The Board

6 Responses to “He really did Think Different”

1. Kelvin Says:
   October 6th, 2011 at 10:56 am

   I wasn’t a fan of his earlier work, but the iPad 2 is probably my favorite gadget ever. What a perfectionist. We’ll miss his presentations.

2. Mike Says:
   October 6th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

   I have a different take than Kelvin — as they say in Office Space, “Personally, I celebrate the man’s entire catalog.” There’s actually not much of that catalog that I don’t own.

   Still, I’m blown away by the world’s response to Steve’s death. There are exactly zero other CEOs, and very few public figures at all that would garner a response like this (I mean, they broke into network programming to make the announcement!)

   Steve was a master at understanding his customers, recognizing the prevailing winds in his industry, and inspiring (and in many cases, dictatorially controlling) the creation of the most compelling devices on the market. Whether you like the company or not, you have to agree that Apple moved the market to places it certainly wouldn’t have gone otherwise. He gets a lot of credit for inventing things that he didn’t actually invent, but it’s like the scientist who makes the fundamental discovery versus the person who turns the discovery into a life-saving drug — there’s value in the translation, maybe more than in the invention.

   One of my favorite possessions is the “Think Different” poster of Richard Feynman hanging in our office at home. I know, big geek — but I find it inspiring on so many levels, and part of that is Apple’s legacy.

   And to move away from the sentimental stuff — after watching Tim Cook MC the iPhone 4S presentation on Tuesday — we’re definitely going to miss Steve’s presentation style! Ugh.

3. Mike Says:
   October 6th, 2011 at 12:03 pm

   And for posterity: Steve Jobs narrates the Think Different commercial.

4. kelvin Says:
   October 6th, 2011 at 5:03 pm

   This shared outpouring of emotion is genuine and needed. As I think about how much Lucas loves watching Toy Story on my iPad, you can’t overstate the impact Steve has had on our lives and our childrens’ lives. The guy was only 56, just way too young. By all rights, he should have been making Toy Story 15 when Lucas is old enough to have kids.

5. Jake Says:
   October 7th, 2011 at 1:09 am

   Genuine emotion is about right. Steve Jobs was nothing more than a legend when I bought my first Mac in the early months of 1996. Apple was at its nadir, and if anything, Steve Jobs was being celebrated for his rebirth via Pixar. The debut of Toy Story was groundbreaking, and in some ways heralded much of what was to come from the most innovative businessman of our age. Jobs was wunderkind when he got fired from Apple in 1995, and remained so founding Next right after. But while begun with much promise, the Next was a niche within a niche.

   A latecomer to the Apple phanboy club, I took the role with a zest & quickly learned more than anyone should know about Gil Amelio & his search for a next generation OS. Was it Copland or Pink or BeOS that would save Apple? None of those, instead Apple bought NeXT lock, stock & barrel in the greatest reverse merger of our age. For Apple was acquirer in name only– within a year, Steve Jobs took the job of interim CEO. Apple was to be a part time gig, for Pixar would be the company he ran 20 years hence.

   For Pixar was the company in Jobs image, as he envisioned. Taking the best of the tools available today, and applying them in news. Creating a story, then developing a product to fill that role. Surrounding himself with passionate artists & engineers, applying his own design aesthetic and letting them create great things. Only shipping Insanely Great products. Putting a product on a pedestal and letting it shine. Apple c. 1997 did little of that, although talented engineers no doubt remained. It was Performas and Quadras and special models just for Sears that sat unplugged in a corner surrounded by Packard-Bells and Compaqs. Beige boxes looking alike and a design only notable for its lack of flair. While the Apple of Steve Jobs turned out Apple II’s and Macintoshes, the post-Jobs Apple had little ambition and less success.

   Thus began the Greatest Second Act in business history, not only for Jobs but for Apple itself, the original hot IPO. Eighteen months after Jobs returned, we glanced at the fruits of his vision. The iMac was announced, and none could doubt its ambition. It’s back looked better than any other computer’s front. It was a colorful blue and round not boxy. The floppy was gone, SCSI was out, serial ports were thrown to the curb. Like its Mac progenitor, the monitor was built in. Ethernet built in, USB ports abounding. Soon, the iBook joined the lineup with its groundbreaking WiFi and Apple sold 4 great computers. Sure, the world wasn’t taken by storm but the formula was there. Sell only awesome products, integrated and engineered.

   The iCEO held on to that title for a few more years, as Apple produced some hits and other misses. The rest of the story is well known, and by the end we could see the influence permeate Apple as an extension of himself. Like with Pixar before it, Jobs had molded Apple into a shape he chose. The string of hits, of genuine game changers is extraordinary. Seldom was Apple first, but again and again the refinements introduced set their products apart. What a lineup.

   Apple II

   Macintosh

   Toy Story

   iMac

   iBook

   iPod

   iPhone

   MacBook Air

   iPad

   None of these items is the product of one man or his imagination. His legacy is more than the above, rather its the way he used his singular vision to focus the talents around him to create truly insanely great products. In an age of managing companies for stockholders, it’s always been clear that didn’t concern Jobs except as a consequence of creating great stuff. Apple & Pixar will continue on, as two of the great success stories of the past few decades. While Steve might not have the final touch on the iPad 4 or Toy Story 5, no doubt those franchises will continue on. But the loss is still real.

   Yesterday afternoon, a co-worker came into my office and asked if I heard the news. I hadn’t, but soon we found a few short stories and felt the shock. It shouldn’t have been a shock, knowing the disease that afflicted Jobs, but still it was. It seemed that maybe Jobs had beaten this monster, and the cruel turn is all too familiar. I was saddened, and shed a few tears. I wandered to the local Apple Store, to see if there was a gathering. There was and there wasn’t… just a couple dozen people in a computer store in a small mall on a Wednesday night spending minutes or hours playing with the products. Integrated, engineered, on pedestals. Enjoying & smiling and oohing and aahing and laughing all the same.

   That’s a tribute more profound than holding vigils with iPhones held high, or by singing Strawberry Fields or Imagine. Real people, happily using Apple technology to connect with friends around the corner and around the word. Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs, and be assured that the footprints you left on this world will endure long after today, and will make the life of billions better for a generation or more.

6. Jake Says:
   October 7th, 2011 at 11:53 am

   Steven Colbert’s tribute. This one’s worth holding onto as well.

   http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/399182/october-06-2011/tribute-to-steve-jobs

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website