Steve Jobs, Inc. Magazine, 1989 My appetite for Steve Jobs information hasn’t waned in the several days since his death. In fact, like a lot of folks, I’m more fascinated and curious than ever. I recently stumbled upon this April, 1989 Inc. magazine article where, among other things, Jobs (reluctantly) talks about his celebrity status, his aesthetic vision for technology, and the future of personal computing in the hands of the masses. It’s a great read. Jobs on his age: INC.: You once said that you felt people do their best work in their twenties. You’re 33 now… JOBS: I’m about to turn 34. Any day. INC.: So is that a concern for you, given your ambitions for NeXT? JOBS: No, I think I’m going to be doing some of my best work in the next few years. I’ll say. And on the inner beauty of a computer: JOBS: You’re asking, where does aesthetic judgment come from? With many things—high-performance automobiles, for example—the aesthetic comes right from the function, and I suppose electronics is no different. But I’ve also found that the best companies pay attention to aesthetics. They take the extra time to lay out grids and proportion things appropriately, and it seems to pay off for them. I mean, beyond the functional benefits, the aesthetic communicates something about how they think of themselves, their sense of discipline in engineering, how they run their company, stuff like that. Link
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Steve Jobs, Inc. Magazine, 1989

My appetite for Steve Jobs information hasn’t waned in the several days since his death. In fact, like a lot of folks, I’m more fascinated and curious than ever. I recently stumbled upon this April, 1989 Inc. magazine article where, among other things, Jobs (reluctantly) talks about his celebrity status, his aesthetic vision for technology, and the future of personal computing in the hands of the masses. It’s a great read.

Jobs on his age:

INC.: You once said that you felt people do their best work in their twenties. You’re 33 now…

JOBS: I’m about to turn 34. Any day.

INC.: So is that a concern for you, given your ambitions for NeXT?

JOBS: No, I think I’m going to be doing some of my best work in the next few years.

I’ll say.

And on the inner beauty of a computer:

JOBS: You’re asking, where does aesthetic judgment come from? With many things—high-performance automobiles, for example—the aesthetic comes right from the function, and I suppose electronics is no different. But I’ve also found that the best companies pay attention to aesthetics. They take the extra time to lay out grids and proportion things appropriately, and it seems to pay off for them. I mean, beyond the functional benefits, the aesthetic communicates something about how they think of themselves, their sense of discipline in engineering, how they run their company, stuff like that.

Link

“There is no such thing as a home computer market” and other amazing insights from a 1985 PBS report on Apple and Steve Jobs [VIDEO]

The best part is then CEO John Sculley stating the above (and Jobs seemingly going along with this silliness). It’s remarkable to see the ancient industry quotes and “expert” testimony about Apple’s prospects. Still, it was refreshing to hear Jobs state that Apple wanted to change the world, even 26 years ago.