Honouring Greatness

In 1997 Steve Jobs launched the ‘Think Different” campaign, and set out to change
the world. To state that in the last 14 years he has accomplished just that would be
precisely accurate.

As a leader and a visionary with exemplary passion and dedication he has set the
example for, not only the tech industry as it strives to serve society, but everyone
who has an idea and dares to be different…to think different. He had mastered user
experience before there was a term to describe it.

I’m not interested in recapping his accomplishments and successes as this is not an
obituary, but I can claim with confidence that if you’re reading this-and you can be
anybody- you already have had the experience of the very thing that Steve Jobs set
out to do. You have already experienced the soul of Apple and whether you care to
admit it or not, it changed your world and probably your life.

To put this man on a pedestal would be antagonistic to his idiosyncratic nature,
at the end of the day he’s only human but one that values greatness. That is the message that he has  infused into the
heart of Apple.

Tomorrow (March 2nd) is a big day for most Apple fans, the unveiling of the iPad 2. It seems earlier than expected. Maybe it’s a strategic plan to overshadow the popularity of the Motorola Xoom? We highly think so.

What should we expect from tomorrow’s Apple-a-palooza? I think we’ll be getting some new advancements but nothing too revolutionary that’ll make you want to sell your old iPad for the new one (unless, you’re a tech snob, and there is nothing wrong with that). Here are a few things to expect:

• With Steve Jobs away due to medical reasons, who’ll make the announcement of the iPad 2? Likely, the presentation will be from Phill Shiller, senior VP of worldwide product marketing at Apple Inc. The last time Jobs was ill, Shiller had revealed the iPhone 3GS.

• Yes, they’ll be a front facing camera, so that they can continue to promote their video calling app/software, FaceTime. Most are predicting there’ll be a rear-facing camera too; I’m still not sure if Apple will give in.
• It’ll be smaller and thinner, but nothing too drastic.
• The new device is expected to be faster, with a robust processor. Rumors say that Apple will use an A5 chip.
• Better and louder stereo speakers.
• Cheaper! Apple can afford to knock off at least $100 of the current price point. The price model of the iPad is one of its competitive advantages against the the other tablets.

As the battle of tablet continues, we’ll be watching the Apple conference tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to the Mac!

Apple introduced the very first Macintosh on January 24, 1984, beginning an era that is still going strong 27 years later. Steve Jobs introduced the Apple Macintosh on January 24, 1984 and received wild applause from the crowd of 3,000 people. It was originally introduced simply as the Apple Macintosh and was re-branded as the Macintosh 128K when its big brother, the Macintosh 512K, was introduced in September 1984.

Apple has evolved it’s business beyond the Macintosh computers and has revolutioned the music and mobile industries with the introduction of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. In the latest earnings release, apple revealed that their new iPad device has sold close to $15M.

The iPad is definitely a hit based on the reports & iPhone sales are coming in ahead of estimates. In addition to these, Apple’s App Store has just posted its 10 billionth download, just two and half years after the store opened in July 2008.

Up to this point, consumers have largely driven Apple’s iPhone & iPad growth, and these technologies are said to be creeping into corporate world.

For those that want to relive a piece of history, here is the demo of the first Apple Macintosh by Steve Jobs. Demo of the first Mac computer by Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder and chief executive of Apple Company hasn’t exactly been in the best shape for a while now. Mr. Jobs, 55, who recovered from pancreatic cancer after surgery in 2004, has not appeared at public events since October. He appears considerably skinnier these days & now he’s taking time out.

Steve Jobs sent out an e-mail message to all Apple employees saying that he is taking “a medical leave of absence”, so that he can focus on his health. He says that he will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company; only, he’ll do it from home. This is the third time he is taking a step back in less than a decade. Whether Steve Jobs returns or not, he will definitely be hard to replace; it was because of him & his extremely talented team that the company succeeded over the past years.

Steve Jobs’s perseverance, management style, innovative qualities, creativity, outlook on design, charisma, and overall business “know how” can’t simply be replaced. His unique & great qualities have made him the technological guru of his time and of technology today.

Steve Jobs kept the development of products like the iPhone 4 and iPad on track, increased Macintosh computers sales and improved Apple’s financial performance during an economic downturn; his performance has always been a heavy dose of reassurance for the investors. He succeeded many negotiating grounds because of the strength of his personality. The persuading & negotiating role that he has is very important, as Apple seeks to become a bigger power in media distribution. It would be hard for anyone in the industry to have a comparable level of influence as Steve Jobs does.

Of course no one expects Apple to suffer in the short term, as the company has a long product cycle. But we don’t know what will happen over the long term if Mr. Jobs does not return. The problem here isn’t the operations of Apple and their ability to keep doing what they’ve been doing; the problem here is that Steve Jobs’ inspiration is irreplaceable. With all his unique characteristics and talents, and the breakthrough innovation he introduced to Apple, we are not sure if anyone can fill his shoes.

He changed many lives for the better. We hope he’s back on his feet soon and returns to work at Apple.

On October 20, 2010 Apple held an event called “Back to the Mac” at which Steve Jobs, Apple CEO revealed the upcoming Mac technologies.

This event boldly showcased Apples focus on mobile technology; revealing their move to unify their mobile offerings with their Macs. The newest sensation was the hijacking of the AppStore for the Mac, which was a bold confession of just how important iPhone applications have been in Apple’s success of grabbing larger shares of the Smartphone markets. Bringing FaceTime, the VideoConferencing capability from the iPhone and iPad to the Mac was just another affirmation of the power of their mobile technology in Apple’s overall success; which in essence is turning into their strategy.

Further proof of mobile playing even a larger part of Apple’s marketing strategy was revealed by the introduction of Apple’s next generation MacBooks, the all new MacBook Air, inspired by the iPad (“MacBook meets the iPad”). MacBook Air is simply a more sophisticated version of the iPad, sleek and neat, with more computing talent but naturally slightly less mobile.

The product lineup, features in the new operating system and the Mac AppStore all seem to point to a direction that has mobile focused at its core. Just two years ago many believed that Apple had no right entering the very saturated phone (device manufacturer) market and today the iPhone technology is helping pave the path for their core Mac business.

Apple has finally announced their much anticipated announcement to unveil their “latest creation”.  The date has been set to January 27th and it’s taking place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.  Here’s the invitation that has been put out:

We’re going to have to wait until next to see what Apple has up their sleeves.  Will it be the new Mac Tablet or perhaps the new iPhone 4G.   Until then enjoy this Cartoon from Rob Cottingham’s Noise to Signal: