In some ways, there really isn't anything for me to write about Steve Jobs. I've been a fan since long before I started buying Macintoshes, and I've been a Mac user for nearly 10 years. And I have loved every bit of it. Switching to the Mac brought back a lot of fun, and joy, to my computing experience. And that is something that I will always treasure.
But in pondering this weeks announcements, I did see two memes spread across the Internet, that I want to try and dispel. And there have been a ton of great articles and anecdotes written about Steve this week, that I wanted to link to.
So here it is, a blog post in two parts.
Steve Jobs myths:
Myth #1: Apple will be on a slow decline now that Steve Jobs is no longer CEO. Or to put it another way, Tim Cook will keep the lights on, but he isn't a visionary and therefore will miss "the next big thing". I say that this is all hogwash. If you want to ponder Apple's ultimate health, forget about Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Jonathan Ive, etc. Instead, ponder the so-called "tablet market", and ask — how big will this market eventually get? Will it expand to encompass everyone who currently has a PC? Everyone who currently has a cell phone? The whole planet? Because with the iPad, Apple absolutely dominates that space. And the idea of the iPad being unseated has already sailed — the iPad is going to be the Windows of the next generation of computing.
But beyond that, I actually don't think that there is a ton of mystery around the genius of Steve Jobs. He recognized a technology that could make people's lives better (computing), and he simply tried to make this technology accessible, over and over again. And accessible can mean a lot of different things — it can mean replacing the command-line with the GUI (the Mac), getting rid of the confusing filesystem (the iPhone), or hitting a low price target (the iPad). Steve Jobs just wanted to make computers that people could actually use. And to do this, you have to design them well — the computers have to be easy to use, have a long battery life, be thin and light, and be affordable.
And once you start thinking this way, it is in fact possible to "think ahead". Because once you remove an obstacle for people, you will instantly see the next barrier to adoption. This is exactly why Apple is removing the iTunes requirement from iOS devices in iOS 5 — there are large swaths of the market that can't afford to own a computer, nor wish to deal with that level of complexity. Requiring iTunes to activate an iPad was adding complexity, and was therefore a barrier to adoption. So that requirement is being removed.
The first time that Steve left Apple, they didn't, as an organization, know what was fundamental to their DNA. Now, when Steve Jobs leaves Apple for the second time, the company as a whole, knows exactly what it is doing. There is a mission, and everyone is aligned to it. And better yet, Apple, as an organization, knows how to achieve it's mission of making computing accessible. So, if you hate Apple, I have bad news for you — the company isn't going anywhere.
Myth #2: Steve Jobs' influence is only on Apple and Apple users. More nonsense. Take the iPad, for example. With the iPad, competitors to Apple are learning that they can no longer just compete on price. In order to have success, they actually need to make a tablet that works better than the iPad. So, instead of competing on price and features, now they are competing on design. While this sort of thing is almost unheard of in the technology space, it is common in other areas. And it is great for consumers — instead of a rush to the bottom, accompanied by marketing tricks to try and grab quick sales, companies will instead have to compete to make the best products for their customers. The products that are highly functional, yet that have long battery life, and are a joy to use. So even if you use a competing product, that product has undoubtably been shaped by Steve Jobs, and Apple.
But the influence of Steve Jobs goes beyond just the technology realm. Steve Jobs and his teams at Apple, NeXT, and Pixar have changed not only several industries, but have torn up the rule books on innovation, design, and the best practices for running a company. I fully believe that future generations of business school students will dissect Steve Jobs: how he runs companies, designs products, gives presentations, does marketing, etc. And based upon these learnings, these students will go out and join existing companies, or start new ones. And the "Steve Jobs way" will spread, and it's impact will be felt all over the world, in industries that Steve Jobs never had anything to do with.
Stories from around the web:
Resigned — John Gruber, on why this isn't the end of the world.
You're the ones — nice, short anecdote from Marc Hedlund (via Daring Fireball)
My Experience with Jobs and Apple — Allen Paltrow relates an amazing story (via Daring Fireball)
Thanks Steve — Dave Winer on how Steve Jobs thinks ahead. (via Daring Fireball)
My one question for Steve Jobs in 2000 — a great anecdote about why Steve Jobs came back to Apple. (via John Siracusa)
Icon Ambulance — a nice anecdote from Vic Gundotra, that gives a bit of a peak into how much work goes into a Stevenote. (retweeted via Lessien)
Steve Jobs and the sound of silence — Om Malik delivers a heart-felt tribute. (via Lessien)
Conclusion:
Ever since Wednesday's announcement, I've been (mostly) reading a lot of great things about Steve Jobs, and Apple. And while this truly is the end of an era, I am hopeful for the future. Steve Jobs has shown Apple the way, and now it's up to everyone there to push forward. And I'll still be here, watching Apple product announcements with rapt attention, and enjoying the hell out of the products that I buy.
-Andy.