On the 4th October, Apple announced the IPhone 4S. The World was unimpressed overall... they were expecting the IPhone 5, and nothing Tim Cook could have said was going to excite the die hard Apple fans.
Then, October 6th, the World woke up to the news that Steve Jobs had finally lost his battle to cancer the previous evening, peacefully, with his family at his side.... hours after the announcement.
Tributes that have been pouring in have been incredible- Obama summed it up perfectly- that the World had lost one of America's great visionaries- a man who was brave enough to think differently, bold enough to think he could change the World, and talented enough to do it.
So when the news came out that Jobs stepped down as CEO, Apple fans worried, and lamented.
When news came out this morning that he had passed away, the whole World started to mourn, and Apple fans globally started leaving notes, tributes and flowers outside Apple Stores.
When ever has a multi-billion pound business had a figurehead that has generated this kind of empathy? It's staggering.
So that's when you need to look at the facts.....
Its estimated that 2/3 of ALL mobile internet browsing is done through Safari (ie IPhone/IPad/ITouch/Macbooks)
Apple revolutionised home computing.
Apple revolutionised the way we listen to music.
Apple revolutionised the way we download/buy/access music.
14 billion songs have been downloaded on ITunes.
Apple revolutionised the Tablet market and changed the way we access information on the move.
25 million IPads have been sold in just 14 months.
Apple at one point, was the most valuable company in the world, even beating Exxon Mobil. An oil company!!!!
50 million IPhones have been sold to date. That's the equivalent of 1 for every 6 people in America. Or 1 for every 3000 in the WORLD!!!
Most people who amass that kind of fame, and fortune are hated or laughed at.... (Think Donald Trump/Rex Tillerson) Steve Jobs was different.
A true leader who inspired and guided Apple through the brink of bankruptcy to become the world's most famous brand.
Some of his more memorable quotes help us understand his leadership style:
"There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago [when he was diagnosed with cancer], it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens."
- AllThingsD Conference, 2010
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."
– Wall Street Journal 1993
"In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service."
– Fortune magazine 2000
"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10.30 at night with a new idea, or because they realised something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.
"And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."
– Business Week 2004
And one of my favourites:
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
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.''
– Stanford commencement speech 2005
Combine the two- the products Apple create, and Steve Job's inspirational leadership, it goes a long way to understand why for the first time that I can remember, a CEO has been mourned in such a public manner by customers, world and business leaders alike.
Whether you love Apple, or hate it (personally, I love Iphones/Ipads/ITouch et al, and hate Mac) there is no denying that the World lost a true visionary, a creative genius.
Which leaves only one thing to say.......
