Steve Wozniak Looks Toward Apple in 2075, Visits Apple Museum Exhibit in Seattle

[MacRumors]

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has given his thoughts on what Apple might look like some 60 years in the future, stating in an interview that he believes his former employer, as well as Google and Facebook, will be even bigger in 2075. The comment comes from an interview Wozniak gave in preparation for the Silicon Valley Comic Con, which this year is themed as "The Future of Humanity: Where Will We Be in 2075?" (via USA Today).

Wozniak said Apple's ability to "invest in anything" is one of the reasons the company will still be around in 2075. The former Apple executive also pointed towards Apple's iPhone -- which he equates to granting users "more power than Superman" -- to explain why the company won't be going away any time soon.

Paul Allen and Steve Wozniak​

"She has more power in her hand than Superman," Wozniak, broadly smiling, says, pointing at a colleague's iPhone. "To make such strides in computing... It shows you how exciting the future can be."

"Apple will be around a long time, like IBM (which was founded in 1911)," Wozniak said in an interview. "Look at Apple's cash ($246.1 billion, as of the end of its last fiscal quarter). It can invest in anything. It would be ridiculous to not expect them to be around (in 2075). The same goes for Google and Facebook."

Even though Wozniak stuck to SVCC's 2075 theme, he admitted that when Apple Computers began in 1976, its founders -- including Steve Jobs -- assumed that the company would last forever.

Wozniak recently celebrated those early days of Apple by visiting the just-opened "Apple Computer Exhibit" at Living Computers: Museum + Lab in Seattle, Washington. At an event marking the opening last week, Wozniak met one of the museum's founders, Paul Allen -- who is also a Microsoft co-founder -- for the first time. Wozniak said that he's felt Allen's influence since the early days of Apple, tweeting out, "that's what doing things first is about."

The first two decades of Apple are on display at the exhibit in Seattle, and it includes a working Apple 1 computer that visitors can interact with. Lath Carlson, the museum's executive director, expects the Apple-specific exhibit to run for the next decade, giving those interested plenty of time to visit the museum.

Article Link: Steve Wozniak Looks Toward Apple in 2075, Visits Apple Museum Exhibit in Seattle

 

[zilba25]

Will Wozniak still be around as well?

 

[meaning-matters]

Money helps, but a bright future requires Elon Musk or Steve Jobs direction.

 

[Nr123*123]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Tim Cook invests in Hermes Apple Watch band.

Apple is limited by its vision not its cash.

 

[macs4nw]

Would be interesting to visit that exhibit..... look at, or touch some pieces of history.

 

[guzhogi]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Tim Cook invests in Hermes Apple Watch band.

Apple is limited by its vision not its cash.

Money helps, but a bright future requires Elon Musk or Steve Jobs direction.

Agreed. While the Apple Watch is somewhat revolutionary, it's nowhere near the level the iMac, iPod, and iPhone were. These really revolutionized what computers, music players & phones looked like & how we interacted with them.

Tim Cook seems like a nice enough guy and knows the numbers, but doesn't have the vision & fire Steve Jobs had. Steve knew what looked & worked well, while Tim seems like the guy who tries to be cool and hip but utterly failing. Yes, I know, Apple has a whole lot of money know, but it doesn't seem as cool and revolutionary. Apple seems a lot more evolutionary and more interested in making money than pushing the envelope.

I'd love to see Apple to go into game consoles, reinvest in high end, pro-level computers, maybe even reenter the server arena. I know servers aren't sexy, consumer-oriented, high-volume areas, but they could be loss leaders. Make them powerful, easy to use, and easy to integrate into end user-facing electronics, and maybe they'll be able to get more people to buy Apple products. Don't forget that about 10 years ago, one of the fastest supercomputers was built using Xserves. Plus, go into enterprise support, which could probably bring in a bit of money, too.

 

[erinsarah]

Will Wozniak still be around as well?

Probably in just head form, right next to Steve.

 

[Abazigal]

Agreed. While the Apple Watch is somewhat revolutionary, it's nowhere near the level the iMac, iPod, and iPhone were. These really revolutionized what computers, music players & phones looked like & how we interacted with them.

Tim Cook seems like a nice enough guy and knows the numbers, but doesn't have the vision & fire Steve Jobs had. Steve knew what looked & worked well, while Tim seems like the guy who tries to be cool and hip but utterly failing. Yes, I know, Apple has a whole lot of money know, but it doesn't seem as cool and revolutionary. Apple seems a lot more evolutionary and more interested in making money than pushing the envelope.

I'd love to see Apple to go into game consoles, reinvest in high end, pro-level computers, maybe even reenter the server arena. I know servers aren't sexy, consumer-oriented, high-volume areas, but they could be loss leaders. Make them powerful, easy to use, and easy to integrate into end user-facing electronics, and maybe they'll be able to get more people to buy Apple products. Don't forget that about 10 years ago, one of the fastest supercomputers was built using Xserves. Plus, go into enterprise support, which could probably bring in a bit of money, too.

All I can say is, wait and watch and learn.

I believe that wearables is shaping up to be the next big battleground for platforms, while the Mac is more of a legacy platform which while arguably still important today, doesn't really play much of a role in Apple's long term roadmap.

So I am not surprised that Apple is investing so heavily in the Apple Watch and AirPods and pushing the envelop when it comes to making its products as small and thin and light and power-efficient as possible. An argument can definitely be made that Apple isn't entirely wrong to focus overwhelmingly on wearables while ignoring the Mac, much as it will suck for existing mac users.

 

[dannys1]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Tim Cook invests in Hermes Apple Watch band.

Apple is limited by its vision not its cash.

Hardly invested in is, it's a collab, possibly even with funding from Hermes. It's also a good thing for the Apple Watch and I'd love to see Apple collab on specialist products with other fashion companies.

Just because YOU don't care about fashion (and most tech nerds) doesn't make it a bad thing. I like that despite being in the top couple of biggest companies in the world they're still willing to spend a bit of time on niche products.

 

[michaelant]

Silly Woz, by 2075, we will have already been 30 YEARS past the Singularity. Companies as we know them today will no longer exist, having been superseded by hyper intelligent AI or human/AI hybrids. (who are we to question Ray Kurzweil...)

 

[guzhogi]

All I can say is, wait and watch and learn.

I believe that wearables is shaping up to be the next big battleground for platforms, while the Mac is more of a legacy platform which while arguably still important today, doesn't really play much of a role in Apple's long term roadmap.

So I am not surprised that Apple is investing so heavily in the Apple Watch and AirPods and pushing the envelop when it comes to making its products as small and thin and light and power-efficient as possible. An argument can definitely be made that Apple isn't entirely wrong to focus overwhelmingly on wearables while ignoring the Mac, much as it will suck for existing mac users.

I see where you're going. I could see something like Google Glass possibly replacing/augmenting phones, laptops, and screens for desktops. Integrate AR/VR.

having been superseded by hyper intelligent AI or human/AI hybrids.

Going beyond just wearables, I somewhat expect & fear that people will augment themselves with technology, much like the Borg from Star Trek. Just have to think of something, and it'll be posted to Facebook. Instead of screens for your devices, it'll be pumped straight into the visual cortex of your brain. Scary thing is that I'm only half sarcastic.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Does that include Ronald Wayne?

 

[satchmo]

What does Woz do these days anyways? Is he still on Apple's payroll and can he walk in without a security pass?

It must be nice not having to work for the rest of your life after your early 30's.
Some might say, he's a one trick pony, but that's all you need.

 

[ghostface147]

2075? I won't be here.

 

[JMacHack]

Going beyond just wearables, I somewhat expect & fear that people will augment themselves with technology, much like the Borg from Star Trek. Just have to think of something, and it'll be posted to Facebook. Instead of screens for your devices, it'll be pumped straight into the visual cortex of your brain. Scary thing is that I'm only half sarcastic.

I'm afraid that any children I have will have to compete with augmented children. None of my children will be bio-engineered or augmented, but I fear that there are parents out there who don't feel the same.

 

[Glideslope]

Will Wozniak still be around as well?

No, but wow, he really has "Man Boobs,"

 

[doelcm82]

Agreed. While the Apple Watch is somewhat revolutionary, it's nowhere near the level the iMac, iPod, and iPhone were. These really revolutionized what computers, music players & phones looked like & how we interacted with them.

Tim Cook seems like a nice enough guy and knows the numbers, but doesn't have the vision & fire Steve Jobs had. Steve knew what looked & worked well, while Tim seems like the guy who tries to be cool and hip but utterly failing. Yes, I know, Apple has a whole lot of money know, but it doesn't seem as cool and revolutionary. Apple seems a lot more evolutionary and more interested in making money than pushing the envelope.

I'd love to see Apple to go into game consoles, reinvest in high end, pro-level computers, maybe even reenter the server arena. I know servers aren't sexy, consumer-oriented, high-volume areas, but they could be loss leaders. Make them powerful, easy to use, and easy to integrate into end user-facing electronics, and maybe they'll be able to get more people to buy Apple products. Don't forget that about 10 years ago, one of the fastest supercomputers was built using Xserves. Plus, go into enterprise support, which could probably bring in a bit of money, too.

Wow. Just three revolutionary products on your list (and the iMac is questionable)! One of them doesn't even exist anymore as a major standalone product category.

Then your suggestions for future direction are to stick to the boring stuff.

 

[JMacHack]

Agreed. While the Apple Watch is somewhat revolutionary, it's nowhere near the level the iMac, iPod, and iPhone were. These really revolutionized what computers, music players & phones looked like & how we interacted with them.

I think the introduction of iTunes is more revolutionary than the iPod, without iTunes the iPod would've been a dud. The same can be said with the App Store and the iPhone.

Apple's main forte isn't just the products themselves, but the entire ecosystem that's provided with the product. It's this ecosystem that sells Apple products, not the machines themselves.

 

[maccingandsnacking]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Tim Cook invests in Hermes Apple Watch band.

Apple is limited by its vision not its cash.

They got permission to test the car this week, they're working on implementing a phone / laptop combination.. You can take any 6 month period and pick it apart, no company creates life changing products every quarter. Very few even get one.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Facebook won't be around in 2075. Google will be paired down considerably or eventually run itself into the ground. How come? Advertising in a world economy by 2075 won't be remotely the same. Revenue streams will be run a completely different credit model.

 

[macduke]

I have a hard time believing the U.S. will still be around in 2075, much less Apple. Has he been paying attention? We'll be lucky to survive the year, lol.

 

[satchmo]

Facebook won't be around in 2075. Google will be paired down considerably or eventually run itself into the ground. How come? Advertising in a world economy by 2075 won't be remotely the same. Revenue streams will be run a completely different credit model.

Unless capitalism is dead, there will likely be advertising in one form or another.

And i think Google or FB will pivot or adapt to new revenue models.

 

[djcerla]

Can invest in anything says Apple cofounder.

Tim Cook invests in Hermes Apple Watch band.

Apple is limited by its vision not its cash.

What a sad, uninformed comment. Do you have an idea of what Apple had spent in R&D in 2016?

Apple's vision so far has been amazingly better than its competitors', beating them in basically every segment the firm competes in.

 

[Defthand]

All I can say is, wait and watch and learn.

Don’t hold your breath. Apple will chase trends, try to keep up with competitors, and gamble on the same developing markets as competitors, but Apple itself won’t be a trendsetter or make history like it did with its legacy products. Apple’s competitors are formidable and have learned from Apple’s successes.

Younger enthusiasts overestimate tech’s abilities. The advances in consumer electronics have mostly been on the manufacturing side rather than the products themselves. Much of today’s modern electronics have been on paper, or used in niche applications, for decades. As for Apple’s products, there is nothing evolutionary about smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. Their underlying technology is essentially the same as the PC, only smaller. They are offsprings—not replacements--of the more capable PC. They are compromises and accessories.

Before you dismiss the PC as a has-been tool, consider this: The first mass-produced PCs didn’t exist until the 1980’s—only 36 years ago! By comparison, the first mass-produced cars existed 132 years ago. Nothing has replaced the car, including those with the original internal combustion engine. Don’t expect another history-making invention in consumer electronics in your lifetime, but enjoy the novelties that marketers create for the existing tech.

 

[Blackstick]

Woz is a legendary engineer, but a businessman he is NOT... even with extensive cash reserves, a long enough history of mismanagement can undo a horde of cash.