Born on the 24th of February 1955 in San Francisco, California, Steve Jobs is considered the epitome of entrepreneurial perfection by many…and who can blame them. It’s his unparalleled innovative capacity and just the guile with which he speaks and carries himself that sets him high in people’s eyes. Jobs was actually adopted by Paul, a machinist and Clara Jobs.
When he was about 6 years old, he and his family moved to mountain view, California in an area south of Palo Alto. This area was starting to gain a reputation as the hotspot for manufacturers of electronic devices. It was coined silicon valley.
Jobs’ affection for computers started when he was about 12 years old. He had enrolled at a club affiliated with Hewlett- Packard and the things he saw left him a changed young boy forever. He was very impressed with how these people were working with computer and so when he got to high school, he made a point to attend most if not all the lectured at the HP plant. He was noticed by Bill Hewlett himself who went on to offer Jobs an internship at the plant.
Upon graduating high school in 1972, Jobs attempted the “whole college thing” and thought it wasn’t really for him so he dropped out of his program at Reed college in Portland, Oregon. He took time off to try and discover himself and a new religion so he travelled toindia. After returning to the states, Jobs joined a group called Homebrew computer club where he met eventual Apple founder, Steve Wozniak. Wozniak had been trying to build a compute and so the two teamed up to come up with “Apple”, the now ridiculously popular computer company. Reports claim the two only raised $1300 in startup funds by selling Job’s microbus and Wozniak’s calculator.
At the time, most computers in use were mainframes and were too big and costly for individuals, so the priority of the two was to come up with ‘personal computers’ that average individuals could afford and use. These new brand was called Apple II and started selling in 1977 with initial sales of over $2.5 million, rising to $200 million within 3 years.
Jobs was always seen as the face behind Apple, relegating his cofounder to a more ‘behind the scene’ role. Early in 1983 he unveiled the Lisa. It was designed for people possessing minimal computer experience. It did not sell well, however, because it was more expensive than personal computers sold by competitors. Apple’s biggest competitor was International Business Machines (IBM). By 1983 it was estimated that Apple had lost half of its market share (part of an industry’s sales that a specific company has) to IBM.
In 1984 Apple introduced a revolutionary new model, the Macintosh. The on-screen display had small pictures called icons. To use the computer, the user pointed at an icon and clicked a button using a new device called a mouse. This process made the Macintosh very easy to use. The Macintosh did not sell well to businesses, however. It lacked features other personal computers had, such as a corresponding high quality printer. The failure of the Macintosh signaled the beginning ofJobs’s downfall at Apple. Jobs resigned in 1985 from the company he had helped found, though he retained his title as chairman of its board of directors.
Jobs soon hired some of his former employees to begin a new computer company called NeXT. Late in 1988 the NeXT computer was introduced at a large gala event in San Francisco, aimed at the educational market. Initial reactions were generally good. The product was very user-friendly, and had a fast processing speed, excellent graphics displays, and an outstanding sound system. Despite the warm reception, however, theNeXT machine never caught on. It was too costly, had a black-and-white screen, and could not be linked to other computers or run common software.
In December of 1996 Apple purchased NeXT Software for over $400 million. Jobs returned to Apple as a part-time consultant to the chief executive officer (CEO). The following year, in a surprising event, Apple entered into a partnership with its competitor Microsoft. The two companies, according to the New York Times, “agreed to cooperate on several sales and technology fronts.” Over the next six years Apple introduced several new products and marketing strategies.
In November 1997 Jobs announced Apple would sell computers directly to users over the Internet and by telephone. The Apple Store became a runaway success. Within a week it was the third-largest e-commerce site on the Internet. In September of 1997 Jobs was named interim CEO of Apple.
In 1998 Jobs announced the release of the iMac, which featured powerful computing at an affordable price. The iBook was unveiled in July 1999. This is a clam-shaped laptop that is available in bright colors. It includes Apple’s AirPort, a computer version of the cordless phone that would allow the user to surf the Internet wirelessly. In January 2000 Jobs unveiled Apple’s new Internet strategy. It included a group of Macintosh-only Internet-based applications. Jobs also announced that he was becoming the permanent CEO of Apple.
In a February 1996 Time magazine article, Jobs said, “The thing that drives me and my colleagues … is that you see something very compelling to you, and you don’t quite know how to get it, but you know, sometimes intuitively, it’s within your grasp. And it’s worth putting in years of your life to make it come into existence.” Jobs has worked hard to translate his ideas into exciting and innovative products for businesses and consumers. He was instrumental in launching the age of the personal computer. Steve Jobs is truly a computer industry visionary.
