ON NOV 5, Fortune.com honoured Apple’s imperious and often tyrannical head, Steve Jobs, 54, by naming him the CEO of the decade.
They did this because in the past 10 years, he has radically and lucratively reordered three markets -- music, movies, and mobile telephones -- and his impact on his original industry, computing, has grown.
Apple’s valuation has increased from US$5 billion in 2000 to US$170 billion, only slightly more than Google.
This for a man who felt his world had collapsed when he was ousted in 1985 from the company he co-founded in 1976. He contemplated leaving Silicon Valley because he thought himself a failure.
But he decided that he still loved making computers and founded Pixar, an animation company and Next, which made technologically advanced but expensive computers. Apple bought the company in 1997 for Next technology and Jobs returned to Apple. (Pixar was acquired by Disney in 2006 for US$7.5 billion, turning Jobs into the largest Disney shareholder with about 7% of stock. )
What followed next - a string of successes with the Macintosh computers, iTunes, iPod and the iPhone – is public knowledge.
As a gadget freak, I like simple products and services that does what it serves. So I’ve fallen for the Kindle which is a great ebook reader and nothing else. Similarly, I like Google because its simplicity is so appealing. They are no more then 28 words on Google’s home page and it does not distract you from doing what you want to do on it: Search for something.
I don’t have to read any manual to learn how to use these offerings. So it is with Apple’s products. They are intuitive and easy to use. The fact that they are sexy too is a bonus point.
It was the in the early 80s when I bought my first Mac and it was then that I started to closely follow Apple’s and Jobs’ developments and fortunes. I’ve been privileged to have the front row seat in the last decade to hear first hand all the new gadgets Jobs announced.
The Fortune article of Nov 5 described Jobs as tyrannical perfectionist and an excellent businessman. I can see it in the products that have emerged as well as the high company valuation.
But it is the Macworld keynote presentations that he has become the stuff of legends. To hear him speak, Macworld attendees camp overnight at the Moscone convention centre where the event is always held. For the media, the day begins at 6am for breakfast and then a brisk 20-minute walk in the crisp morning air from the hotel to Moscone.
Then it is a two-hour queue. Every 15-20 minutes, the queue moves a few steps until the door to the hall opens at 8.45am for everyone to be seated. He comes on at 9am and speaks for about 90 minutes.
I’ve attended about 10 Macworlds, mostly in San Francisco, and a couple in New York and the routine only changed in the last two years when Apple let media into the waiting area from 8am. (Apple announced this year, it would not be doing any more of the keynotes at Macworld San Francisco.)
It is at these events that Jobs would unveil Apple’s new offerings like the iPod, iTunes, the thin Macbook Air, the iPhone and the App Store. He is great at presentations. He knows how to position the problem and then unveil the solution. He certainly knows how to work up the crowd.
Jobs missed the Macworld keynote this year as he took leave to focus on his health. He was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004. He had operation from which he recovered. But in 2008, he had lost considerable weight. His bones were sticking out of his trademark turtleneck shirt.
He took six-month medical leave to focus on getting better. He is now back at work after a liver transplant.
I must admit that when I saw his emaciated look last June, I had a terrible fright. It looked certain that I would have to prepare an obituary for him.
In that moment, I realised that he is my hero.
For daring to follow his heart to create products his competitors slammed; for creating new life out of matured industries like MP3 and cellphones; for his creativity and ability to micro-manage and have a vision.