Late last year, Robert X. Cringely released his hour-long 1995 interview with Steve Jobs in several theaters in the United States. Roughly ten minutes of that footage was used in the 1996 Triumph of the Nerds documentary, but the remainder had been thought lost until a VHS copy of the footage was discovered just after Jobs' death last year.

jobs lost interview
As noted by Cringely, the interview has now been made available for rent in the iTunes Store, although the title appears to be limited to the U.S. store [iTunes Store]. The rental is priced at $3.99, and as with other content in the U.S. iTunes Store, customers have 30 days from the time of rental to begin watching the title. Once the customer begins watching, the rental expires in 24 hours.

Cringely indicates with some annoyance that Apple has apparently refused to feature the interview in its iTunes Store, deeming it "too controversial" and "too sensitive" for such publicity.

Deeming the film “too controversial,” Apple has it on the site but they aren’t promoting it and won’t. The topic is “too sensitive” you see. It isn’t even listed in the iTunes new releases. You have to search for it. But it’s there.

Maybe I’m not even supposed to tell you.

Of course there is nothing controversial or insensitive about this movie, which everyone including the critics seems to like. It’s a different look at an interesting guy and some people seem to take away a lot from it. You be the judge.

For those still interested in seeing the interview in the theater, it continues to play from time to time in select theaters.

Top Rated Comments

BornAgainApple Avatar
161 months ago
Sorry Bob, you won't be getting my $2.79. Haven't you made enough off this venture?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
161 months ago
PBS is not free. Just ask the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation or The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

OMG, you know what I mean.

Of course someone pays for it, mojumbo. But not the people watching, unless they choose to donate.

I swear with this forum sometimes. It's not enough that most of you don't have a sense of humor but now you have to be difficult too.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
161 months ago
This really should be free, Triumph of the Nerds originally aired on PBS, not HBO for crying out loud.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samywamy10 Avatar
161 months ago
As a non-US iTunes account holder, it would be greatly appreciated if someone could put this on YouTube or Vimeo or whatever (screen capture it).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
161 months ago
Just because something airs on PBS doesn't mean it falls into the public domain, even though it's obvious that Cringely is trying to milk this for all it's worth. I'm more pissed off that this is only a rental and you can't buy it to watch multiple times. Hopefully someone can rip it and put it up as a torrent or on usenet.
It's on YouTube (for free) already, just search 'Steve Jobs lost interview' and go about halfway down the page.

Someone inverted the image but it's there, I Airplayed it to my Apple TV the other night.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainApple Avatar
161 months ago
Just because something airs on PBS doesn't mean it falls into the public domain, even though it's obvious that Cringely is trying to milk this for all it's worth. I'm more pissed off that this is only a rental and you can't buy it to watch multiple times. Hopefully someone can rip it and put it up as a torrent or on usenet.

Actually, he's milking it for MORE than it's worth.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Camera Modules to Enter Mass Production Next Month

Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea. Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
iphone 6 thickness

iPhone 17 'Air' May Not Be Much Thinner Than iPhone 6

Monday November 11, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
new mac holiday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Monday November 11, 2024 7:45 am PST by
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
iOS 18

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more. A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
General Final Cut Pro Feature

Apple Likely to Announce Final Cut Pro Update This Week With These New Features

Sunday November 10, 2024 12:13 pm PST by
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day. Apple already teased four new features...
iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

Tuesday November 12, 2024 1:09 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers...