"To give you an idea of how different things may be in just a few years, let’s take a look at the future."
In 1987, Apple debuted a concept video introducing the Knowledge Navigator; a futuristic assistant that foreshadowed the intelligent assistants of today. Spearheaded by John Sculley, the Knowledge Navigator was an impressive mashup of Siri, MindMeld, Skype, and Google Now, and was accessible through touch and voice alone. The idea was conceptualized three years before the World Wide Web was even introduced, and nearly twenty years before touch-driven devices gained a stronghold.
Another fascinating part of the video is that it stars a professor who eerily resembles Theodore Twombly from Spike Jonze’s film Her. In the demo, the lookalike listens in as the Knowledge Navigator goes through his appointments for the day, surfaces relevant information, and then attempts to contact his friend. The beginning shot even has the bespectacled professor peering out the window, which looks very similar to a scene with Theodore doing just that.
Do you think the star of Apple’s Knowledge Navigator video resembles Theodore Twombly? Watch the clip and sound off in the comments!
Take a trip through the history of intelligent assistants with our Research Director’s presentation that first discovered the striking similarity.
