Insight into Steve Jobs' Product-Centric Approach in 1985 Interview

[hayesk]

I am neither defending or prosecuting Steve P. Jobs on this mouse. However history with mice = fail. The TrackPad and Magic TrackPad = win. I prefer Logitech when it concerns mice.

I have to agree. There were two Apple mice that I liked:
The ADB Desktop Mouse II (actually made by Logitech, I believe)
The One button Apple USB mouse that came after the puck mouse.

I can't find a mouse I like. The Mighty Mouse is ok, but the scroll pea needs to be bigger, and get clogged less often, and I'd rather have two physical buttons. Nobody makes a mouse today that has a scroll ball (not a wheel) and physical buttons. If I'm wrong, someone please tell me.

I have a feeling that once Apple doesn't like mice anymore and they'd rather move people to a different input device (e.g. magic trackpad).

 

[Dr McKay]

Jailbreaking is SOFTWARE based, so if the hardware is damaged, it doesn't have anything to do with the SOFTWARE, so therefore, apple should still honor warranties for jailbroken iPhones. A little collaboration with the customer to find out how the device broke would be easy. Whatever, I personally don't care, as I have the original 2g iPhone on tmobile.

Funny thing, I took my previously jail broken phone in for repairs at the Apple store, and all the guy said was that if my phone was suffering from a software problem, id have to restore it before they'd help, they replaced my phone for free,

Thank god it died at 11.7 months old

 

[azurehi]

All kidding aside. Hundreds of years from now he will be looked at as a visionary. Not unlike edison or franklin. I can't thank him enough

Planning on returning to verify

 

[Pilgrim1099]

I have to agree. There were two Apple mice that I liked:
The ADB Desktop Mouse II (actually made by Logitech, I believe)
The One button Apple USB mouse that came after the puck mouse.

I can't find a mouse I like. The Mighty Mouse is ok, but the scroll pea needs to be bigger, and get clogged less often, and I'd rather have two physical buttons. Nobody makes a mouse today that has a scroll ball (not a wheel) and physical buttons. If I'm wrong, someone please tell me.

I have a feeling that once Apple doesn't like mice anymore and they'd rather move people to a different input device (e.g. magic trackpad).

Professionally, the best mouse I've had is Kensington's Expert Trackball which cuts down on RSI and speeds up the process with four buttons. The Vertical Mouse which I have is very hard to find and is unconventionally an excellent device. Apple's mice are okay but not the greatest and if they truly paid so much attention to product design and skimp on input design, then they are hypocrites.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Remember that Edison especially, but Franklin to some degree, were synthesizers more than inventors. They took things around them that they saw needed improvement and they improved them. IMO, many great thinkers don't necessarily think "new" thoughts, but re-frame existing thoughts in a whole new way. Jobs is a master at that.

You forgot to mention Nicola Tesla, the fore father of technology. Go look him up.

 

[CalBoy]

Actually, I still prefer the one-button mouse. And my three year old learned to use the computer a lot faster after I set the right-click to be the same as left-click.

I think the one-button track pad was a far more important development out of the one-button mouse than people give it credit for. I've seen many people (especially older non-tech heads) struggle with PC notebooks that have half a dozen buttons surrounding their trackpads. It becomes a nightmare to use, especially for older users.

Both of my parents (who have a Thinkpad) found my mbp very easy to use because there is only one button, and it's very natural to scroll with two fingers. It probably took them 5 minutes to have trackpad navigation down pat on Apple's trackpads. On the other hand, they still make mistakes with the Thinkpad's monstrous trackpad, mostly because they are so many things to "click" in such a small space.

This is where I think Apple's design is truly "revolutionary." Until recently, every other computer manufacturer was making their products more complex. From the beginning Apple has held the mantra that "less is more." Not only does this (in general) make products easier to use and more efficient for the average user, it contributes to the beautiful design Apple is known for.

Love him or hate him, Jobs is technology's visionary. A modern day Walt Disney. Both share the same meticulous attention to detail. It's the key to their success.

I would say that Jobs isn't truly a technology visionary, but rather a marketing visionary. I don't think Jobs has personally invented or designed any of Apple's products. What he's done is picked the products that he thought would sell well and ensure that they were marketed to sell well.

True technology visionaries are the unsung heros of science who engineer new materials, find solutions to technical limitations, and dream up new technologies.

When Jobs leaves Apple, it will never be the same. You cannot replace him.

Perhaps not immediately, but I think Jobs is replaceable. There are plenty of people who have a similar genius for marketing and I'm sure that Apple's culture of stressing design isn't going to disappear with Jobs. I would be more worried when Johnny Ive isn't around.

“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse”

I think this is partially true with Apple's products, but in some cases Apple simply doesn't give customers what they need. There are plenty of Apple products, especially recently, that are just a little short in terms of features or specs. The Apple product line is also rigid and doesn't give people very many options. For some people this isn't a matter of wants but rather of needs.

 

[View]

He may be a good business man, but he and apple has really lost focus since iOS. I want him to stop trying to control his customers. Who cares if people jailbreak, or repair their own devices, or voiding warranties. And this new pentalobe screw for the iPhone 4? Just another way to control their customers.

Jailbreaking is SOFTWARE based, so if the hardware is damaged, it doesn't have anything to do with the SOFTWARE, so therefore, apple should still honor warranties for jailbroken iPhones. A little collaboration with the customer to find out how the device broke would be easy. Whatever, I personally don't care, as I have the original 2g iPhone on tmobile.

I partially agree with you. However, software CAN damage the hardware (look at Stuxnet for example). Apple should honor warranties for an undamaged phone, and they do. Anyone with a jailbroken phone can restore his/her phone to the authentic firmware and send it in for service under warranty, and Apple will not know that the phone was jailbroken at one point. They will honor the warranty as long as it is undamaged.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Who would YOU buy something from?

This guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGvHNNOLnCk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE

Or THIS guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOgOP_aqqtg

Who would YOU buy stuff from?

It's that simple. As without, so within, and vice-versa.

The Ministey of Love from "1984" LOVES your blind allegiance.

 

[3282868]

I hate the inequality of medical treatment in American medicine. Give me "socialized" medicine, as in the rest of the world. A. It's much cheaper, for everyone, and B. your ability to pay at the moment of treatment is not an issue.

At any rate, Jobs is ill. He didn't create the American medical mess; but he has money to get the best. I'll never begrudge somebody using his money to get treatment, unless or until our system of medical financing is sane.

agreed. Read my post 117. Capitalism's bottom line is the dollar, making money. Placing human life secondary. Our teachers/police force/etc are socialized, our politicians have government funded healthcare, why not the citizens? 1) Insurance companies have billions at stake and lobbyists and politicians in their pockets 2) More than 50% of our taxes goes to our military budget so that we may acquire the natural resources of our nations to support our oil and business industry 3) We are severely divided politically that mentally unstable citizens are shooting innocent people over the fear inducing rhetoric from pundits and politicians.

In the end, we're a mess.

 

[ten-oak-druid]

I'm amazed that given your negative posts on Apple you frequent a website for people who like Apple products.

With all due respect, I would like a list of EVERY product that Jobs/Apple has produced and links to prove that these ideas/products were not of his own. To generalize that everything Jobs developed was based on another invention is a rather broad assumption. Certainly he did not develop everything originally, but he did improve upon the implementation of those concepts which has lead to successful products.

I can not think of another tech company that produces their own software AND hardware successfully. Dell simply assembles boxes to run Microsoft operating systems. Gateway did the same (are they still around?). Most companies take parts and pieces from other companies to produce the hardware, then package it with another businesses software. Apple designs their products, commissions Foxconn and other tech suppliers to build specific machines for such products as the iPhone, develops the software to work seamlessly with their hardware designs, and has created a successful ecosystem of products that "just work". Perhaps Jobs didn't invent the processor, or LED displays, or multi-touch systems, but he certainly harmonized everything to create a better end result. That in itself is visionary.

Citing two extreme instances to dismiss one man is rather broad.

Many people do not want to give credit to someone who can make things happen. It is also an achievement.

One of the funniest things I ever read here was someone responding to a post in which Jobs had been ranked as one of the top innovators of the 21st century. The response was a roll of the eyes and a statement that curing cancer is more worthy our attention than anything Jobs has done. Fair enough. Except that the poster went on to say Gates should be above Jobs. LMAO

 

[huntercr]

Perhaps it's not a "where next" type of product but I think Steve should have known better than to release the hockey puck mouse.

Well I do think Steve is human and can make mistakes... I don't know how the hockey puck ever made it past user testing. Ironically though, the oblong replacement on the G4's was sheer brilliance.

Steve seems to have some base hits and some stike outs... but really.. come on... some of this is just whatever way the public went.

Some other examples:
I think his obsession with trying to "square" the nano is s silly mistake. Everyone I have ever spoken to prefers the candybar shaped ones. It's just better to hold that way. ( no need for anyone to speak up here.. I know the new square one sells well )

The G4 cube was a failure, yet it was a wonderful piece of tech, and so was the ilamp imac.
I can't stand his obsession with making the keyboard smaller... the latest imac keyboard is alright, but I still prefer an old G4 keyboard.

You can go on and on and on...
But really what other PC maker do you ever hear about design with?
Microsoft Keyboards maybe? no one else gets this kind of attention.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

Professionally, the best mouse I've had is Kensington's Expert Trackball which cuts down on RSI and speeds up the process with four buttons. The Vertical Mouse which I have is very hard to find and is unconventionally an excellent device. Apple's mice are okay but not the greatest and if they truly paid so much attention to product design and skimp on input design, then they are hypocrites.

I believe it has less to do with the mouse when it pretains to the of now. There was an interview down a while back with Woz on how he felt about OS X and iOS. His view was that there was nothing revolutionary about OS X as it still uses a mouse to input or control UI on screen. iOS is changing that with finger input as a primary and keyboard as a secondary (depending on desktop or laptop use).

The issue is that 3rd party software has to still incorporate Multi-Touch usage and patterns transition from mouse and keyboard input devices. Its will not happen overnight, it will take years to have a true Multi-Touch and gesture software and hardware system in place. The key is that in its infancy it seems like a gimmick since it still has to be polished and have majority of the deveolpers on board to adopt and adapt.

The MagicTrackpad and TrackPad is a sign that has lost its interest in the Mouse and the Magic Mouse was a transition piece for people who still wanted a mouse due to software reasons and preference while incorporating Multi-Touch gestures in the mix, think of it as beta testing Multi-Touch on Mac OS X.

OS Lion is expanding on this even more. My educated guess is that the new iMac with OS Lion will either give the end users the option of a KB and either Magic TrackPad or Magic Mouse or it will either come standard with the KB and MTP.

Mice are not money generators, its the iDevice line and its notebooks. I am still surprised that still has the ACD considering better options are available on the market. Its the one stop shop ideology for hardware and its has or will be adopted to the iTMS in the near future. Its a waiting game.

 

[Žalgiris]

I believe it has less to do with the mouse when it pretains to the of now. There was an interview down a while back with Woz on how he felt about OS X and iOS. His view was that there was nothing revolutionary about OS X as it still uses a mouse to input or control UI on screen. iOS is changing that with finger input as a primary and keyboard as a secondary (depending on desktop or laptop use).

The issue is that 3rd party software has to still incorporate Multi-Touch usage and patterns transition from mouse and keyboard input devices. Its will not happen overnight, it will take years to have a true Multi-Touch and gesture software and hardware system in place. The key is that in its infancy it seems like a gimmick since it still has to be polished and have majority of the deveolpers on board to adopt and adapt.

The MagicTrackpad and TrackPad is a sign that has lost its interest in the Mouse and the Magic Mouse was a transition piece for people who still wanted a mouse due to software reasons and preference while incorporating Multi-Touch gestures in the mix, think of it as beta testing Multi-Touch on Mac OS X.

OS Lion is expanding on this even more. My educated guess is that the new iMac with OS Lion will either give the end users the option of a KB and either Magic TrackPad or Magic Mouse or it will either come standard with the KB and MTP.

Mice are not money generators, its the iDevice line and its notebooks. I am still surprised that still has the ACD considering better options are available on the market. Its the one stop shop ideology for hardware and its has or will be adopted to the iTMS in the near future. Its a waiting game.

This is evolution. Reading your post almost sounds like it's a bad thing.

 

[Žalgiris]

The Ministey of Love from "1984" LOVES your blind allegiance.

You can only fight blind hate with blind allegiance. Before the beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called man. And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. And great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason.

 

[meatballs]

I find the amount of credit some people here give Steve Jobs quite sad

 

[*LTD*]

The Ministey of Love from "1984" LOVES your blind allegiance.

Nah, it's just good taste.

Something extremely hard to find in consumer tech, when the trend is to just cram features into boxes without regard for the User Experience.

This is why Apple can actually differentiate themselves from The Dells, HPs, and Acers of the world.

But yeah, you can call brand loyalty (usually hard-earned in tech) "blindness." If "blindness" means my aversion to throwing away money on junk, that is.

Anyone can shove a bunch of circuitry into a box and slap on whatever UI software is out there. But when you come across a company that actually has standards and is willing to make sacrifices and take risks in order to uphold them, that's pretty impressive and worthy of attention.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

This is evolution. Reading your post almost sounds like it's a bad thing.

If were to drop mouse input tomorrow and replace with only gestures, they would tank regarding Mac OS X. No developer or for that matter has a 100% gesture library for Mac OS X apps, let alone iOS apps. Hence they are still working on 4 and 5 finger gestures.

If you think this happens overnight you are sadly mistaken. Even Microsoft is working on something similar along with Google. The consumer and the industry is not ditching mouse input anytime soon. However if you read the article Jobs thinks ahead and believe that for gestures to gain some steam the Magic TrackPad is the way to go along with iOS. Like it or not, no one is forcing you to use Mac OS X or iOS.

I dislike mice with a passion, I prefer that the iMac not come with it period. Does this mean should allot a good margin of R&D to mice or marginal and more into Multi-Touch and Gestures. I believe you are thinking like the rest of the industry while planning to take computing into another direction. Then again if I am wrong and you are right, why is it that more and more devices are trying to mimic the hardware and software of iDevices and iOS.

Moving from a single button to multi-button on a mouse is evolution, moving from a mouse to finger gestures is revolutionary. It is subjective nonetheless.

Controlling GUI via brain waves is also revolutionary.

 

[cmaier]

He may be a good business man, but he and apple has really lost focus since iOS. I want him to stop trying to control his customers. Who cares if people jailbreak, or repair their own devices, or voiding warranties. And this new pentalobe screw for the iPhone 4? Just another way to control their customers.

Jailbreaking is SOFTWARE based, so if the hardware is damaged, it doesn't have anything to do with the SOFTWARE, so therefore, apple should still honor warranties for jailbroken iPhones. A little collaboration with the customer to find out how the device broke would be easy. Whatever, I personally don't care, as I have the original 2g iPhone on tmobile.

If I sell you a widget and you replace the software in an unauthorized mail, and bring it back to me complaining the widget no longer works (battery dies too fast, 3G doesn't connect properly, etc.) why should I have to figure out whether the problem is my hardware or your hacking? "A little collaboration with the customer ... would be easy." Really? Obviously you don't deal with millions of customers a day.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

I find the amount of credit some people here give Steve Jobs quite sad

I would love to give you credit, if you did something similar or profound.

 

[ericdano]

Actually, I have it on really good word (from someone who works at the school where Steve's daughter attends) that his health is rather serious. His daughter has been rather distressed about it.

 

[cmaier]

Rumor mill at Brittania Arms this night says the Medical Leave is a cover. He is really spending extending time with the architects of the new Apple campus. Funny this article talks about him just before Sculley did a Machiavellian move to get rid of him.

Word has it about a round of Boddington's and Budweiser's is that Steve's final legacy is to level Infinite Loop thus removing the last of Sculley's influence. Within a few years, if it follows through, Apple's core will be a new design of an Apple campus on the land they picked up from HP last year.

Will there be a statue to Steve and Woz erected in the courtyard after their passing? Who knows. My take is it will follow the tradition of Bill and Dave and make it a very inspirational, almost retreat like setting with a good kitchen and very exclusive corporate housing.

I was there for the all-you-can-eat fish and chips wednesday, and the whispers were that Steve was replaced by a robot years ago.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

If I sell you a widget and you replace the software in an unauthorized mail, and bring it back to me complaining the widget no longer works (battery dies too fast, 3G doesn't connect properly, etc.) why should I have to figure out whether the problem is my hardware or your hacking? "A little collaboration with the customer ... would be easy." Really? Obviously you don't deal with millions of customers a day.

hence the reason the first thing that should be done is reset everything to default and let it run.

I think that is still Apple SOP when something comes in not working right. Reset it to default and then let it go. Removes the variables.

It is also why reboot a computer is SOP as well when something is not acting right. Some times it is just a glitch and a reboot will catch it.

 

[Žalgiris]

If you think this happens overnight you are sadly mistaken.

I'm not. It's you who tossed the mouse here i just noted that evolution will take care of everything.

 

[meatballs]

I would love to give you credit, if you did something similar or profound.

Profound? Last time I checked Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple Inc. a consumer electronics company If you seriously think that anything Steve Jobs has done has had any kind of profound impact on the world you really need to get out more.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

Profound? Last time I checked Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple Inc. a consumer electronics company If you seriously think that anything Steve Jobs has done has had any kind of profound impact on the world you really need to get out more.

You misread, I never said Steve P. Jobs did something profound. I did however say if you who stated the credit pertaining to Jobs did something profound then I would gladly give both.