Apple is the biggest name in the technological industry. With many amazing products, Apple has very few competitors. Well, the man behind the success and rise of the company is Steve Jobs.
Key Points
As a child, Jobs’ passion was electronics, rather than sports.
Seeing the potential in computing, and desiring to bring smaller computers to the public, he launched Apple Computer Company with Steve Wozniak in 1976.
By 1980, the company was worth $1.2 billion. Jobs was not a developer, but his uncanny ability to predict what the public needed enabled him to place his company at the forefront of the computing sector.
Who is Steve Jobs?
Steve Jobs was an American inventor and entrepreneur who was the co-founder, chief executive, and chairman of Apple computers which became the biggest name in the technology sector.
Steve Jobs is one of the most famous names in the entrepreneurial community. His story is one of the most inspiring success stories in the world.
Today, everyone knows about his company Apple but no one actually believed such a technology could be created at that time.
Early life
Born in 1955 in San Francisco to Syrian and Swiss-German parents, Steve Jobs was adopted by Paul Jobs, a machinist and veteran of the Coast Guard, and his wife Clara Jobs, an accountant. When Jobs was 6 years old, they moved to a town near Palo Alto, California, where silicon was in the air and the electronic industry was just beginning to buzz.
Greatest achievement of Steve Jobs
What Did Steve Jobs Invent?
Aesthetic and Functional Design in Computing
Even though he didn’t personally invent the innovative products that changed the future and set Apple on the path to becoming the world’s most highly valued company, the facts show that his vision was behind all of them.
The culture he created at Apple and his uncanny instinct to foresee what customers would want next helped foment the company’s success. His desire to improve consumers’ lives enabled Apple to produce hit after technological hit.
Apple I and II
Even though Wozniak was responsible for the design of the first Apple computers, it was Jobs who first had the idea to focus on making personal computers. They made the first prototypes by hand together, and Jobs also personally helped develop the Apple II’s creative case design.
Made the PC available to everyone
Steve Jobs was the first to have the vision of making the personal computer available for every person. Previously, computers were used for businesses only.
Created the first real smart phone
Jobs had the idea of making the first smartphone. Before Apple, the smartest phone out there was the bit smart feature phone that could access the internet and do limited tasks. When Apple introduced the iPhone, the whole industry changed.
Steve Jobs changed the world
So many people think that Jobs created Apple and became rich, but when looking further into his story it becomes clear that the man revolutionized so many industries and changed the world.
Macintosh
Jobs first had the idea to make a computer based around a graphical user interface controlled by a mouse when he visited Xerox’s research lab.
Xerox had already developed the components, but Jobs put them together into a single computer, the Macintosh, that came with a few of his own tweaks.
Revolutionized the PC industry
It was Jobs who began the PC revolution. IBM copied him and Microsoft might have gotten so big if it wasn’t for Steve Jobs. Bill gates always wanted his company to be bigger than Jobs’. At first, Apple was much bigger than Microsoft.
Saved Disney’s future
Disney was facing a very tough time before jobs helped with creating some of the best animated movies in history like Toy Story and Bug’s life. Later, Disney bought Steve’s company Pixar and Jobs became a major shareholder in disney.
Steve Jobs: Awards
National Medal of Technology
In 1985, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were jointly awarded the National Medal of Technology by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
Jobs was named Entrepreneur of the Decade in 1989 by Inc. magazine.
Jefferson Award for Public Service
Howard Vollum Award from Reed College
California Hall of Fame inductee
Grammy Trustees Award
Edison Achievement Award (posthumous)
Disney Legend (posthumous)
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Steve Jobs: Quotes
“Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”
One of the biggest downsides of success is that it can cause you to become lazy and complacent. It’s important to continue to take risks and push yourself to try new things. Stay hungry for new ideas and new opportunities.
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”