Steve Jobs...RIP....I admit contributed greatly towards the use of everyday computing and communicating and of course Apple!! The question is HOW?? which many people fail to do.
When it comes to Apple - I'm seriously thinking of buying an Ipad 2 or a MacBook Pro. The irony is Steve Jobs is just flashing at you when you think of Apple or go shopping for any of its products, but then again maybe not. On one hand you see these sleek, elegantly simple yet beautifully crafted pieces of technology. But then all I see is this whole load of stuff in books and magazines (even TV snippets) and so many people yapping about who he was and without him Apple would have been crap and so on and so forth.
According to me and what I have researched and studied about him and Apple as a company makes me say he didn't know much about computers, designs or phones or even music devices. He practically knew nothing about making or developing things for that matter. What he did know - was how to make a hard-sell, usability of devices, crating consumer wants, simplicity (after he went on a spiritual trip), convince people to be minimalistic and make people use technology in a way which no one before him dared to. Lets face it - most eccentrics turn out to be geniuses in their own right.
Ever heard of the term Megalomaniac???
Steve Jobs was more or less responsible for that term being used at offices or in general because he was a MEGALOMANIAC. I'm referring to the years when Steve Jobs had long hair, wore dapper suits, sat bare feet in his office, had a bunch of weird habits, verbally trashed his employees, pitted his staff in nerve-wrecking competitions and so on. He and Bill Gates were the famous pirates of Silicon Valley back then enjoying their riches. Only Bill Gates turned out to be tad smarter and more business-minded than Steve Jobs who got lost in his conquest of glory. Ultimate result - Steve Jobs got Fired from Apple.
Anyway, we all know how he then came up with NeXT, his new journey and then ultimately how he returned to Apple. Think of it this way - you need to sell your stuff so you get back the best salesman, right?? That's exactly what Apple did. Steve Jobs created his new persona, his lifestyle in such a way which attracted people because of his new simplistic approach of doing complex things. This philosophy translated into most of Apple's products beginning with the iMac. As Apple's research wing got better and created its own persona in the computer market - it could now look at different platforms and technologies.
Apple products are now all about design. Go have a look at designs by Jonathan Ive. Apple's rule is to get it out cool designs in the market when a new technology has just surfaced. The Walkman to iPod. The smartphone to iPhone. Tablet PCs to iPad. They let the consumers do the talking and there you have it - the most powerful marketing tool - 'Word of Mouth' at work. Add to that a launch or prototype demo by Steve Jobs and you had everyone drooling before it even hit the markets. Even their apps are given that Apple 'look' - even when you are looking at their app content or logos for that matter - sophistication which android apps can hardly ever achieve.
My perspective on Steve Jobs changed when I watched the movie/documentary called 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' (pic attached). From a marketing or advertising industry perspective - Steve Jobs was the 'client-servicing guy' whereas the creatives, planners are a whole bunch of other people who were just happy taking the backseat and making heaps of money. He could go to any lengths to represent Apple for what it stood as. He never stopped dreaming and I guess he saw most of his dreams come true.So to all the client-servicing guys and gals who literally curse their careers every day - you could be a Steve Jobs someday!!
When it comes to Apple - I'm seriously thinking of buying an Ipad 2 or a MacBook Pro. The irony is Steve Jobs is just flashing at you when you think of Apple or go shopping for any of its products, but then again maybe not. On one hand you see these sleek, elegantly simple yet beautifully crafted pieces of technology. But then all I see is this whole load of stuff in books and magazines (even TV snippets) and so many people yapping about who he was and without him Apple would have been crap and so on and so forth.
Would Apple be what it is today without Steve Jobs ?
Most people I meet, know or come across or even read about - would say NO.
I think there is only a little truth in that !!According to me and what I have researched and studied about him and Apple as a company makes me say he didn't know much about computers, designs or phones or even music devices. He practically knew nothing about making or developing things for that matter. What he did know - was how to make a hard-sell, usability of devices, crating consumer wants, simplicity (after he went on a spiritual trip), convince people to be minimalistic and make people use technology in a way which no one before him dared to. Lets face it - most eccentrics turn out to be geniuses in their own right.
Ever heard of the term Megalomaniac???
Anyway, we all know how he then came up with NeXT, his new journey and then ultimately how he returned to Apple. Think of it this way - you need to sell your stuff so you get back the best salesman, right?? That's exactly what Apple did. Steve Jobs created his new persona, his lifestyle in such a way which attracted people because of his new simplistic approach of doing complex things. This philosophy translated into most of Apple's products beginning with the iMac. As Apple's research wing got better and created its own persona in the computer market - it could now look at different platforms and technologies.
'Jonathan Ive' accomplished that for Apple.
My perspective on Steve Jobs changed when I watched the movie/documentary called 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' (pic attached). From a marketing or advertising industry perspective - Steve Jobs was the 'client-servicing guy' whereas the creatives, planners are a whole bunch of other people who were just happy taking the backseat and making heaps of money. He could go to any lengths to represent Apple for what it stood as. He never stopped dreaming and I guess he saw most of his dreams come true.So to all the client-servicing guys and gals who literally curse their careers every day - you could be a Steve Jobs someday!!
More on this in blogs to follow.
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