Steve Jobs - an Era in Technology

In America, around 64% of Americans own at least one Apple device. In 2016, there was estimated to be around 85. 8 million iPhone users in the United States. If you spend any time on university campuses, or at your local Starbucks, chances are you’ll see many glowing Apple logos in the room. In the mid 2000’s, iPod’s were all the rage, and iPhone’s today are one of the most popular smartphones in the world. Apple is a household name and has one of the most universally recognized logo. Apple has recently become the U. S. ’s first corporation with a trillion dollar market value.

There is one visionary, one innovator, one great mind, and one excellent entrepreneur that set the groundwork for all of Apples success, Steve Jobs. Apple Computers as it was originally titled was created on April 1, 1976. The main focus at the time of inception was to build computers. The first computer built by Apple Computers was the Apple I. However, even though computers started Apple on the road to success, their ventures into the music player and smartphone devices are considered to be the backbone holding up Apple to this day. Steve Jobs was a tweaker. He always had a vision of what a product could be. Jobs would take an existing idea, and modify it until it was perfect in his mind. The main ideas for the first Macintosh like the screen icons and mouse came from Xerox Parc engineers after Jobs visit there in 1979.

When the iPod came out in 2001, the concept for mp3 players and other audio devices were already out, but Steve Jobs managed to improve on the existing design. iPods quickly gained popularity and became an iconic device in digital music history, whereas many pre-existing iPod like devices did not enjoy the same success. Jobs made the iPhone an incredibly successful product line, but by the time the iPhone came out in 2007, cell phones had been out since the late 90’s, almost a decade before. Steve Jobs was usually late to the game, but he knew how to tweak a product to be just what consumers wanted, and that is one of the main reasons Apple became so successful, not being first, but being the best. One prominent characteristic Steve Jobs possessed was perfectionism. Larry Ellison, the CEO of technology company Oracle, had this to say about Steve; "That was Steve, until it was perfect. And then once it was perfect. . . he moved on to the next problem. ” which made Larry consider him to be “a bit of a control freak. ” Jobs had a desire “to control every aspect. Including how you pay for an item in a store. Or what it looked like in a box. ” Jobs told interviewers "I saw my life as an arc and that it would end, and compared to that nothing mattered,” and "You're born alone, you're going to die alone. And does anything else really matter? I mean, what is it exactly is it that you have to lose, Steve? You know? There's nothing. ” Steves motivation after his 2004 pancreatic cancer diagnosis was that death was inevitable. He didn’t want to waste time travelling or having fun, he wanted to work on the iPhone and the iPad, and his other visions, that was what was most important to him. Many could argue Steve had some sociopathic tendencies.

He was excessively mean to his acquaintances, family and friends, he used people under him, he “treats others like trash and considered them expendable and replaceable. ”, and he has always had a sense of entitlement and that he was special, therefore above everyone else. Sounds like a jerk right? Yes, but those tendencies helped him excel in his role as CEO at Apple. His demeaning views towards people under him allowed him to maintain a productive and efficient work force, since he wasn’t afraid to fire or disrespect an underperforming employees. His sense of entitlement and specialism gave him “the confidence to take big risks and to inspire colleagues and customers. ” A characteristic of Jobs was something “which psychologists call openness to experience. ” Steve loved coming up with new ideas, and he loved the beauty and novelty in them. His love of finding new and improving on existing ideas helped Apple make some of the most iconic technology. Jobs, despite the massive wealth he accumulated through his life, estimated at $10. 2 Billion dollars at the time of his death, his name isn’t on any official charity donations.

However, because of Jobs private nature, he may have made donations to charity anonymously, such as a long speculated $150 million donation to the “Helen Miller Family Comprehensive Cancer Centre”. Steve was a very single minded person. Especially after his cancer diagnosis, he chose only two things to focus on; work, and family. Steve believed that he would be more beneficial to the world by building a team at Apple, improving technology, innovating, and creating his and Apple’s legacy, all of which he has succeeded in. As of May 4, 2017, Apple had created an estimated 2 million jobs in the United States, both directly and indirectly.

Suppliers Apple uses to source the parts for their products credit Apple for some job creation, and app developers working with and for Apple are also included in that 2 million figure. I believe that Jobs was ethical in business since he always had Apples best interests at heart. He never tried to take money from Apple or do anything sneaky or crazy. Under Steve’s leadership, Apple was somewhat socially responsible, but Job’s main focus was always the products. Yes he wanted them to be as eco friendly as possible, but his view was “those products should be careful of their environmental performance. But anything that didn’t fit the vision was quite simply out of view. ” Once Steve, stepped down, Tim Cook took over as acting CEO and Apple became much more involved in renewable energy sources, and their environmental impact. Many would consider Jobs an agent of change. Steve Jobs is one of the most well known, iconic, and well respected entrepreneurs and innovators in the tech world. He has changed and improved upon the smartphone, the mp3 player, the digital music store, the desktop, the laptop, the tablet computer and more One of Steve’s most iconic products is the iPhone. If you owned a phone pre-2007, you might recall a cramped, physical keyboard, a low quality camera, basic functions such as a calendar, a few simple games, and a basic, sad plastic clamshell design.

On June 29, 2007, while standing on the MacWorld stage, he released the iPhone. “An iPod, a phone, and an Internet communicator, Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. ” Jobs famously said about the new iPhone. The audience wooed and applauded Steve as a revolutionary device was being displayed and explained on stage. It improved on almost everything that was wrong with the cellphone at the time. In short, Jobs has built an extraordinary legacy at Apple. Steve saved Apple from near death before the 2000’s, and set the groundwork for Apple to become the first trillion dollar corporation in the world, which happened recently. Jobs has revolutionized many products in his run at Apple. Steve Jobs will remain an icon, and his success an inspiration for many in the tech & business world, and Apple will remain one of America’s biggest and richest companies.