Apple's 1987 Knowledge Navigator Video

I recall when this video first came out how awe-struck I was. You have to remember that the graphical Web version of the Internet that we have today did not exist when this video was produced - it came six years later. This vision of how the summary of human knowledge could be digitally available and easily transferable between geographies at the click of a button was a sci-fi pipe dream at that moment. As was the finger-driven multi-touch interface which is just now, 20 years later, really becoming a reality (iPhone). Same with easy point-to-point video conferencing (iChat / Skype). While today we still don't have digital computer assistants we can talk to like in this video, we've got nearly everything else. Video uploaded from: http://www.digibarn.com/collections/movies/knowledge-navigator.html

Update 10/4/11 - well, I guess my last comment about not having a digital assistant is now irrelevant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNsrl86inpo

I have the original Siri app on my iPhone, and while it's close, it's no digital assistant. What Apple previewed, built right into the OS, with one click of a button, that's nearly what was described in this video to a T. Quite impressive.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• apple
• internet
• history

[zackgreer]

Are you for real? 15 years ago Apple has the concept for a device that MS is soon bringing to market and SOMEHOW you think MS BEAT Apple? Seems to me they copied a 15 year old idea (fact) and are about to fail again (opinion) like they always do (fact). And calling Apple "clowns" negates your whole point (fact), because name calling is a substitute for shallow thought (also a fact) You sir... are kind of dumb (fact).

[faerierain]

RIP steve jobs <3 Your dream came true the day before your death ...

[redeyeremote]

iPad + iPhone + FaceTime + Siri. Pretty amazing. At the same time, it's interesting to look at where the forecast is off. Today's hardware is much better (hi-res displays, smaller cameras, sleeker frames, USB thumb drives (or even better, wireless networking and cloud storage)), whereas on the software side a lot of this is still science fiction. Siri isn't nearly as good as this virtual assistant, and today's software programs can't compose content on the level shown here.

[mikerobrew1]

@Blaxxx2 Sorry to burst your bubble, but Jobs left Apple in 1985 and, in fact, the Knowledge Navigator idea was the predecessor to the Newton which was Sculley's baby. After his return to Apple Jobs immediately killed the Newton because he hated it and Sculley. It is amazing thought to see how close this is to today's iPad and the iPhone with Siri.

[studysync]

True evidence of how forward-thinking the Apple people have always been. 

[ken19195050]

＼(^o^)／

[Stut29]

@zackgreer Are you suggesting Apple never copy ideas?

[Blaxxx2]

All this from one of the greatest minds to ever live. He was truly the Edison or Einstein of our time.

RIP Steve Jobs.

Thumbs up if you agree.

[squiz8]

iPad, Siri, FaceTime hehe^^

[gremiofootball]

MS always fail? US$ 56 billion (Bill Gate's money) is a big fail for me.

[Solutho]

@keeswibra Yup. And the illuminaties are gonna kill us all.

[4000Ktw]

iPhone Siri!!!!!