good PR informs people, that's all there is to it. You can't fool people in this business — the products speak for themselves.
Playboy: Apart from the popular complaints regarding the ineffectiveness of the mouse and the black-and-white screen of the Macintosh, the most serious accusation against Apple is the inflated prices of its products. Don't you want to respond to the critics?
Jobs: Our research shows that the mouse allows for faster operation with data or applications than traditional means. Someday we will have the opportunity to release a relatively inexpensive color screen. As for the inflation, when a new product launches, it is priced higher than it will be in the future. The more we can produce, the cheaper it gets...
Playboy: This is precisely the crux of the complaints: you attract enthusiasts with premium prices, and then change strategy and lower the prices to attract the rest of the market.
Jobs: That's not true. As soon as we can lower the price, we do it. Indeed, our computers are cheaper than they were a few years ago or even last year. But the same can be said for IBM. Our goal is to supply computers to tens of millions of people, and the cheaper these computers are, the easier it will be for us to do that. If Macintosh cost a thousand dollars, I would be happy.
Playboy: What about the people who bought the Lisa and Apple III products you released before the Macintosh? They are left with incompatible, outdated products.
Jobs: If you want to frame the question this way, then remember those who purchased the PC and PCjr from IBM. Speaking of Lisa, some of its technologies are used in Macintosh — you can run Macintosh programs on Lisa. The Lisa for Macintosh is like an older brother, and although sales were low at first, they have skyrocketed today. Furthermore, we still sell more than two thousand Apple IIIs every month, more than half of them to repeat customers. Overall, I want to say that new technologies do not necessarily replace existing ones — they inherently make them obsolete. Over time — yes, they will replace them. But this is the same situation as with color televisions coming to replace black-and-white ones. People themselves eventually decided over time whether or not to invest in new technology.
Playboy: At this rate, will the Mac itself become obsolete in a few years?
Jobs: Before the Macintosh was created, there were two standards — Apple II and IBM PC. These standards are like rivers carved through the canyon's rock. Such a process takes years — the Apple II took seven years to form, while the IBM PC took four. The Macintosh is the third standard, the third river that managed to break through the stone in just a few months, thanks to the revolutionary nature of the product and our company's meticulous marketing. I believe today that only two companies are capable of doing something similar — Apple and IBM. It may not be ideal, but such a process demands titanic efforts, and I feel that neither Apple nor IBM will re-enter this battle for another three or four years. Perhaps something new will emerge by the end of the eighties.
Playboy: And what about now?
Jobs: New developments will focus on increasing product portability, advancing network technologies, spreading laser printers, and establishing shared databases. Communication capabilities will also expand — possibly by integrating phones and personal computers.
To be continued
Source: habr.com
