This is a fascinating set of YouTube videos with Steve Jobs demonstrating the NeXT computer software. You can see many ideas that were later incorporated into iOS and perhaps even hints of things still to come.
How different is “interpersonal” computing from social computing? Steve Jobs understood the power of groups back then. I’m sure he also understands that today. We could see some exciting things coming from Apple in this regard.
Note that sound is immediately out of sync in parts 3 and 4, but don’t let that stop you. Watch him kill fax machines in part 3!
Part 4 is remarkable in how NeXT built fundamental things into the OS so developers wouldn’t have to for their apps.
Did you catch the prices at the end? Fifteen grand for one, near eight grand for another? All based on 68040 CPUs!
Mike Cane’s xBlog 
Wow! Where can I get one of these computers!
Thanks.
You’re kidding, right?
It was a very cool box at the time. I very much remember the lust-worthy magneto-optical drive and the black Darth Vader like magnesium enclosure.
It is a bit fun more than 20 years later to see them feeling their way into the networking age when you have the latest version of iPad sitting on your lap doing all that and more sans mouse, monitor, and cube.
Zato may be making fun, but at that time we all sighed and wished we had the funds to acquire such a box. Ultimately, that was the problem the future just didn’t yet fit into our wallets.
Now it very soon may BE the wallet too. I’ve been looking forward to this since 1984 when the cursor was shaped like a finger. Now the finger is the mouse and both our physical and digital world responds to it.
What’s NeXT? :)