Steve Jobs Influence

A. Attention Getter: How many people in this room own or have owned an IPod, IPhone, or IPad? Isn’t astounding how one man’s vision and innovation gave us all devices that have made the world today more connected than it’s ever been? Devices we NOW can’t imagine leaving behind when we walk out the front door in the morning. Whether it’s listening to music in your bedroom, reading the news on the train ride to work, checking your email at home or even sitting in a waiting room watching Netflix. It’s hard to deny the influence and impact that Steve Jobs has had on modern culture.

NeXT was not, however, the end of Steve Jobs. (Change Slide) In 1986, Jobs paid filmmaker George Lucas $10 million for a small firm called Pixar that specialized in computer animation. "Over the next six years Jobs poured another $40 million of his own money into the company. That film was Toy Story, a huge box office hit. The share price climbed dramatically, and Job’s 80 percent stock in Pixar suddenly was worth $1 billion. (Just a little better than the power balls don’t you think). In December of 1996, Apple announced that it was purchasing Next Software for over $400 million. (Change Slide) Jobs returned to Apple as a part-time consultant to CEO Gilbert Amelio. In September of 1997, Jobs was named temporary CEO of Apple while a replacement for Amelio was found. (Change Slide) Introduced in May 1998, it was Apple's first truly ground-breaking product since the original Macintosh of 1984. The design innovations for the iMac continued throughout 1998 and 1999 with

Without Jobs, Apple was falling apart. In 1996, Apple agrees to buy NeXT for more than $400 million. Apple didn’t buy just NeXT, but they also bought Steve Jobs back. Jobs became the chief executive and Apple’s a multi-billion dollar company thanks to products like the iMac and iPods. Jobs said, “Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Blumenthal says, “ In an almost unbelievable way, the dots had connected again. Jobs had been thrown out of Apple, started a company that struggled, and then sold that company to Apple, his first love, where he was now in charge. Of course, none of it would have happened had he not been fired” (197).

Apple is a global company represented in many parts of the world, but born in the United States by computer wizards by the names of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who founded the company back in 1976 (Capon, 2008). The organization deals with the design and sale of computer hardware, software and offers tech support to its customers. Examples of the hardware the company manufactures and sells include mobile phones, personal computers, iPads, tablets and iTunes with associated brands, like the MacBook and iPhones that represent Apple’s driving force towards its success. It is recognized as a brand leader in consumer electronics by the world in terms of quality and customer satisfaction and despite the wide product range, Apple manages each product in a distinct way that is a single business unit (Mittan, 2010).

The bitten apple on the backs of devices seen almost everywhere had its start roughly 40 years ago. Apple Computer, Inc. was formed by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs on the first of April in 1976. That day changed America’s dependence on technology forever. The popularity of personal computers and mobile devices has undoubtedly increased year by year. Social interaction has changed completely within American society with the introduction of networking and other methods of electronic communication. The wide range of information made available through the internet and accessible devices built a ‘library’ of material for anyone to use. The age of the internet has changed American lives, for better or for worse.

Today, the world if full of Apple products. If you were to ask a random person on the street, odds are, they will own an apple product. Steve Jobs, the man behind Apple, did someone that no one else had done before; he created a new era of technology where people embraced and loved having the Internet, access to their friends, and entertainment all at their fingertips. As shown in Walter Issacon's Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs did this by his ability to branch from conformity and create something new; he left behind what others did and forged his own path to the future. Most people thought that his ideas were crazy because at that time, they were. Jobs understood though that for change to happen, someone has to "think differently [to] serve the people

Apple Computers is a well-established and highly profitable company that has several leading technology- and computer-based products on the market, and that retains a highly loyal consumer base in its niche personal computing market (Yahoo Finance, 2012; Hoovers, 2012). Though the company faltered for some time in its history, it has again reached the pinnacle of innovation and progress in the computing and technology industries, and its product rollouts constitute some of the most anticipated and avidly watched events each year by early adopters and investors alike (Yahoo Finance, 2012; Hoovers, 2012). Despite the recent passing of Steve Jobs, one of the company's founders and the company's CEO and public face during the company's resurgence over the past decade-and-a-half, most projections for the company are optimistic in both the short and long terms (Yahoo Finance, 2012).

One of the worlds most valuable company is Apple. Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Macs and many other devices. It all started when the 21 year-old college dropout. It was no straight path for him to get to what he created. It was more like a windy road. It was evident from his early years that he had no grand plan to do what he has done. However, Steve’s windy road growing up, jobs found inspiration and creativity and most

The multi billion-dollar corporation, Apple Inc., designs and manufactures some of today’s highest technological gizmos and gadgets. Among their best known products are the Apple and Macintosh computers, iPods, iTunes, iPhones and iPads. Apple is one of the most powerful and influential high tech companies in the world. The success of Apple Inc. stems from the innovation and visions of co-founder and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, the excellence of the stylish, user-friendly products, and the ability to create innovative products that consumer’s desire.

There are a lot of great American entrepreneurs, who changed the world. The representative one is Steve Jobs, a co-founder of Apple. He has a major impact on the world even after his death. His biography became a best-seller in U.S, and he was named by Fortune as “the greatest entrepreneur”. To be sure, there are successful entrepreneurs all over the world. However, when it comes to entrepreneurs who changed our lives, in many cases, they are Americans. For example, Bill Gates, a founder of Microsoft, started to sell personal computers, which have been indispensable for modern people. Another example is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, Inc., the largest electronic commerce company. Buying on Internet shopping sites is becoming the most frequent

Even though Apple has encountered many setbacks, it continues to bring new and improve products to the market. Apple’s competitive strategy has been innovation. They have made an extraordinary effort developing, implementing, and executing its very unique strategy through innovation which has resulted in new product, and the enrichment of the existing ones. More specifically, Apple attempts to meet and supply the needs of a global market, by offering eager and enthusiastic consumers with innovated and high-quality products and services. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy linked to innovation with its three core products (computers, personal media player, mobile phones, tablets and other accessories). A key piece of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the converging digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has elected to implement its strategy by designing and developing proprietary operating systems and software technologies, thus allowing for strict protection of its intellectual rights.

Apple prides itself on offering innovative technology to a society that has become dependent on it. In markets inundated with companies offering similar products and services, Apple has had to rise above and distinguish itself from the masses. While their products have a cultivated a devoted-customer following (our family is one of them), their organization and the values it espouses are what will help them to remain a relevant and successful company in the tech world.

Nowadays, Apple has positioned itself to be an innovator in the personal computer industry and Apple has developed by offering modern products compared to its competitors. According to Apple’s mission statement last year, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.” (Business Management,

With the recent passing of Steve Jobs, there has been an intense spotlight focused on both the man and the company he built. Most of the attention has rightfully been focused on Jobs’ passion and creativity, as well as the remarkable period of innovation he preside. As a symbolic leader, the man not only once saving the company from bankruptcy but also building up a well-known brand that had integrate with our daily life – Apple.

Apple has always been something of a trendsetter in the tech space. Its product history since Steve Jobs’s return in 1997 gives us a solid list of examples to choose from, from its very first iPod, to Apple’s PowerBook (and later MacBook) lines, to the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s history is dominated by products that existed before Apple had a crack at them - but it was Apple who simplified them, made them appealing on a much wider scale, and ultimately made them objects of desire for the masses.