Why is Apple co-founder Steve Jobs different?

Steve Jobs was a distinctive, charismatic and maverick leader. Ten years ago, the Apple co-founder died of cancer at the age of 56. The BBC combs through some of the traits that make it the world's most watched CEO.

Know what you want before you act

Jobs didn't like market research. He once famously said, "You can't just ask a customer what they want and then think about what to do for them." By the time you make it, they've got a new love."

Instead, he relies on his intuition to refine existing technologies and develop new products and package them in ways that customers are willing to use.

Before the advent of the iPod in 2001, there was relatively little interest in MP3 music players. At that time, the products on the market were bulky, cumbersome to use, and the buyers were mostly early technology enthusiasts.

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Gadgets like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad were so appealing that the public was quick to enjoy them. This is largely due to Jobs's ability to sell: simply explain his products in a way that everyone can understand.

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

Realistic distortion force field

Jobs knew how to deal with people. He can build excitement around technologies that are sometimes neither new nor world-changing.

When the iPad 2 was launched, a big part of his talk was about the device's "smart cover": a square vinyl with a magnetic hinge. However, it received a lot of media coverage that even experienced journalists could not ignore, and many found it would take them hours to get back to fully understand the announcements. This phenomenon is named the "reality distortion field."

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers in the United States, has passed away

After Jobs left, what are Apple's prospects?

subdue

Over the past decade, Jobs has almost always worn the same outfit.

From top to bottom is a piece of St. Croix black crewneck sweater, blue Levi's 501 jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers.

The objects may reflect his minimalist tastes, or his insight into personal and corporate brands.

Although he was well identifiable about the choice of clothing, he was said to have told friends that he did not care about his appearance.

This is not always the case. In the 1980s, he often appeared in public in a gorgeous Italian suit and was even known for wearing colorful bow ties.

Comedians often imitate his distinctive appearance.

Attention to detail

Apple is very mysterious, and the outside world knows little about the internal design process of its products. However, some stories do circulate, many of which tell the story of Jobs's fanatical attention to detail.

A former Google executive recounted what happened when Google partnered with Apple to install Google Maps on the iPhone.

One weekend, the Google executive received a private phone call from Jobs, who was unhappy that the yellow chromaticity of the second letter "o" in Google's word was incorrect.

While British designer Jonathan Ive is responsible for the overall look and feel design of products like the iMac, iPod and iPhone, many of the company's patents bear his and Jobs' names.

philosophy

Jobs was undoubtedly a product of the California counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.

As a young man, he traveled to India and lived in a monastery. Eastern philosophy became a part of his life, and he remained a Buddhist for the rest of his life.

Jobs also admitted that he was still taking psychedelic drugs at the time. According to John Markoff in What the dormouse said: How the sixties counterculture shaped the personal computer industry, Jobs called the experience "one of the two or three most important things I've ever done in my life." Money didn't seem to matter to Jobs. He told the Wall Street Journal: "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me... Before going to bed, I reflect on my day's achievements and say that we have done an amazing thing... That's what matters to me. ”

Music lovers

As we all know, Apple's new product launch shows Jobs's musical taste. Singles and albums will flash regularly on the screen of a new Mac or iPhone.

The Beatles and Bob Dylan are his favorite artists. Attempts to obtain authorization to sell Beatles music on iTunes were a long time of confusion until the copyright issue was finally resolved in November 2010.

Jobs's list of the top ten (favorites) albums on Apple's social music service Ping also included Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue," American Beauty by the American rock band The Grateful Dead, and British band WHO's Who's Next.

Jobs had a brief date with Dylan's ex-girlfriend, singer Joan Baez.

One more thing...

Sometimes you have to save the best for last. Jobs often did this when launching new products.

After releasing a new series of gadgets, just as guests were getting ready to leave, he would say his famous quote: "One more thing..."

He always did so with a mischievous smile. It's part of him as a talented performer.

Another thing includes FaceTime video calling, the PowerBook G4, and the iPod Touch.

In 2015, Jobs's successor, Tim Cook, revived the phrase when he launched the Apple Watch.

The phrase then became the subject of a legal dispute between Apple and Swiss watchmaker Swatch, which sought to register "One more thing" as a marketing slogan.

In March 2021, a judge in London ruled that Apple could not stop Swatch from doing so.

So a small part of Jobs's unique style continues, only in a company he certainly won't be working for.