RIP Steve Jobs

[Albannach]

Like him or not, the world has lost one if its great visionaries.

[Albannach]

I used to think you were OK, a bit strange, but OK. Now I admit I was wrong. You, Sir, are a fcuking idiot.

[gary-r]

I used to think you were OK, a bit strange, but OK. Now I admit I was wrong. You, Sir, are a fcuking idiot.

ill second that

[Apache]

Shame to hear that - one of the fathers of modern IT. I do wonder where technology would be without the likes of him, Bill Gates etc.

History might one day portray them alongside people like Tesla, Edison etc.

[TonyN]

Not many people have made such a global impact, and in such a useful way at that.

RIP Mr Jobs.

[J i m s t e r]

Jobs was good at saying "I invented that."

He didn't have one original idea at Apple though. Steve Wozniak and Jeff Raskin came up with the big ones, Jobs just took it over and bullied them out. Google Jeff Raskin.

What I proposed was a computer that would be easy to use, mix text and graphics, and sell for about $1,000. Steve Jobs said that it was a crazy idea, that it would never sell, and we didn't want anything like it. He tried to shoot the project down.

Jobs took over. He simply came in and said, "I'm taking over Macintosh hardware; you can have software and publications." ... And then a few months later Jobs said, "I'm taking over software; you can have publications." So I said, "You can have publications too," and left. That was in May of 1982. He and Markkula said, "Please don't leave. Give us another month and we'll make you an offer you can't refuse." So I gave Apple a month; they made me an offer, and I refused.

After he took over, Jobs came up with the story about the Mac project being a "pirate operation." We weren't trying to keep the project away from Apple, as he later said; we had very good ties with the rest of Apple. We were trying to keep the project away from Jobs' meddling. For the first two years, Jobs wanted to kill the project because he didn't understand what it was really all about.

I was very much amused by the recent Newsweek article where he [Jobs] said, "I have a few good designs in me still." He never had any designs. He has not designed a single product. Woz (Steve Wozniak) designed the Apple II. Ken Rothmuller and others designed Lisa. My team and I designed the Macintosh. Wendell Sanders designed the Apple III. What did Jobs design? Nothing.

We have a whole valley full of people talking UNIX versus MS-DOS. What do you need any of that for? Just throw it all out; get rid of all that nonsense. Maybe you need it for computer scientists, but for people who want to get something done, no. Do you need an operating system? No.

Have you ever noticed that there are no Maytag user groups? Nobody needs a mutual support group to run a washing machine.

I hate mice. The mouse involves you in arm motions that slow you down. I didn't want it on the Macintosh, but Jobs insisted. In those days, what he said went, good idea or not.

It's absolutely ugly, but unfortunately quite true of the world today; the more money you make, the more people tend to listen to you. If you're not quoted in Fortune or Forbes or the Wall Street Journal, then nobody listens. If you say something that makes a lot of money, whether what you said is true or not, people listen.

Icons, windows, mice, big operating systems, huge programs, integrated packages.... I would like to remind the world that just because two things are on the same menu doesn't mean they taste good together.

- Jeff Raskin

RIP though, wouldn't wish a long illness on anyone.

[Rustinho]

Jobs was good at saying "I invented that."

He didn't have one original idea at Apple though. Steve Wozniak and Jeff Raskin came up with the big ones, Jobs just took it over and bullied them out. Google Jeff Raskin.

RIP though, wouldn't wish a long illness on anyone.

Absolutely what I was thinking. RIP Mr Jobs - you popularised some fantastic ideas & technology.

[Jinja]

RIP to a true innovator....

[Albannach]

He didn't have one original idea at Apple though.

I'd argue that particular point (I spent a year studying Apple MS and IBM) but I won't. Just because he didn't design something, doesn't mean he didn't have the idea.

[flounderbout]

The extent to which he was personally responsible for innovations within Apple seems to be to be pretty much beside the point. Whatever you think of Macs and iStuff, he led a company that was responsible for a revolution in design and marketing which was extraordinary - the brand loyalty (many would say wholly unjustified) that he managed to engender in Apple was genius. And his company has without question driven the marketplace to new heights.
There aren't many people that will leave behind a corporate legacy like his.
RIP.

[Albannach]

Shame to hear that - one of the fathers of modern IT. I do wonder where technology would be without the likes of him, Bill Gates etc.

History might one day portray them alongside people like Tesla, Edison etc.

It would be in the hands of IBM, perish the thought!

I do think Gates, Jobs and Woz do deserve a prominent place in history; I too hope they get it.

[Sancho]

I'm Steve Jobs and Windows 7 was my idea....

RIP to the only man who would fight Microsoft and ended up making stuff better.

I'm not going to use this thread to start ranting about current Apple products...

[J i m s t e r]

MS had to bail apple out in the early 90s... they bought a share of the company, which was later sold on at profit.

From Apple's 2003 SEC filing:

"In August 1997, the Company and Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) entered into patent cross license and technology agreements. In addition, Microsoft purchased 150,000 shares of Apple Series A nonvoting convertible preferred stock ("preferred stock") for $150 million. These shares were convertible by Microsoft after August 5, 2000, into shares of the Company's common stock at a conversion price of $8.25 per share. During 2000, 74,250 shares of preferred stock were converted to 9 million shares of the Company's common stock. During 2001, the remaining 75,750 preferred shares were converted into 9.2 million shares of the Company's common stock."

Jobs putting them on the mp3 player and phone bandwagon is what turned it around completely. Good management but there were mp3 players and phones around before the apple product.

I am not here to bash apple (I think their hardware is currently the best out there), but I'm not a fan of their software or how Jobs is credited for everything. I exchanged emails a few times with Jeff when I was studying and always found his views illuminating.

His problem with personal computers boiled down to the fact that marketing were desperate to overcomplicate them with "Features" when they would be better thought of if they did a job quickly and simply. For example, it does not benefit the owner of a hammer to know how much force was generated or accuracy of strike, in order for the tool to work. The addition of such "Features" does not make the hammer better than another. Especially when the hammer is unable to hammer nails until the latest software has been downloaded.

Yet people accept these things with personal computers. My box at work now takes 10 minutes from power on before I can do any work. 20 years ago, it was good to go in less than 30 seconds.

Progress?

[Vultch]

MS bail out was not quite that straight forward, MS were facing the US government on unfair practices on competition and buying into Apple got the US gov off their back.
Apple needed the cash dure to yrs of incompetent management before Steve Jobs took over again

Jobs was and engineer and a visionary, RIP to a genius who will be sadly missed.

[Voodoo-Child]

His innovative spirit is in every single Apple product...gone but in no way forgotten I say.