Steve Jobs is Dead - Mod Note Post 1

denballs · 06-10-2011 5:49am

Here are the Top Ten Lessons Steve Jobs taught us:

1. The most enduring innovations marry art and science – Steve has always pointed out that the biggest difference between Apple and all the other computer (and post-PC) companies through history is that Apple always tried to marry art and science. Jobs pointed out the original team working on the Mac had backgrounds in anthropology, art, history, and poetry. That’s always been important in making Apple’s products stand out. It’s the difference between the iPad and every other tablet computer that came before it or since. It is the look and feel of a product. It is its soul. But it is such a difficult thing for computer scientists or engineers to see that importance, so any company must have a leader that sees that importance.

2. To create the future, you can’t do it through focus groups – There is a school of thought in management theory that — if you’re in the consumer-facing space building products and services — you’ve got to listen to your customer. Steve Jobs was one of the first businessmen to say that was a waste of time. The customers today don’t always know what they want, especially if it’s something they’ve never seen, heard, or touched before. When it became clear that Apple would come out with a tablet, many were skeptical. When people heard the name (iPad), it was a joke in the Twitter-sphere for a day. But when people held one, and used it, it became a ‘must have.’ They didn’t know how they’d previously lived without one. It became the fastest growing Apple product in its history. Jobs (and the Apple team) trusted himself more than others. Picasso and great artists have done that for centuries. Jobs was the first in business.

3. Never fear failure – Jobs was fired by the successor he picked. It was one of the most public embarrassments of the last 30 years in business. Yet, he didn’t become a venture capitalist never to be heard from again. He didn’t start a production company and do a lot of lunches. He picked himself up and got back to work following his passion. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told he only had a few weeks to live. As Samuel Johnson said, there’s nothing like your impending death to focus the mind. From Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

4. You can’t connect the dots forward – only backward – This is another gem from the 2005 Stanford speech. The idea behind the concept is that, as much as we try to plan our lives ahead in advance, there’s always something that’s completely unpredictable about life. What seems like bitter anguish and defeat in the moment — getting dumped by a girlfriend, not getting that job at McKinsey, “wasting” 4 years of your life on a start-up that didn’t pan out as you wanted — can turn out to sow the seeds of your unimaginable success years from now. You can’t be too attached to how you think your life is supposed to work out and instead trust that all the dots will be connected in the future. This is all part of the plan.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

5. Listen to that voice in the back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not – Most of us don’t hear a voice inside our heads. We’ve simply decided that we’re going to work in finance or be a doctor because that’s what our parents told us we should do or because we wanted to make a lot of money. When we consciously or unconsciously make that decision, we snuff out that little voice in our head. From then on, most of us put it on automatic pilot. We mail it in. You have met these people. They’re nice people. But they’re not changing the world. Jobs has always been a restless soul. A man in a hurry. A man with a plan. His plan isn’t for everyone. It was his plan. He wanted to build computers. Some people have a voice that tells them to fight for democracy. Some have one that tells them to become an expert in miniature spoons. When Jobs first saw an example of a Graphical User Interface — a GUI — he knew this was the future of computing and that he had to create it. That became the Macintosh. Whatever your voice is telling you, you would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, or move to China, or leave your partner.

6. Expect a lot from yourself and others – We have heard stories of Steve Jobs yelling or dressing down staff. He’s a control freak, we’ve heard – a perfectionist. The bottom line is that he is in touch with his passion and that little voice in the back of his head. He gives a damn. He wants the best from himself and everyone who works for him. If they don’t give a damn, he doesn’t want them around. And yet — he keeps attracting amazing talent around him. Why? Because talent gives a damn too. There’s a saying: if you’re a “B” player, you’ll hire “C” players below you because you don’t want them to look smarter than you. If you’re an “A” player, you’ll hire “A+” players below you, because you want the best result.

7. Don’t care about being right. Care about succeeding – Jobs used this line in an interview after he was fired by Apple. If you have to steal others’ great ideas to make yours better, do it. You can’t be married to your vision of how a product is going to work out, such that you forget about current reality. When the Apple III came out, it was hot and warped its motherboard even though Jobs had insisted it would be quiet and sleek. If Jobs had stuck with Lisa, Apple would have never developed the Mac.

8. Find the most talented people to surround yourself with – There is a misconception that Apple is Steve Jobs. Everyone else in the company is a faceless minion working to please the all-seeing and all-knowing Jobs. In reality, Jobs has surrounded himself with talent: Phil Schiller, Jony Ive, Peter Oppenheimer, Tim Cook, the former head of stores Ron Johnson. These are all super-talented people who don’t get the credit they deserve. The fact that Apple’s stock price has been so strong since Jobs left as CEO is a credit to the strength of the team. Jobs has hired bad managerial talent before. John Sculley ended up firing Jobs and — according to Jobs — almost killing the company. Give credit to Jobs for learning from this mistake and realizing that he can’t do anything without great talent around him.

9. Stay hungry, stay foolish - Again from the end of Jobs’ memorable Stanford speech:

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

10. Anything is possible through hard work, determination, and a sense of vision – Although he’s the greatest CEO ever and the father of the modern computer, at the end of the day, Steve Jobs is just a guy. He’s a husband, a father, a friend — like you and me. We can be just as special as he is — if we learn his lessons and start applying them in our lives. When Jobs returned to Apple in the 1990s, it was was weeks away from bankruptcy. It’s now the biggest company in the world. Anything’s possible in life if you continue to follow the simple lessons laid out above.

May you change the world.

SOURCE=forbes

rob180 · 06-10-2011 5:53am

An amazing visionary, RIP

DazMarz · 06-10-2011 5:54am

One of the best, most innovative and simply brilliant entrepreuneurs of this generation, any generation really, and he will be sorely missed.

cornbb · 06-10-2011 6:03am

RIP Steve. A genuinely exceptional person. Remember him not only for the iDevices - if you are reading this on any machine with a keyboard, mouse and screen, remember that the work he did in his early 20s did a lot to shape that too. What a legacy.

Benny_Cake · 06-10-2011 6:08am

RIP Steve.

Brilliant man who had a unique understanding of how people use technology.Even if one never used an Apple product,you'll have used something influenced by Apple products.

RacoonQueen · 06-10-2011 6:38am

Don't usually post in R.I.P threads, but for Steve I can change. The amount of people that don't realise what a genius he was is unreal.

R.I.P - you've brought me so much joy.

Proof also that no amount of money in the world can save you from cancer.

Ghost Train · 06-10-2011 6:43am

CoolHat wrote: »

CNN presenter said something quite interesting...
"Many people who most likely learned of his passing on the device he created himself"

Quite impressive when you think about it. He made his mark.

Read it on my kindle... sorry Steve

Sad though,wasn't too old

RIP

Krusader · 06-10-2011 7:22am

RIP

force eleven · 06-10-2011 7:29am

RIP

The end of Apple? After the latest wave of products finish up, where is the next innovative million seller going to come from?

Dublin_Gunner · 06-10-2011 7:46am

force eleven wrote: »

RIP

The end of Apple? After the latest wave of products finish up, where is the next innovative million seller going to come from?

Luckily for Apple, Steve's innovation and creativity lives on in its many employee's that have learned from him.

As long as there's an iPad 2, there'll be an iPad 3. Mr. Jobs has ensured that much at least.

foxyboxer · 06-10-2011 7:50am

laoisforliam wrote: »

Heisenberg?

Schrodinger

BrookieD · 06-10-2011 8:00am

Amazing mind in a man that some how knew that people wanted innovative products that simply worked and worked well.

We may never see his likes again, Steve I had the pleasure of an email conversation with you a few years ago, you were a true gent.

You will be missed and the world has lost a visionary

R.I.P

Lirange · 06-10-2011 8:05am

Also the co-founder of Pixar animation.

RIP Steve.

Penn · 06-10-2011 8:09am

RIP. Few people have had half the impact he has had on the world. Says it all that shares in a billion dollar company which will always make money fell when he announced he was stepping down as CEO. He didn't just run the company. To many people, he was the company. And every single cent that Apple make in the future, they make because of him.

Aldebaran · 06-10-2011 8:09am

RIP Steve, a true visionary.

Thanks for Apple, thanks for Pixar, thanks for everything.

copeyhagen · 06-10-2011 8:12am

stoneill wrote: »

Did you get that on your iPhone?

is there an app for that?

Lord Trollington · 06-10-2011 8:15am

Tesco Massacre wrote: »

Never understood some people's militant loyalty to Apple and its products, but nevertheless, RIP.

56 is no age to go.

You obviously don't own an iPhone. Absolute mint of a machine.

The technology gone into creating that little piece of equipment that sits in the palm of your hand is quite unbelievable.

I will never buy any other phone and cannot wait for the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5.

Killer Pigeon · 06-10-2011 8:16am

R.iP

tonsiltickler · 06-10-2011 8:18am

RIP. A great man and too young to go(only my dads age:( ). In one way or another he created 700+ jobs in Cork and pushed the boundaries of whats possible with phones, pc's and gadgets.

Azureus · 06-10-2011 8:20am

Great innovator and shaper of our generation-I dont know many people without at least an ipod!
RIP

efb · 06-10-2011 8:23am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBH1dcHoL6Y

stovelid · 06-10-2011 8:25am

I painted my htc white and am using it ostentatiously on the Luas in tribute.

RIP

Welruc · 06-10-2011 8:29am

Shocked that he is dead, i knew he was sick when he stepped down as ceo but i didnt expect him to go so quickly.

A great man who has certainly left his mark on this world for ever. RIP

swingking · 06-10-2011 8:29am

RIP Steve Jobs.

joseph brand · 06-10-2011 8:30am

RIP
http://www.apple.com/ie/ (a photo he'd rather be remembered for)

In the photo, he is looking into the camera with utter assurance, and with a hint of mischief.

ringadingding · 06-10-2011 8:33am

Pancreatic cancer took my ma too, an absolutely horrific disease.

He would have been better off dying at the end, rather than hanging on.

RIP big man

Freddie59 · 06-10-2011 8:33am

RIP Steve. One of the best.

jamiecall · 06-10-2011 8:34am

I wouldn't normally write in an RIP thread but for this man i would. Rest in Peace Steve Jobs. You solved problems we didn't even know we had.

String · 06-10-2011 8:36am

RIP

rolion · 06-10-2011 8:41am

Despite keeping away as much as possible from iDevices,despite opening for first time in my life on Apple.com web site,also seeing,hearing,hating & installing so many Apple and their products,i cannot stop dropping a tear,put my head down and think one minute about Steve and his life !

I am not going to say nothing...just silence and respect !

Nulty · 06-10-2011 8:42am

deuceswild wrote: »

Shocked that he is dead, i knew he was sick when he stepped down as ceo but i didnt expect him to go so quickly.

A great man who has certainly left his mark on this world for ever. RIP

I'm not an apple groupie nor do I know the full extent of what Mr. Jobs achieved (ignorance on my part) but in response to the above post, I respect the man for working at the company right up until he literally could not work any more. Fair play to him though I'm always suspicious of any brand or company that achieves as much pervasiveness as apple has.

RIP

Vertigo100 · 06-10-2011 8:58am

Found out about this on the iPhone. Posted it from an iPhone. At least the pain is over now steve. Sleep well.

MitchKoobski · 06-10-2011 9:00am

Hate using Macs and despise RIP threads, but had great respect for the man. He really did help change the world we're in today with Apple's products.

I could care less about Apple but add to the fact that he was chief executive of Pixar until 2006, and theres an endless list of things hes helped give us. Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles. Without Steve we would have wait to wait years more for Pixar technology.

crazygeryy · 06-10-2011 9:01am

jeez that pancreatic cancer is the worst of the worst.
R.I.P. steve.

joe316 · 06-10-2011 9:02am

this is the part that amazed me, 317 patents to his name

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/24/technology/steve-jobs-patents.html

Jacksquat · 06-10-2011 9:03am

R.I.P

Run_to_da_hills · 06-10-2011 9:04am

RIP Steve Jobs.

kuro2k · 06-10-2011 9:07am

RIP

Biggins · 06-10-2011 9:11am

georgiecasey wrote: »

Phelps family and Westboro Church say on Twitter they're going to protest the funeral, look what Twitter client they were using....

http://i.imgur.com/5kjVw.jpg

*sigh* - I'll say no more about them here.

Steve, the world has lost an innovative mind. RIP.

A Primal Nut · 06-10-2011 9:13am

His career should not be just studied by technology people (317 patents is incredible), but also marketing people. He had a knack of creating massive amounts of hype around his products; especially compared to other vendors.

Definitely a genius in so many ways. This coming from someone who for one reason or another never owned an apple product.

RIP.

crazygeryy · 06-10-2011 9:16am

georgiecasey wrote: »

Phelps family and Westboro Church say on Twitter they're going to protest the funeral, look what Twitter client they were using....

http://i.imgur.com/5kjVw.jpg

is that for real?i mean jesus can they not just leave the guy be buried in peace.
the same thing happened with the 9/11 conspiracy protestors protesting on the day of the 10th anniversary.give it a miss guys just for one day the man is dead for christs sake.

Cormic · 06-10-2011 9:17am

RIP Steve Jobs

One of the true technology visionaries of our time.

Duggy747 · 06-10-2011 9:21am

Came across this picture this morning.

Quite fitting, I think.

Seachmall · 06-10-2011 9:23am

Hehe

R.I.P.

RedXIV · 06-10-2011 9:24am

The guy was a genius, plain and simple. I tried to stay away from the apple fanaticism but still, every time he had a conference or announcement I'd always listen in.

RIP Mr. Jobs, your revolutionary mind will be sorely missed