Computer historians go through a lot of effort to make sure we don’t forget what came before us. That’s incredibly hard to do, however, as the computers and systems from the 80s and 90s are becoming increasingly harder to maintain. Steve Jobs himself said such obsolescence was just part of the job.
In a new never-before-seen interview from 1994, Steve Jobs talks about his contributions to computing. He says that his work with Apple won’t be remembered like a famous work of art since computers don’t have the staying power to last centuries. At best, a computer will function for 10 years before its completely replaced.
It’s actually kind of sobering to see Jobs saying that his own contributions to the world of computers will be forgotten. Sure, we won’t forget that he worked on the Apple I, but we won’t be able to admire that handiwork.
The above is only a small part of a larger interview with Jobs and his contemporaries that was collected by the The Silicon Valley Historical Association. You can check out the entire film here.
If you want more Steve Jobs talking about the future, check out this talk from 1983 where Jobs talks about the future of computing.