From technology to politics to video games; these are the random thoughts of a geek with too much time on his hands

Love him or hate him, it's impossible to deny the impact Steve Jobs has had on the personal computer industry, having practically invented it with the launch of the Apple ][.  It's also hard to deny his influence on consumer electronics with the juggernaut product that is the iPod, and the online music marketplace with iTunes.  Now, he looks poised to steamroll over the cell phone industry with the upcoming iPhone.  However, despite his amazing success, he's had his share of flops.  Following the arc of Steve Jobs' career and life has been a major source of entertainment for the technology press for decades now.  As the man grows older, and Apple crawls back from the brink of bankruptcy it seems to be entering yet another exciting period of uncertainty and potential.

The New York Magazine has a massive feature article about Steve Jobs, looking back on his past with Apple, NeXT and Pixar, talking about the mistakes and unexpected successes that have given Apple its checkered past.  It all caps off with a sense of impending doom and uncertainty brought on by the impending launch of the iPhone, wondering if Jobs can pull off the same magic that he had with the iPod, the savior product of the company.

It's a really good read for anyone interested in yet another retrospective piece on Jobs and Apple.


Comments
on Jun 20, 2007
Still to this day the iPod and Apple in general boggles my mind.

How did the iPod become such a success? From the Shuffle to the Nano to the Video, they are all huge successes and why? Because of great marketing and the lack of research people do before investing in technology. 30 minutes or less online and you can find any of a hundred similar players with the same features and more for the same price or less AND they're way less likely to break down on you. I used to use Apples, I've given them their chance but unless you need them professionally i.e. graphic design, sound engineering, video editing etc, there is no need for them. Expensive eye candy (or should I say iCandy...sorry...) that does nothing but breaks down. The last article I read on a Mac (about a year ago now, I really lost all faith in a recovery of some sort from them after this) was hilarious...it was one of the best Mac computers ever released according to the article and the best part of it all was that it was just a regular PC with the Apple logo on top of the tower sporting some fancy looking hardware that was no different to PC hardware but it was an Apple so it HAD to be cooler (and more expensive.)

Now here comes the iPhone, I'll wait and see how it turns out but considering it has that lower-case "i" in front of it, I'm going to (for now) assume that it will be like all other iProducts I've seen and used, something fancy looking in a white plastic case that'll break faster than the suspension of a car with Rosie O'Donell and Oprah in it.


But before I get flamed by any Mac fanboys, if you have a Mac and enjoy it then good for you, enjoy it to your little hearts content. I'm just stating what I think of Apple Mac's and Apple iProducts based on my experiences and research.
on Jun 20, 2007
Still to this day the iPod and Apple in general boggles my mind.


Here Here
on Jun 20, 2007
I think the iPhone will initially be a sales success regardless if the device is any good or not.
The price for the device is quite expensive ($500 or $600), the initial available inventory of these units will probably be limited which will drive the hype (everyone wants one but can't get one, they're all sold out).