Since Apple was founded five years ago its sales have skyrocketed from $100,000 to $100 million. Steven Jobs helped builded the first Apple computer in his garage. He is now 26 years old and is Chairman of the Board. He sees his computer’s future as the future of mankind.
Steve: This is the 21st century bicycle. It amplifies a certain intellectual ability that man has. I think after this process has come to maturity the effects that it is going to have on society are going to far outstrip those that the petrochemical revolution has had.
Ted Koppel: There is a sense that many of us have —those who really don’t understand how computers work — that we are becoming controlled by the computers. Is there any danger of that happening?
Steve Jobs: The product we manufacture— many people see it for the first time and they don’t think it is a computer. It is about 12 pounds. If the relationship doesn’t go well you can throw it out of the window.
The process of the technological revolution we are all in is a process of taking very centralized things and making them very democratic. Very individualized.
The definition of bicycle for the mind: I read a survey in Scientific American that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet and it ranked them. The condor won. It took the least amount of energy to get from point A to point B. Man was unimpressive about a third of the way down the list. Somebody had the idea to test the efficiency of man riding a bicycle. Man riding a bicycle was twice as good as the condor. This really illustrated man’s ability as a tool maker to fashion a tool to amplify an inherent ability that he has. That is what we feel we are doing. To amplify the ability of a certain type of intelligence.
When you watch kids interact with these computers what you see is an instantaneous reflection of a part of themselves. The creative part of themselves being expressed. It is very difficult to portray that as something very harmful. It is actually quite democratic.
In the personal computer area we have already reached 1 out of every 1000 households. I think over the next 5 or 6 years that figure will be 1 out of 10. Ultimately it will be 1 out of 1.
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