There’s little that hasn’t already been said about everything great about Apple, Mr Jobs, and iPad. Although  the first experience with Apple came in the 70’s, back when they were first produced, if just for a moment I want to reflect back…but only to just the early 1990’s, the predictions Apple made then and compare them to the reality today which is partly highlighted in their videos.

Back to the Future – The first prediction I remember Apple making
I’ve always had a fascination with electronics but didn’t fully realize it until adulthood. I’m not one of those early adopters however; because of my work I think I’ve become more of a pragmatis, “Will this really work, will people really use this product, is it a flash in the pan wize bang product” are some questions I ask myself. I have to ask because if I’m wrong my phone rings with customer complaints.

So, I’m immediately taken back to my college days, 1990.  I clearly remember sitting in class, it was in the University’s College of Business. My professor entices us with a description of a video we are about to watch. It was produced by Apple. When I think back… I can practically see the images and sounds in my mind, clear, as if I just watched the video yesterday.

That video was Apple’s prediction, its assurance (at least that’s how I remember it) that in less than 10 years our worlds would change and here’s how….(Some of you might remember the video.)

Fuzzy Logic

A main character in the video is a professor… waking on a typical work week morning. The Apple “system”, predicted in the video, was the professor’s electronic assistant living in his home, well not actually living but you get the point, helping the professor with all his imaginable questions like, “what’s the forecast today? and, look up information on so and so topic for my lecture today!”  

The professor spoke orders to the Apple System, but in a companion tone, between sips of his first cup of morning coffee. My memory blurred some but one thing I remember thinking, “wow, in just 10 years? I’d better get my act together, the pace of technology is going to pass my GPA right by.”  I never forgot the video or the predictions.

22 Years Later…..

Here we are today, some 22+ years later. Let me make this clear, although the prediction in Apple’s video didn’t quite come true, I really really like the iPad. It’s effect today has to be in a similar vein to when people first began to enjoy electricity or an electric stove or air conditioning. In my opinion, the iPad will be as ubiquitous as, let’s say, the microwave?

Since Steve’s passing its been learned that he invested the last recent years of his professional life writing about the framework of updates to come for products in the next few years. His last iPhone, the iPhone5 had a release date in Summer 2012.

UPDATE: October 30th. I realized, in the passing of Steve Jobs and Apple’s launch of the iPhone 4S, a feature called Siri is in fact Apple’s prediction nearly full circle; however, the only differences that I can see are: siri doesn’t hold a conversation (at least not yet) and unlike the depiction a couple decades back, Siri is portable. This is an exciting advance. It causes me to believe a fundamental shift in household electronics is on the horizon, those of stand alone platforms all controllable through a single interface option like the 4S.