Apple design concepts from the 80s

(Editorial consideration for all images featured in this article are courtesy of Hartmut Esslinger )

Apple has been a consistent synonym with design innovation for decades, more so through the concepts and vision of German-American engineer, designer and inventor Hartmut Esslinger.

“Keep It Simple” is not only Esslinger’s tagline, but a way of seeing technology as something beyond mere equipment, a statement, an integral part of our lives and lifestyle.

These early concepts speak of a future we thought we’d never see, and yet, here we are, reading this very article on an Apple iPad or an iPhone while the 80s seem a million years ago for many of us.

Innovation according to Apple and Esslinger, is about pushing boundaries, no matter what the technology is actually capable of.

Dreams of LCD pen tablets and touchscreens as far back as 1982, perhaps partially inspired by science-fiction. Ironically enough, in 2014, it is science-fiction that borrows from a reality Apple brought to life in laptops like the MacBook Air.

What Apple saw, through the eyes of Hartmut Esslinger, was so beyond traditional computing. It embraced all aspects of communication, workplace innovation and entertainment.

With the World Wide Web in its infancy, a mere glimpse into what we know today, Apple’s vision, a whole brave new universe, a revolutionary way to carry long distance communication, telecommuting, collaboration, shopping and broadcast television, with iconic concept designs so brilliant in their simplicity, it’s no wonder they are almost taken for granted today.