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Steve Jobs Called Google's Vic Gundotra on a Sunday About This Icon
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I wish I were that OCD！
I wish I were that OCD！
A lot of them are. They aren't "conventional" people.
And the more of these unconventional types we have in tech, the better.
If he had said he welcomed hearing that Jobs had called, that would be one thing. Instead, he said it made him nervous.
Anyone who thinks this was the right thing to do, has obviously never had an executive call them up in the middle of their personal time to say that they needed a minor detail changed so their presentation would look better.
This was no weekend emergency. It was going to be fixed the next day, and apparently wasn't even needed until Jobs' presentation a week later.
Seems pretty disrespectful of other people's time.
Of course they should. Then they can do something about it during the work week, instead of barging in on other people's personal time. It's sick the way that companies think they own everyone 24/7 nowadays.
Anyone who thinks this was the right thing to do, has obviously never had an executive call them up in the middle of their personal time to say that they needed a minor detail changed so their presentation would look better.
This was no weekend emergency. It was going to be fixed the next day, and apparently wasn't even needed until Jobs' presentation a week later.
Seems pretty disrespectful of other people's time.
Of course they should. Then they can do something about it during the work week, instead of barging in on other people's personal time. It's sick the way that companies think they own everyone 24/7 nowadays.
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Reminds me of the (supposed) 37 shades of green Jobs went through before finding the right one for the NeXT logo.
Reminds me of the (supposed) 37 shades of green Jobs went through before finding the right one for the NeXT logo.
gotta love steve for his micro managing (eye for detail)
gotta hate steve for his micro managing (control freak)
overall it was worth it - in his case
other managers - like my manager - should stop micro managing
gotta hate steve for his micro managing (control freak)
overall it was worth it - in his case
other managers - like my manager - should stop micro managing
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MacBoobsPro, I'm really upset by your second to last word in your post above. I will have it fixed within the hour. Is that ok with you?
MacBoobsPro said:
MacBoobsPro, I'm really upset by your second to last word in your post above. I will have it fixed within the hour. Is that ok with you?
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So google use to make native iapps? Nowadays all they give us are webapps I need a native google talk / chat app!
So google use to make native iapps? Nowadays all they give us are webapps
I need a native google talk / chat app!
True but it shouldn't be his job to take care of such things. Yes, they should be corrected and that's what makes Apple's products so unique but it's clearly not a CEO's job to take care of these. Since he was taking care of these details, now who's going to do it? Not TC. So if nobody took the habit or was assigned to do these QA, who's going to do it so we don't loose the unique Apple's quality? Although, now that is not CEO anymore, he'll have a bit of time on his hands... I bet some people we'll receive a few phone calls anytime of the day for the next few years!
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Its rare for a CEO to have just a close interest in the product his company makes instead of just having a "guy" do that work for him.
It IS OCD, but that is what made Apple what it is today, and losing that attention to detail is what many fear in losing Jobs.
You *think* it isn't an issue of any importance, but if he ignores this, he ignores many other things. And that's exactly what most other CEOs, and many others below the CEO, do, which is why most other companies' products are inferior to Apple's products.
On the other hand, it's stuff like this that likely has forced Jobs into resigning. The kind of stress that goes along with being this exacting takes a toll on a person, and I can't imagine that his body is capable of handling too much even after the apparently life-saving treatment he's received. I just hope the company is in the hands of others who care as much about details like this, because while I may not notice the difference in the yellow here, all those little things add up. And when they *don't*, it sure makes a big difference.
I've mentioned this in a couple other posts. Mainly the one about the new glass cube being installed in the new york flag ship store.
A lot of people said that changing the cube was a waste of money that could have been spent on other things. They forget a couple of things, one that it is art, and two; that this man would take into consideration a glass structure from one of its stores. In the mist of building products and pushing technology, a simple scuff at one of his stores still requires attention, details, perfection.
This is seen greatly in any apple product. There are a good number of apple haters, who say apple products are for the status etc. In reality we are just fans of this overly thought out and detailed product that is fundamentally simple, like good art.
A lot of people said that changing the cube was a waste of money that could have been spent on other things. They forget a couple of things, one that it is art, and two; that this man would take into consideration a glass structure from one of its stores. In the mist of building products and pushing technology, a simple scuff at one of his stores still requires attention, details, perfection.
This is seen greatly in any apple product. There are a good number of apple haters, who say apple products are for the status etc. In reality we are just fans of this overly thought out and detailed product that is fundamentally simple, like good art.
I'm grateful he took it upon himself to take care of such things. Clearly, this style worked out better than anyone could have hoped. The other CEOs out there in tech (most of them outright amateurs compared to Jobs) should take note.
Obsession and "OCD" about one's work - this is the mark of an artist and a visionary. This is the kind of attitude that separates them from them from the also-rans.
I've built my own CMS to work with a friend of mine, and one of the modules of my CMS is a built-in check. In that checklist, I verify that all five "favicons" files are present (favicon.ico for IE, favicon.png for the others and all three sizes of apple-touch-icon, following the Apple guidelines). And all icons have been created with a PSD template to ensure borders and gloss are all perfect for each size.
If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing it right.
So google use to make native iapps? Nowadays all they give us are webapps
What is this Google+ on my iPhone then ?
Google makes native apps when it makes sense to do so.
You realize that Steve Jobs made this call on a Sunday, so _he_ was working on a Sunday?
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And this is why I buy so many Apple products. Attention to detail in EVERY area. No stone left unturned!
And this is why I buy so many Apple products. Attention to detail in EVERY area. No stone left unturned!
Just because Jobs was working doesn't make it right. It's pretty much common decency not to call someone with unnecessary work stuff on a Sunday morning.
Having said that, this is an example of the extreme attention to detail that Jobs and Apple put forth. When I watch other companies' presentations, I can't help but think, "Who gave this the green light?!" Slides are disorganized or illegible, transitions are awkward, camera angles are not appropriate, etc.
For example:
1) Google's I/O presentation was terrible. Mics were failing, speakers were mumbling, camera angles did not even show what was happening, etc.
2) Game conferences, where EACH trailer at the Playstation conference has to end with, "PLAYSTATION!" They can't trim off 3 seconds of it! It gets tiring after 20 trailers...
3) Chipmakers slides where they try to cram in 1,000 words into one slide. Or a useless "roadmap" where the text is practically illegible.
This!
I love hearing stories like this. I know the haters are out in droves over this one but seriously, if it wasn't fixed, someone else would notice and whine about it and then say "Apple has bad quality control blah blah".
Better to catch it ahead of time.
True but it shouldn't be his job to take care of such things. Yes, they should be corrected and that's what makes Apple's products so unique but it's clearly not a CEO's job to take care of these. Since he was taking care of these details, now who's going to do it? Not TC. So if nobody took the habit or was assigned to do these QA, who's going to do it so we don't loose the unique Apple's quality? Although, now that is not CEO anymore, he'll have a bit of time on his hands... I bet some people we'll receive a few phone calls anytime of the day for the next few years!
It's in the DNA of the company. Jobs is hardly the only one at Apple with a keen attention to detail.
Ocd?
For all the folks posting about Jobs' "OCD": If that's truly what it was, the result would be chaos as Jobs micromanaged Apple to death. But given that Apple is the most valuable company in the world, it can't possibly OCD. The last word in that acronym is "disorder" and there is nothing out of order at Apple.
Jobs has the *right* amount of attention to detail. It might not sit well with others, but the proof is there in front of you: the world's most successful computer company, and possibly the most successful company of any kind in the world.
For all the folks posting about Jobs' "OCD": If that's truly what it was, the result would be chaos as Jobs micromanaged Apple to death. But given that Apple is the most valuable company in the world, it can't possibly OCD. The last word in that acronym is "disorder" and there is nothing out of order at Apple.
Jobs has the *right* amount of attention to detail. It might not sit well with others, but the proof is there in front of you: the world's most successful computer company, and possibly the most successful company of any kind in the world.
To bad there are not more CEO like him, who know how good products would be if there where.
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No you don't, because as someone who has worked with OCD its not something you want. Sure his OCD behavior we call attention to detail, but real OCD is not fun or good.
Some people can take their abnormal behavior and turn it into something useful that like Steve keeps on giving, but that is way in the minority.
There are other people who have done this and I applaud his conviction its something that we see less and less. Unlike in politics which all we see is crazy OCD that is counter productive if not dangerous.
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OCD is not micro managing, and there is no real indication that he has OCD which is a mental disorder but its possible. Anyone can micro manage a company and even though not everyone thinks is a good way sometimes there is no choice and you have to. I for one also believe if you want to get anywhere, which I have you really do have to micro manage your own life, because if you don't the chances of going anywhere professionally can become problematic.
I see Steve Jobs as a perfectionist and not someone who has OCD or micro manages. But attention to detail and perfectionist is actually not a bad thing for a CEO. I think HP CEO should take classes from Steve.
What is this Google+ on my iPhone then ?
Google makes native apps when it makes sense to do so.
Google+ is a bad example. It's a thin client for their web app. And they STILL managed to mangle it so it crashes if you look at it wrong.
Wish more CEOs were like this
I wish more CEOs cared about their products, actually took pride in them, instead of your typical beancounting MBAs who cares about nothing but cutting costs, and commoditization of skills (aka outsourcing). That crap could be done by a simple computer program---no need to pay someone a lottery-size paycheck each year to make those kinds of decisions. It takes zero talent to put people out of work.
In contrast, making great products that people actually want requires the human element: passion, vision, understanding users, and understanding a little about the product at a more technical level (can't be solely 1000 miles above like your typical MBA who often have never even tried to use the product---they have people for that.)
I wish more CEOs cared about their products, actually took pride in them, instead of your typical beancounting MBAs who cares about nothing but cutting costs, and commoditization of skills (aka outsourcing). That crap could be done by a simple computer program---no need to pay someone a lottery-size paycheck each year to make those kinds of decisions. It takes zero talent to put people out of work.
In contrast, making great products that people actually want requires the human element: passion, vision, understanding users, and understanding a little about the product at a more technical level (can't be solely 1000 miles above like your typical MBA who often have never even tried to use the product---they have people for that.)