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Ever randomly wondered about the inception of Apple, Inc.?
Same here.
Steve Jobs will forever be the face of tech giant and lifestyle brand Apple, Inc. However, it’s imperative to remind ourselves that there was another Steve in Apple’s lore:
Steve Wozniak.
This is Steve II’s memory of how a revolution was born soldered.
As we’re enjoying the Olympics in Rio, specifically the events and sports we watch exclusively every four years, what we see is the final stage of years of preparation and determination. Equally fascinating, though, are the preceding years and moments alone on the beach, in the pool, in the gym, on the winding road, on the pitch or in the garage.
How did these individuals reach the summit in their respective fields?
Steve Wozniak’s recollection of his youthful motivation for building computer parts serves as an inspirational lesson for us all. That lesson is to find our passion and start creating. And so often, the drive behind some of the world’s greatest innovators (and some Olympic athletes) isn’t always what we imagine from a distance. The sport is not always the central reason for competing. Still, from far away, we possess the clarity to recognize authenticity, inventive vision and talent and it’s what brings us into another person’s story with a powerful, magnetic attraction.
And apparently, if you want to succeed in tech, be named Steve. If you want to host a late night talk show, be named Jimmy, James or Jay.
I have always wanted my own studio audience…
Time to write my monologue jokes, until about 4:00 a.m.
The Core of Apple’s Genius
An apple rolled into a mall…
This blog has, on many occasions, paid tribute and explored the various reasons how and why Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak revolutionized the world with their visionary technology. Lightning in a bottle is being modest when discussing that small tech company known as Apple. Equal to its imaginative quality and inventive prowess is the seamless accessibility of the insanely great products in its store.
Apple, in somewhat groundbreaking fashion, popularized the modern mentality that its store patrons ask questions. Lots of questions. Apple’s retail culture encourages curiosity with current and potential customers. Most retail store employees (regardless of industry) will answer a few inquiries, but ultimately expect a purchase of an item or items. In other words, a more linear business model. Interestingly, the Apple store was envisioned with practice and learning in mind. Technology is a complicated field and perhaps the real genius behind the Cupertino, California-based company is not with its informative bar, but instead with its inviting culture to all those intrigued by its line of cool products.
15 years ago, the Apple store was conceptualized into an exciting reality.
The come in, sit down and stay awhile attitude altered the shopping and browsing in a mall paradigm from being more directly motivated by total sales towards a more indirect connection with customers who are returning and who are new, leading to another sale or a first sale. This is not to suggest that Apple store employees aren’t clever salespersons. Quite the contrary. However, the way they are presenting and promoting their products, and more importantly their brand, is the impressive change agent.
As technology continues to transform individuals and societies into digital ecosystems, let’s not forget the late Steve Jobs believed in bridging the past and future together and not apart. Like the Apple store, if the personal connection is the overarching priority in collaboration with its product offerings, then innovation will not only take flight, but exceed all perceived expectations.
This way, the conversation between business and customer continues far into the future.
That’s just one reason why millions of people pick-up an apple Apple each day.
Apple’s Core
Taking a bite out of Apple isn’t as easy as one may think.
The pivotal debate of national security versus personal liberties is shining its spotlight on revolutionary tech giant Apple because the FBI insists that a “backdoor” be created to peek inside an iPhone of one of the San Bernardino, California terrorist attackers. From 36,000 feet, most Americans support our nation’s security forces doing whatever they can to learn, infiltrate and defeat terrorist cells and networks. And reasonably so. However, when Americans zoom-in from the birds eye view of this complex, serious situation (from a drone in the sky, you could say), the collective damage this individual request poses gives reason to push back.
Precedent is inevitably what’s at stake.
Once a government can legally force the hands of a public company consisting of private citizens to do its bidding, regardless of outspoken reservations and, more bluntly, refusing to perform such a service after careful consideration, the door then swings wide-open for an uncertain expansion of said questionable action.
What kinds of expansions? How will this affect you? Will this security measure definitively makes us safer or will it expose us to a myriad of unforeseen digital invasions?
There will never be a perfect balance between the equitable assets of national security and personal liberties. Each situation needs to be dealt with individually and with a fresh set of eyes with considerations to the past and future, especially in an increasingly connected world/digital grid. Moments will arise when tough security responses must be green-lit with immediacy, as well as difficult scenarios when security officials should practice restraint for the sake of protecting the bigger issue(s) at hand.
Should Tim Cook’s Apple “open” the San Bernardino phone? He says no.
Does co-founder Steve “The Woz” Wozniak think Apple should “open” the San Bernardino phone?
Apple vs. The FBI will directly influence how the United States (and possibly its allies) combat the guerrilla terrorism used by ISIS and similar terrorist networks for the foreseeable future, especially as technology continues to evolve and expand.
The stakes in this dispute are insanely great.
An Insanely Great Throwback Thursday
Saying “hello” has rarely been so profound.
In the spirit of “Throwback Thursday” and the Steve Jobs trailer that debuted yesterday, today’s blog post will take you back to the real Steve Jobs presenting the first Macintosh computer in 1984 to an audience in awe of a personal machine they and the world had never seen live before.
There are events in life when you instantly know everything’s about to change forever.
This was one of those moments.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 