Apple would not be the company we now know and love had Steve Jobs not returned in 1997. Apple was failing miserably before then—90 days from bankruptcy. Steve Jobs struggled, too, in his years away from Apple. Though he bought Pixar and eventually sold his NeXT Computer Company to Apple for $400 million, Steve was away from the company he loved and had been fired from. They needed each other.
Together, with Jobs vision, perfectionism and leadership married with Apple's talented personnel and resources, they made (and continue to make) history and magical devices that the world clamors for and can no longer live without. They changed three industries forever.
Steve would've continued being successful without Apple, but he would not have flown as high. Apple and Steve were meant to be together.
Since 5 October, 2011 Apple has continued to experience incredible commercial success. One could argue that this would have happened no matter what Apple did. Steve had prepared the company for a successful life without him. There has been only one thing that has really troubled me in this post-Steve era (Maps). While not a failure, it has garnered a lot of negative attention from not only Apple-haters but also Apple-lovers. It will get better, but it is a bit of an embarrassment. But we must remember that while Jobs was with Apple he had his share of missteps and poorly-executed services, too (most notably MobileMe).
Some people are going crazy over the fact that iPhone 5 seems more susceptible to scratches than iPhone 4 and 4S (since the back is now metal and not glass). It is normal for scratches to appear during normal wear and tear, but some phones have scratches right out of the box. I can understand why people would be upset about this (I will exchange mine for a new one that very day if mine is damaged). But I don't believe that this would be any different if Steve were still at the helm of Apple: he had great faith in the decisions that his captains make (in this case Sir Jony Ive). And there have been bigger manufacturing miscues under Steve's watch: iPhone 4 antennae, the "cracks" of the G4 Cube, the first iMac mouse.
No one is perfect, but it can be forgiven if mistakes happen during the thoughtful pursuit of revolution. Jobs always strove for the very best and was passionate in giving that to us. With genius oftentimes comes madness. Who needs a floppy drive? Let's be the first to have a wifi antennae! Who needs a tactile keyboard or stylus? Sometimes these decisions are successful, sometimes they aren't, but Steve had the courage and conviction to make them. I believe that Apple still embodies this bravery. It is not afraid to fail.
To be fair to Apple and to pace our own expectations I believe that we must guard against mythologizing Steve Job and falling under the spell of the so-called "Reality Distortion Field". Recognize and honor all that Steve has done and has given us, but realize and remember that Apple with Steve was not without it's faults.
I will continue to support Apple as long as they: continue to make the best products in the world; continue to innovate; continue to care about the smallest of details; continue giving us world-class customer service; quickly rectify mistakes they will invariably make. As long as they continue to dream and pursue them.
I believe this will be Steve Jobs long lasting legacy, but for how long will Apple live it? Given a fair chance I think that it will last a very long time.
Welcome Alan....
RispondiEliminaGrazie mille Diego!
EliminaNulla :D :D
RispondiEliminasarebbe utile una traduzione in italiano per chi come me non conosce l'inglese...
RispondiEliminaabbiamo appositamente scritto in inglese per i lettori stranieri, ma se torni in homepage vedi che c'è un post simile su jobs, scritto da me in italiano. oppure puoi semplicemente scendere in basso sotto questo post, alla fine della pagina, clicchi la bandierina per tradurre nella lingua che preferisci.
Elimina