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Were you around in the 80s? What do you remember of the 80s? Girls with big hair and shoulder pads so wide they had to turn sideways to get in a door? BMW ads that said, "I want it because I want it". Yuppies?
I only ever owned one Playboy magazine....and there were no naked girls in it. It was the 1980 "Playboy Guide to Home Entertainment". The cover featured a decidedly middle-aged but sultry looking Ann Margret next to her Hi Fi-and what a Hi-Fi it was!
What made me think of this long lost magazine and why do I even remember it? Well, it is Ingvar and his "Stetson" thread. In this magazine was Warren Zevon. He was asked what his favourite music? He replied it was a certain classical piece but not when played by the LA Philharmonic with Zubin Metha shaking his "greasy stick" at it. Well, yesterday Ingvar posted about Zevon and the newest Hi-Fi News arrived featuring articles about Warren Zevon and Zubin Metha, almost back to back.
So onto the predictions: There was a panel discussion featuring Izak Azimov, Ray Gates of RCA, Bob Carver and Steve Jobs of you know who. This is what Ray Gates said
"By the mid-Eighties, everything will be combined in an information screen that will not only serve all the basic entertainment functions but also provide information, operate appliances in the home, even provide home security"
and
Personally, I would like to have that audio-video combination I mentioned. To be practical, the screen should be about 50 inches wide and it should be supported by a cabinet that also contains hi-fidelity audio, a two-week programmable video-cassette recorder and a five-inch monitor screen that can be operated separately from the main screen, | would want the speakers outside the cabinet and wireless, if possible. The whole thing should have the ability to respond to voice commands. Throw in a colour-video camera that weighs less than ten pounds and that records onto a self-contained cassette, and you've just about covered all the needs I might have. | would love to get something like that as a present. The whole thing could be produced for under $5000. Probably the most difficult part would be making the speaker connections wireless
This is what Steve Jobs said:
"The Seventies were the decade that produced the AM/FM/alarm/ organ combination. We had biorhythm calculators and Superman telephones. These products had no basis in real need, When was the last time you saw a hi-fi console in somebody's home? The reason you don?t see them is that when a new turntable comes out, you can?t replace the one in your console, while with component stereo you can. I don?t think we'll see the integration of television and stereo, You'll just have some jacks in the back of your TV and your stereo system so you can interconnect them. Electronics in the home will remain decentralized, and that includes computers.
Nobody really wants to control the home with a personal computer. A few years ago, we thought people would want that, but it?s easier and more efficient to distribute the intelligence. You can buy a thermostat that regulates your heater with a little microprocessor that can program the temperature cycle for a week. You don't need all the intelligence in a central location, If your personal computer breaks down, you certainly don?t want your home to shut down. Changes in consumer electronics will be distributed throughout the home"
I have to wonder who was the true visionary here?
This is what Apple Home offers in 2021
With the Home app, you can easily and securely control your HomeKit accessories from all your Apple devices. Turn off the lights, see who?s at the front door, adjust your living room temperature, turn up the music, and so much more. And with the new HomeKit Secure Video capability and HomeKit‑enabled routers, it?s all even more secure. The Home app makes all your connected devices work harder ? and smarter ? for you.
I only ever owned one Playboy magazine....and there were no naked girls in it. It was the 1980 "Playboy Guide to Home Entertainment". The cover featured a decidedly middle-aged but sultry looking Ann Margret next to her Hi Fi-and what a Hi-Fi it was!
What made me think of this long lost magazine and why do I even remember it? Well, it is Ingvar and his "Stetson" thread. In this magazine was Warren Zevon. He was asked what his favourite music? He replied it was a certain classical piece but not when played by the LA Philharmonic with Zubin Metha shaking his "greasy stick" at it. Well, yesterday Ingvar posted about Zevon and the newest Hi-Fi News arrived featuring articles about Warren Zevon and Zubin Metha, almost back to back.
So onto the predictions: There was a panel discussion featuring Izak Azimov, Ray Gates of RCA, Bob Carver and Steve Jobs of you know who. This is what Ray Gates said
"By the mid-Eighties, everything will be combined in an information screen that will not only serve all the basic entertainment functions but also provide information, operate appliances in the home, even provide home security"
and
Personally, I would like to have that audio-video combination I mentioned. To be practical, the screen should be about 50 inches wide and it should be supported by a cabinet that also contains hi-fidelity audio, a two-week programmable video-cassette recorder and a five-inch monitor screen that can be operated separately from the main screen, | would want the speakers outside the cabinet and wireless, if possible. The whole thing should have the ability to respond to voice commands. Throw in a colour-video camera that weighs less than ten pounds and that records onto a self-contained cassette, and you've just about covered all the needs I might have. | would love to get something like that as a present. The whole thing could be produced for under $5000. Probably the most difficult part would be making the speaker connections wireless
This is what Steve Jobs said:
"The Seventies were the decade that produced the AM/FM/alarm/ organ combination. We had biorhythm calculators and Superman telephones. These products had no basis in real need, When was the last time you saw a hi-fi console in somebody's home? The reason you don?t see them is that when a new turntable comes out, you can?t replace the one in your console, while with component stereo you can. I don?t think we'll see the integration of television and stereo, You'll just have some jacks in the back of your TV and your stereo system so you can interconnect them. Electronics in the home will remain decentralized, and that includes computers.
Nobody really wants to control the home with a personal computer. A few years ago, we thought people would want that, but it?s easier and more efficient to distribute the intelligence. You can buy a thermostat that regulates your heater with a little microprocessor that can program the temperature cycle for a week. You don't need all the intelligence in a central location, If your personal computer breaks down, you certainly don?t want your home to shut down. Changes in consumer electronics will be distributed throughout the home"
I have to wonder who was the true visionary here?
This is what Apple Home offers in 2021
With the Home app, you can easily and securely control your HomeKit accessories from all your Apple devices. Turn off the lights, see who?s at the front door, adjust your living room temperature, turn up the music, and so much more. And with the new HomeKit Secure Video capability and HomeKit‑enabled routers, it?s all even more secure. The Home app makes all your connected devices work harder ? and smarter ? for you.
