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Steve Jobs a GENIUS, or what???

RawBert

RawBert

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 19, 2010
1,729
70
North Hollywood, CA
Okay, Honestly... Do you consider Steve Jobs a GENIUS, or what???

Seriously, I only consider a real genius to be along the lines of Da Vinci and Einstein. And a few others in human history. Steve, in my opinion, has a quality to be among those few that are worthy of being considered as such. Call me short-sighted, if you will. I see him in that light.

Your thoughts...
 
Apple / Steve Jobs popularized many things that other companies don't see values in, or are unable to figure out how to use in the real world.

Changed the computer industry with personal computer
Popularized GUI / mouse
Popularized Wifi
Changed the portable music player industry
Changed the music industry
Changed the mobile industry
Maybe more

SJ's Pixar is also successful. It turned into Disney stock currently worth around $5 billion.
 
When I think of SJ, I think of a man who is a creative ideas genius. He seems to know how to make a cool design be able to attract people. If he were not the co-founder of Apple, he could have been a genius artist of some sort.

As seeing SJ as a business person, I would say he started from being terrible to learning how to be pretty good at running a company. As for business geniuses, that title would have to belong to Bill Gates.
 
I adore Steve myself, but I don't think I'd consider him a genius.

I would call him a master salesman, possibly the greatest innovator from late 20th century to current day.

He's obviously very intelligent, but I don't know if his IQ is quite up their with Einstein.
 
63dot said:
As for business geniuses, that title would have to belong to Bill Gates.
Click to expand...

Wasn't that attributable to Gates being in the right place at the right time, with making the DOS deal with IBM?



(Of course, the same argument might be made with Jobs - - it's just that he seems to keep moving to the next right place at the next right time...)
 
bobob said:
Wasn't that attributable to Gates being in the right place at the right time, with making the DOS deal with IBM?
Click to expand...

yes timing is everything but he also licensed DOS to IBM when at the time he did not own DOS. He ran out after that and snapped up QDOS. Now that's genius

As Jobs. I'd say he's gifted with insight innovation, driven for perfection but no he's no genius
 
bobob said:
Wasn't that attributable to Gates being in the right place at the right time, with making the DOS deal with IBM?
Click to expand...

Not only is a business genius one who has timing over luck (which they can make), but somebody who outmaneuvers their competition time and time again. What makes BG such a business genius is that he didn't do it with stuff he came up with, or with really any exceptional products. Because of that I don't put BG in the creative genius category, but more of a business genius.

If he's not a business genius, BG has an unusual talent for starting a company, making it grow, and make a decent amount of money for himself. I am glad he decided to give some of it away and help others.
 
roadbloc said:
Agreed. A good business man. I also think he is secretly good at conning people without anyone realising it.
Click to expand...

Really?

Personally, I think Gates is somewhat overrated. He was a one hit wonder that happened to hit it big. I equate him to winning the lottery.

While Gates did successfully negotiate the licensing deal with IBM, his success as the CEO of Microsoft is mixed at best. He championed oddball projects like Microsoft Bob, forced the Windows team to ship Windows 98, 98SE and ME purely for profit reasons, personally led a vendetta to kill Netscape and America Online, among other strange strategies.

People forget it was Gates who drove Microsoft to adopt the monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies that they’re still getting sued for today.

His DOJ deposition really shows his true character. He pretty much outright lies to federal investigators. The entire thing is worth a view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYLBA1Ldq6M&feature=related

I think he’s biggest contribution to society will be what he does with his Foundation, not what he did at Microsoft.
 
Steve Jobs has a very good taste, and his strong will makes his ideas into reality.

Honestly, I consider Bill Gates more genius than Steve Jobs.
 
RawBert said:
Okay, Honestly... Do you consider Steve Jobs a GENIUS, or what???

Seriously, I only consider a real genius to be along the lines of Da Vinci and Einstein. And a few others in human history. Steve, in my opinion, has a quality to be among those few that are worthy of being considered as such. Call me short-sighted, if you will. I see him in that light.

Your thoughts...
Click to expand...

Steve Jobs' talents lie in choosing the right designs, but not creating anything himself. He has always only sold the work of others.

The Apple I and II were Wozniak's ideas and products.

The Lisa and Mac were basically rip offs of the Xerox Star.

The iPod was not the first mp3 player.

And the iPhone certainly was not the first smart phone.

He doesn't design anything himself, he only approves or rejects.
He doesn't even think of a product name himself, he listens to suggestions and then chooses.

Steve Jobs is a sales person and a decision maker. But back in the 80s, he almost killed Apple with his choices and decisions. That's why they fired him. And NeXT wasn't a real success either - unless you count selling the company to Apple as a success.

He did good with Pixar, though.
 
he is a marketing genius, we talk about him in my mkt class most of the time.

although the apple does help
 
maybe a sales person, and a very good one infact, if i might add, but not a genius for sure!
 
Winni said:
Steve Jobs' talents lie in choosing the right designs, but not creating anything himself.
...
He doesn't design anything himself, he only approves or rejects.
Click to expand...

You make it sound easy.
 
Genius, no.

Visionary who had the will and the ability to make his personal dreams into a reality changing the world THREE times so far? Hell yes.
 
bobob said:
Wasn't that attributable to Gates being in the right place at the right time, with making the DOS deal with IBM?

(Of course, the same argument might be made with Jobs - - it's just that he seems to keep moving to the next right place at the next right time...)
Click to expand...

IBM was afraid of Apple, thus gave Microsoft the key to the PC kingdom.
maflynn said:
yes timing is everything but he also licensed DOS to IBM when at the time he did not own DOS. He ran out after that and snapped up QDOS. Now that's genius

As Jobs. I'd say he's gifted with insight innovation, driven for perfection but no he's no genius
Click to expand...

Bill Gates is more on the level of "genius" as Bernard Madoff. Selling something you don't have. Hum...

roadbloc said:
Agreed. A good business man. I also think he is secretly good at conning people without anyone realising it.
Click to expand...

Genius quote! =)
 
there is no exact definition of what a genius is. It mainly depends on you, so everyone is right.

with that said I would lump Woz and Jobs as modern-day geniuses for all the things they have done.
 
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