A newly discovered internal video from 1999 gives us a fresh look at Steve Jobs talking to Apple employees. Former software engineer Akira Nonaka recently shared the 15-minute recording online for the very first time. Filmed shortly after the iBook G3 launch at Macworld New York, the rare footage shows Jobs speaking candidly about Apple’s product strategy, wireless internet, and his real reasons for returning to the company.
Releasing the colorful iBook finally finished Jobs’ four-part plan for Apple
Jobs used the informal campus gathering to praise his team for the highly successful release of the iBook. The laptop received massive media attention, and Jobs noted that their competitors were completely amazed by it. The iBook was a crucial step for Apple because it completed the famous four-part product plan Jobs had introduced earlier.
With this release, Apple now offered the colorful iMac and iBook for regular consumers, right alongside the more powerful Power Mac G3 and PowerBook G3 for professionals.
Apple was able to build affordable wireless internet faster than its PC rivals
A large portion of the speech focuses heavily on the introduction of AirPort. Jobs called this new wireless networking system a breakthrough that computer users had wanted for over a decade. He explained how Apple partnered directly with Lucent to make the technology affordable and incredibly easy to set up for normal people.
Because Apple controlled both the hardware and the software, it could push new ideas to the market much faster than rivals like Dell or Compaq. Those PC makers had to convince multiple companies to support a new feature before they could actually sell it.
Jobs just told the crowd that Apple was the last company in the industry that truly cared about building great computers. You can watch the complete video below.
Jobs also talked about why he actually came back to Apple
Jobs also took time to clarify his personal motives. He made it clear that he did not return to Apple just to fix its broken finances. He came back to make the company great again by creating products that people genuinely loved to use. He praised the operational improvements Apple had made over the previous two years, claiming its supply chain was now better than Dell’s.
Instead of fighting Microsoft in the massive corporate IT world, Jobs said Apple would focus strictly on creative professionals, schools, and everyday consumers. Wrapping up the talk, he teased several unreleased projects. He confidently called these upcoming releases the best things he had ever seen in his entire life.
