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Steve Jobs one of the most "influential" people
- Thread starter CubaTBird
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so what ?
I'm afraid that I'm just not bothered about Stevie boy. I know lots of people in here worship him, but I don't. I appreciate lots of people will disagree with that, and he's produced a smart wee music player, but has he really changed the world ? Maybe he has, so you'll need to educate me.
PS My mac 'heritage' goes back to 1985, so I am no recent switcher.
I'm afraid that I'm just not bothered about Stevie boy. I know lots of people in here worship him, but I don't. I appreciate lots of people will disagree with that, and he's produced a smart wee music player, but has he really changed the world ? Maybe he has, so you'll need to educate me.
PS My mac 'heritage' goes back to 1985, so I am no recent switcher.
I also heard that the apple "brand" is now the best known in the "world" (Where countries are weighted and the US gets a big weighting apparently), overtaking Coca-Cola and the like in the recent year!
Things are looking up for the Apple brand - but I feel all this expansion will alienate some old-time users who were identified as "think different" but are soon going to be "think the same as everyone else!"
But, what with steve jobs being at pixar too....
I read in a mag today that Jobs is estiimated to be worth 5 Billion! 119th on the chart!
Things are looking up for the Apple brand - but I feel all this expansion will alienate some old-time users who were identified as "think different" but are soon going to be "think the same as everyone else!"
But, what with steve jobs being at pixar too....
I read in a mag today that Jobs is estiimated to be worth 5 Billion! 119th on the chart!
CelticBhoy said:
Put it like this:
No Steve, and there'd probably be no Mac's today!
When he came back (1997) The company was very close to bankrupcy. He stuck a deal with bill gates to keep making office for Macs!
He pruned the product lines and in 1998 - introduced the iMac!
These allowed time to work on OS X - Jobs' personal pet project and area of expertise (Apple bought Jobs' computer company NeXT (unix based computers) just to get him back!).
With the arrival of X he was able to completely re-vamp the Mac lineup - the one we see today.
He was the actual visionary of the whole iTunes iPod thing, and look haw that has had an impact on Apple as a company!
Stock price when jobs returned: 100
Stock Price 1/31 ~900! - says a lot for his vision!
Find a copy of Macworld magazine that has the "interview" with him, for a bit of background, and see just how influential he has been in 8 years!
between Pixar and Apple, Stevie has a lot of clout, not only in the entertainment industry but in the style area with the iPod and Macs in general, this is why he is so influential
James Philp said:
The share price does not interest me. I am not a shareholder. So that is not being 'influential'. He revamped the lineup. So ? Lots of companies do this. He has offered an alternative to windows - I admire that, but in a world with Linux this is now becoming less of an issue. O, and one more thing : if the mac were to disappear tomorrow, how would it matter ? Another alternative such as Linux will soon appear. Go on, Steve, 'influence' me, I'm waiting ......
Jobs, along with Woz, was one of a handful of people who helped bring the computer into the home. Sure it would have happened eventually, but just because sooner or later someone would have described relativity do we say Einstein wasn't really that smart?
He's influenced the way people listen to their music, which in turn, has influenced how the consumer electronics market behaves. It takes influence to do that.
He took an industry ridden with piracy, theft and scatter-brained rights enforcement and turned it into the largest online music service on the planet. It takes influence to do that.
He took a company with little or no brand recognition and turned it into a name that is recognized with style, grace, elegance and vogue. It takes influence to do that.
He convinced the entire DVD media industry to reduce the costs of their media to make it accesible to consumers and bought the DVD burner and player to the computer with the first real success in the market. It takes influence to do that.
He convinced Microsoft of all people to invest $150,000,000 in a flailing company in order to keep it afloat. It takes influence to do that.
More?
He took an industry ridden with piracy, theft and scatter-brained rights enforcement and turned it into the largest online music service on the planet. It takes influence to do that.
He took a company with little or no brand recognition and turned it into a name that is recognized with style, grace, elegance and vogue. It takes influence to do that.
He convinced the entire DVD media industry to reduce the costs of their media to make it accesible to consumers and bought the DVD burner and player to the computer with the first real success in the market. It takes influence to do that.
He convinced Microsoft of all people to invest $150,000,000 in a flailing company in order to keep it afloat. It takes influence to do that.
More?
mactastic said:
I think it's more to do with what's happening now rather than in the late 70's, otherwise you could mention lots of events in the past where people have been influential.
I just want him to do somethig that makes the whole world sit up and take notice. Sure he's revived Apple, but lots of people I speak to will know very little about him, what he does, and what he stands for. Let's be honest, there was a thread recently about how lots of people out there think Bill Gates invented the iPod !
When the share price =0 no more Apple = no more computers. (It's kinda the way the world works! Your value=0 you get fired) So getting shares from x to 9x makes a big difference! Apple's clout, size and ability to maneuver in the world have increased dramatically.CelticBhoy said:
Mac's are about a complete experience, hardwar and software interaction as best as you'll get for a computer. Linux will not give you this (any comparisons on stability of the two?)
So, if the Mac would dissapear tomorrow, 10% of computers would, and 100% of computers where the hardware and software are developed by the same company would.
Apple just DO computers better. They are in a UNIQUE position to do this.
Dell make PC's that run either Linux or Windows - that's not a complete experience.
This isn't really on the thread topic. - It is hard to argue that in the last 8 years (the period of time that jobs has been back) the Apple presence in the world has increased dramatically - do you use iTunes?
James Philp said:
I agree with lots of what's been said - I am a mac user after all ! I just don't see how Apple do it that much better, and the World doesn't see it either judging by the very small percentage of people who use Apple computers. When my wife, my parents, my neighbours, and my work colleagues turn to macs then I will believe it. They haven't been 'influenced'. And can you really say that iPods/ iTunes have changed the world ?
CelticBhoy said:Then you need to get out more .......
iTunes has.....dont believe it if you dont want to, fine, then just leave this thread because you are obviously just going to discount anything we say
CelticBhoy said:
You dont see how apple do it differently?
How many times has your Mac crashed?
"See" is an interesting word, because if anything, you can "See" the differences between a PC and a Mac!
I've never heard anyone describe a computer quite like a Mac is described. Words like "beautiful" "astonishing" "clever" "sexy" "user-friendly" are never applied to a Dell or Tiny or XXX...
People are trapped into a windows world. Just as it was hard to go from OS 9 to X, it is much harder to go from XP, Linux etc to X (and who'd want them all to? That's when Apple would become MS and sit on their ass making crap products!).
People use what their used to, no matter how much they hate it.
All i really know for sure is that I think my Mac is 100x better than the PC's I used to use, and when I see my friends with super-dooper desktops, I would still rather have my Pismo!
And i would say iPod has changes the world too, and I get out a lot - that's HOW i know!
rock6079 said:well hes definately influenced my life
Steve is not interested in you. Neither is Apple. But they are interested in making money out of you. They are not your friend. They offer a product which you like and admire, but so do car manufacturers.
What do you want to do, Steve ? Do you want to spend your life selling 'sugar water' music players to kids, or do you want to change the world ?
CelticBhoy said:
apple might not be a charity or a company that is totally ultruistic, but what company is, that is not what we are agruing here, we are just pointing out that the leader of both Pixar and Apple has had a tremendous influence in the world, no one is saying that he is improving it or making lives better, just that his presense has been felt, and it surely has, when grandmothers are using iPods its an influence, when the highest grossing animated films are now done by Pixar and not disney, its an influence, whether its positive or negative is up to the individual
CelticBhoy said:
I call troll.
If you don't like him, or find him interesting or influential, fine. But you're doing nothing to back up your point at all except fling insults and stupidity.
Gutenberg didn't care one whit about me either, but he also changed the world. I vote for troll too.
mactastic said:
Have a look at the history of my posts and see if you think I'm a troll. I bet I had a mac long before you had. Can you beat 1985 ? MacDraw, MacPaint, pascal compilers, spewing sounds when floppies were ejected ... these were the days
But if you think selling grannies iPods, and making artistically pleasing and hugely grossing animations about a lost fish is good, then fine. I'm pleased for you. Pleased for Steve as well. Apologies if I just can't get enthused about it.
But I will get enthused when the World uses macs, and when originality, design and ease of use has not been sacrificed on the alter of large market share !
It would be a huge deal to say that you changed the world a single time.
I would describe changing the world as having a profound effect that alters the course of a society.
Steve Jobs has changed the world not once, but THREE times.
1. Steve Jobs (and Woz) created personal computing with Apple Computer (not just the Mac, but also the Apple I & II).
2. Steve Jobs made digitally animated movies popular/viable/successful. Sure, they had been done before, but before Toy Story, they were the ugly third cousins of the entertainment industry.
3. Steve Jobs has changed the music industry with the iPod/iTunes Music Store.
Sure, people had made non-business computers, digitally animated movies and mp3 players and music download services before Steve Jobs, but those products/services didn't have the impact that Steve's do. Yeah, there are a lot of people behind doing a lot of work to make these things happen, but Steve Jobs has the vision, charisma and stubborness to pull these things off. Did you really think that the very first iPod was going to have the impact that it has? I bet you Steve did, and honestly, I don't even think we're seeing the full extent of this revoltion.
This is the computer company founder turned movie studio head who basically told Disney - thanks, but no thanks, I think we'll do fine on our own - during their recent contractual negotiations. This is the man who, rumor has it, record company execs are worried about having too much control over their destinies. Yeah, Steve Jobs/Apple/Pixar are making money. But honestly, I think the money is only a means to the end for him - I don't think he wakes up driven by his portfolio - I think he's driven by a desire to change the world. I'm sure there's an egotistical element there, but I think it's well deserved.
I would describe changing the world as having a profound effect that alters the course of a society.
Steve Jobs has changed the world not once, but THREE times.
1. Steve Jobs (and Woz) created personal computing with Apple Computer (not just the Mac, but also the Apple I & II).
2. Steve Jobs made digitally animated movies popular/viable/successful. Sure, they had been done before, but before Toy Story, they were the ugly third cousins of the entertainment industry.
3. Steve Jobs has changed the music industry with the iPod/iTunes Music Store.
Sure, people had made non-business computers, digitally animated movies and mp3 players and music download services before Steve Jobs, but those products/services didn't have the impact that Steve's do. Yeah, there are a lot of people behind doing a lot of work to make these things happen, but Steve Jobs has the vision, charisma and stubborness to pull these things off. Did you really think that the very first iPod was going to have the impact that it has? I bet you Steve did, and honestly, I don't even think we're seeing the full extent of this revoltion.
This is the computer company founder turned movie studio head who basically told Disney - thanks, but no thanks, I think we'll do fine on our own - during their recent contractual negotiations. This is the man who, rumor has it, record company execs are worried about having too much control over their destinies. Yeah, Steve Jobs/Apple/Pixar are making money. But honestly, I think the money is only a means to the end for him - I don't think he wakes up driven by his portfolio - I think he's driven by a desire to change the world. I'm sure there's an egotistical element there, but I think it's well deserved.
What I want to know is: Why the hell did you even MENTION linux in here? It's not even close to a viable option. No motion graphics software, no decent photo manipulation software, a total of like, 5 games. How would Linux affect the world? It wouldn't, and no one care about it except for
/.'ers.
Steve has influenced how businesses are run, how deals are met. He's completely revamped the digital music market, EVERY SINGLE COMPANY WISHES THEY MADE THE iPOD first. Now they're just copying the user interface of it (poorly I might add).
He was the first to make a computer that wasn't a piece of beige junk taking up over half of your desk. He was also the first to include the mouse and the GUI for the home user.
In all, Steve kicks the industries ass!
On a lighter note, I love pop tarts.
/.'ers.
Steve has influenced how businesses are run, how deals are met. He's completely revamped the digital music market, EVERY SINGLE COMPANY WISHES THEY MADE THE iPOD first. Now they're just copying the user interface of it (poorly I might add).
He was the first to make a computer that wasn't a piece of beige junk taking up over half of your desk. He was also the first to include the mouse and the GUI for the home user.
In all, Steve kicks the industries ass!
On a lighter note, I love pop tarts.