45 ms·

Steve Jobs Explains NeXT's Strategy (1991) [vid]

28 points by nickb 18y ago

jhancock 18y ago
worth watching... This is vid 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dmcRbuTMY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dmcRbuTMY and this is vid 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3Ex-5dPAo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3Ex-5dPAo&feature=relat... What is interesting is that even though his approach in these videos is correct, Jobs would have lost if Apple didn't have the large pool of cash to do something with Next's technology when Jobs came back to Apple. Just goes to show that you can be smart and know exactly how to achieve a goal, but luck and timing are just as important.
- jwilliams 18y ago
  > Just goes to show that you can be smart and know exactly how to achieve a goal, but luck and timing are just as important. Yeah, it's fascinating to watch this and think that as this video was being made, the Internet (well, WWW) was just about to change everything (directly or indirectly anyway).
  - netcan 18y ago
    I think that his strategy was sound at the time. The market he was talking about did grow. But he missed a critical point. He was thinking of it as a split in the workstation marketplace. Sun had a 50% market share. He thought he could beat Sun. In effect, this marketplace became dominated by PC players & PC users (EG Mac Pro). A subset of the PC market really. Publishers, animators, designers, architects etc. He did pick them up in the end with Apple.
RyanGWU82 18y ago
Even in 1991, Steve Jobs was wearing jeans and a black turtleneck.
- pistoriusp 18y ago
  As far as I know he's been wearing it for much longer: http://folklore.org/projects/Macintosh/gallery/popsci.jpg http://folklore.org/projects/Macintosh/gallery/popsci.jpg "The following collage is from an article by Steven Levy that appeared in the February 1994 issue of Popular Science, commemerating the Macintosh's tenth birthday. It's based on pictures taken by Norman Seiff for Rolling Stone Magazine in January 1984."
netcan 18y ago
He is a smart guy. That's a very rational non BS marketing brief for a CEO. (at least my stereotype of one. I don't know many). This a gist from the 2nd tape: They are interested in consumers being pushed form the PC to the workstation market. These are the reasons: 1* - Custom Apps - * The key is having the best development environment. (he thinks they do0 2* - productivity Apps - * The key is productivity apps using the networking capabilities so they can tie people together'* 3* - Interpersonal Computing - * This he says, is the long term strategy.
charlesju 18y ago
This is an amazing find. Steve Jobs is definitely one of my role models, and I'm sure a role model for many of the people on this site. Macs have completely revolutionized every piece of consumer technology, and have set new industry standards in everything that they do. I really enjoyed watching him pitch this startup, I have always wondered how Steve Jobs was as an early-stage entrepreneur. Good find.
vaksel 18y ago
man its amazing how much the guy aged in 17 years.
brianjherman 18y ago
Sell company to apple.

28 points by nickb 18y ago

worth watching... This is vid 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dmcRbuTMY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dmcRbuTMY and this is vid 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3Ex-5dPAo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3Ex-5dPAo&feature=relat... What is interesting is that even though his approach in these videos is correct, Jobs would have lost if Apple didn't have the large pool of cash to do something with Next's technology when Jobs came back to Apple. Just goes to show that you can be smart and know exactly how to achieve a goal, but luck and timing are just as important.

jwilliams 18y ago
> Just goes to show that you can be smart and know exactly how to achieve a goal, but luck and timing are just as important. Yeah, it's fascinating to watch this and think that as this video was being made, the Internet (well, WWW) was just about to change everything (directly or indirectly anyway).
- netcan 18y ago
  I think that his strategy was sound at the time. The market he was talking about did grow. But he missed a critical point. He was thinking of it as a split in the workstation marketplace. Sun had a 50% market share. He thought he could beat Sun. In effect, this marketplace became dominated by PC players & PC users (EG Mac Pro). A subset of the PC market really. Publishers, animators, designers, architects etc. He did pick them up in the end with Apple.

RyanGWU82 18y ago

Even in 1991, Steve Jobs was wearing jeans and a black turtleneck.

pistoriusp 18y ago
As far as I know he's been wearing it for much longer: http://folklore.org/projects/Macintosh/gallery/popsci.jpg http://folklore.org/projects/Macintosh/gallery/popsci.jpg "The following collage is from an article by Steven Levy that appeared in the February 1994 issue of Popular Science, commemerating the Macintosh's tenth birthday. It's based on pictures taken by Norman Seiff for Rolling Stone Magazine in January 1984."

netcan 18y ago

He is a smart guy. That's a very rational non BS marketing brief for a CEO. (at least my stereotype of one. I don't know many). This a gist from the 2nd tape: They are interested in consumers being pushed form the PC to the workstation market. These are the reasons: 1* - Custom Apps - * The key is having the best development environment. (he thinks they do0 2* - productivity Apps - * The key is productivity apps using the networking capabilities so they can tie people together'* 3* - Interpersonal Computing - * This he says, is the long term strategy.

charlesju 18y ago

This is an amazing find. Steve Jobs is definitely one of my role models, and I'm sure a role model for many of the people on this site. Macs have completely revolutionized every piece of consumer technology, and have set new industry standards in everything that they do. I really enjoyed watching him pitch this startup, I have always wondered how Steve Jobs was as an early-stage entrepreneur. Good find.

vaksel 18y ago

man its amazing how much the guy aged in 17 years.

brianjherman 18y ago

Sell company to apple.