http://simonwillison.net/2025-09-18T21:47:56+00:00Simon Willison2025-09-18T21:47:56+00:002025-09-18T21:47:56+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2025/Sep/18/steve-jobs/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="https://www.thedailybeast.com/steve-jobs-1984-access-magazine-interview/"><p>Well, the types of computers we have today are tools. They’re responders: you ask a computer to do something and it will do it. The next stage is going to be computers as “agents.” In other words, it will be as if there’s a little person inside that box who starts to anticipate what you want. Rather than help you, it will start to guide you through large amounts of information. It will almost be like you have a little friend inside that box. I think the computer as an agent will start to mature in the late '80s, early '90s.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/steve-jobs-1984-access-magazine-interview/">Steve Jobs</a>, 1984 interview with Access Magazine (<a href="https://pablosanzo.com/ai-agents.html#Definitions">via</a>)</p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/agent-definitions">agent-definitions</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/computer-history">computer-history</a></p>

2025-01-04T23:00:36+00:002025-01-04T23:00:36+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jan/4/i-live-my-life-a-quarter-century-at-a-time/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="https://tla.systems/blog/2025/01/04/i-live-my-life-a-quarter-century-at-a-time/">I Live My Life a Quarter Century at a Time</a></strong></p> Delightful Steve Jobs era Apple story from James Thomson, who built the first working prototype of the macOS Dock. <p><small></small>Via <a href="https://lobste.rs/s/wraaxu/i_live_my_life_quarter_century_at_time">lobste.rs</a></small></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/history">history</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2023-02-13T18:52:29+00:002023-02-13T18:52:29+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2023/Feb/13/ebikes/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="https://fedi.simonwillison.net/@simon/109858911681338625"><p>I've been thinking about generative AI tools as "bicycles for the mind" (to borrow an old Steve Jobs line), but I think "<strong>electric bicycles for the mind</strong>" might be more appropriate.</p> <p>They can accelerate your natural abilities, you have to learn how to use them, they can give you a significant boost that some people might feel is a bit of a cheat, and they're also quite dangerous if you're not careful with them!</p> <p>If you like, there's a more cynical version of this where they are electric scooters for the mind: rushed to market without due diligence, irresponsibly dumped throughout cities around the world, quite impressively dangerous, loved by some and a menace to others.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="https://fedi.simonwillison.net/@simon/109858911681338625">Simon Willison</a>, on Mastodon</p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ai">ai</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/generative-ai">generative-ai</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/llms">llms</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2011-01-22T11:39:00+00:002011-01-22T11:39:00+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2011/Jan/22/what-are-some-great/#atom-tag

<p><em>My answer to <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-great-stories-about-Steve-Jobs/answer/Simon-Willison">What are some great stories about Steve Jobs?</a> on Quora</em></p> <p>The stories on <span><a href="http://folklore.org">folklore.org</a></span> are fantastic - here's their collection about Steve Jobs: <span><a href="http://www.folklore.org/ProjectView.py?characters=Steve+Jobs&amp;name=Macintosh">http://www.folklore.org/ProjectV...</a></span></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/quora">quora</a></p>

2010-12-31T12:58:00+00:002010-12-31T12:58:00+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2010/Dec/31/did-apple-always-plan/#atom-tag

<p><em>My answer to <a href="https://www.quora.com/Did-Apple-always-plan-the-native-App-Store-or-was-it-released-in-response-to-developer-demand/answer/Simon-Willison">Did Apple always plan the (native) App Store, or was it released in response to developer demand?</a> on Quora</em></p> <p>Personally I've always assumed that native apps / the App Store was planned from the start, and the "build apps with HTML" thing Steve Jobs originally promoted was intended as a stop-gap measure (and also to mislead the competition). It's hard for me to believe that a multi-billion dollar marketplace was accidentally created because developers demanded the ability to create native apps. Also, the quality of the APIs discovered by people who jail broke the iPhone suggests to me that a public API was planned from the start.</p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/quora">quora</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ios">ios</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/iphones">iphones</a></p>

2010-04-29T15:22:06+00:002010-04-29T15:22:06+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2010/Apr/29/thoughts/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/"><p>Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/">Steve Jobs</a></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/flash">flash</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/adobe">adobe</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/mobile">mobile</a></p>

2010-01-28T21:03:18+00:002010-01-28T21:03:18+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2010/Jan/28/jaggeree/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="http://blog.jaggeree.com/post/357787918/why-the-ipad-may-be-just-what-we-need-for-digital">Why the iPad may be just what we need for Digital Inclusion</a></strong></p> Chris Thorpe: “It may not be a Jesus phone, a Moses tablet or something that lives up to hype and hyperbole, but if it does something for the digital inclusion agenda it might live up to Steve Jobs saying it’s the most important thing he’s ever done.” <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/chris-thorpe">chris-thorpe</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/inclusion">inclusion</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ipad">ipad</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2007-10-17T18:04:31+00:002007-10-17T18:04:31+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Oct/17/jobs/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/october#wed-17-iphone_sdk"><p>Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers' hands in February.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/october#wed-17-iphone_sdk">Steve Jobs</a></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/iphone">iphone</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/sdk">sdk</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/developers">developers</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/john-gruber">john-gruber</a></p>

2007-02-17T18:58:13+00:002007-02-17T18:58:13+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Feb/17/daring/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="http://daringfireball.net/2007/02/macrovision_translation">Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso&#x27;s Response to Steve Jobs&#x27;s &quot;Thoughts on Music&quot;</a></strong></p> By John Gruber. <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/drm">drm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/john-gruber">john-gruber</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2007-02-07T13:34:51+00:002007-02-07T13:34:51+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Feb/7/daring/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="http://daringfireball.net/2007/02/reading_between_the_lines">Reading Between the Lines of Steve Jobs&#x27;s &#x27;Thoughts on Music&#x27;</a></strong></p> John Gruber’s analysis. <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/drm">drm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/john-gruber">john-gruber</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/music">music</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2007-02-07T02:26:18+00:002007-02-07T02:26:18+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Feb/7/steve/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/"><p>If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/">Steve Jobs</a></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/drm">drm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a></p>

2007-02-07T02:25:21+00:002007-02-07T02:25:21+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Feb/7/apple/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/">Thoughts on Music</a></strong></p> Steve Jobs comes out against DRM, lays the blame squarely on the big four music companies. <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/drm">drm</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>

2007-01-12T09:51:00+00:002007-01-12T09:51:00+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Jan/12/sharecroppers/#atom-tag

<blockquote cite="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2007/01/12/sharecroppers"><p>Apple doesn't give a damn. Steve Jobs doesn't build platforms, except by accident. He doesn't care about your thriving metropolis. All you independent Mac developers: you're all sharecroppers, and your rent just went up. Way up.</p></blockquote> <p class="cite">&mdash; <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2007/01/12/sharecroppers">Mark Pilgrim</a></p> <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/open-source">open-source</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/iphone">iphone</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/sharecropping">sharecropping</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/mark-pilgrim">mark-pilgrim</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/macos">macos</a></p>

2007-01-09T17:11:30+00:002007-01-09T17:11:30+00:00https://simonwillison.net/2007/Jan/9/macrumorslive/#atom-tag

<p><strong><a href="http://www.macrumorslive.com/">macrumorslive.com</a></strong></p> The MacRumors ajax keynote coverage gets better every time—now they have live photos in addition to the text updates. Simple but effective. <p>Tags: <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/ajax">ajax</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/apple">apple</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/javascript">javascript</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/keynote">keynote</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/macos">macos</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/macrumors">macrumors</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/simplicity">simplicity</a>, <a href="https://simonwillison.net/tags/steve-jobs">steve-jobs</a></p>