• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Video: Steve Jobs lays out his vision for iCloud — in 1997

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 24, 2011, 5:41 AM ET

“Let me describe the world I live in” 



Jobs at WWDC 1997

Steve Jobs got a lot off his chest in his Q&A session with developers at WWDC 1997 — the first after he returned to Apple (AAPL) from his years in the desert at NeXT.

We’ve dipped once before into the 70-minute video (available here) to highlight his remarks about Wall Street and the press. (See The stock will take care of itself.)

But there’s lots more where that came from. What is perhaps most relevant today, a week or so before Apple is expected to launch iCloud, is the part where Jobs describes his vision for what is now known as cloud computing.

He lays it out in a 5-minute segment — excerpted below — using his own personal computer set-up as a template for what he hoped Apple might someday be able to make as “plug and play for mere mortals” as it made the user experience a decade earlier.

“I can’t communicate to you how awesome this is until you use it. And what you would decide within a day or two is that carrying around these non-connected computers or computers with tons of state in them — tons of data and state in them — is Byzantine by comparison.”

Video below the fold:

We’ll find out how well Apple has managed to deliver on Jobs’ vision — 14 years later — when iCloud finally launches.

Via: Business Insider’s Dylan Love. Video trimmed from JacobsFrederic‘s 8-minute version.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

take off
InvestingMarkets
Why you shouldn’t worry about AI eating the stock market, top analyst says. The U.S. economy is ‘about to take off’
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 9, 2026
12 minutes ago
a sign outside of a home with Guthrie's name on it.
CryptoCryptocurrency
Nancy Guthrie’s family faces $6 million Bitcoin ransom demand: How such a payment would take place
By Carlos GarciaFebruary 9, 2026
34 minutes ago
Cheerful young man
SuccessWealth
Billionaire Jenny Just says she could have saved ‘10 years of losses’ if she had learned this skill sooner from playing poker
By Preston ForeFebruary 9, 2026
55 minutes ago
Real EstateHousing
JPMorgan’s nationwide home price forecast hides a Sun Belt full of pain. Watch out, Florida and Texas
By Jason MaFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
David Risher, wearing a patterned shirt, speaks in front of a bright magenta background.
C-SuiteLyft
Lyft CEO David Risher is still a driver for the company: It made him realize being even one minute late could cost the customer their job
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago
Valentines Day balloons
Arts & EntertainmentCulture
Meet the women ditching their husbands for ‘Galentine’s Day,’ with no men allowed ‘unless the bartender happens to be male’
By Alicia Rancilio and The Associated PressFebruary 9, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Russian officials are warning Putin that a financial crisis could arrive this summer, report says, while his war on Ukraine becomes too big to fail
By Jason MaFebruary 8, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
America marks its 250th birthday with a fading dream—the first time that younger generations will make less than their parents
By Mark Robert Rank and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
We studied 70 countries' economic data for the last 60 years and something big about market crashes changed 25 years ago
By Josh Ederington, Jenny Minier and The ConversationFebruary 8, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Gen Z Patriots quarterback Drake Maye still drives a 2015 pickup truck even after it broke down on the highway—despite his $37 million contract
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 7, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervous about overexposure to American assets
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 9, 2026
7 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.