BusinessWeek should note that Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, along with Steve Wozniak. The third paragraph says Jobs founded Apple. Note that Jobs himself does mention Wozniak.

I like his tone in this interview.

He's right in everything he says (must fight RDF). I very much want an iPhone, and I would love to see Apple (re)enter the PDA market, but like he says, what would be Apple's "significant" contribution" to these markets?

I also like his take on why Apple struggled in the 90s. too many sales guys; Apple forgot who they were.

Welcome back, iLeader.

P.S. I also like how he gives credit to HP.

about why people love their Macs after switching. I'm one of them - switched 2+ years ago with a PB for business travel and the delivery of a 20" G5 iMac last month was the final piece for a full switch for work & home.

To say "it just works" doesn't focus on all the areas where it does just work. Mal-ware was a killer for me and many others. Depending on a computer for running my business was critical. Opening new areas where I can enjoy playing around - digital pics & movies (I'm now a grandpa), dozens of small apps I would never trust on a PC, enjoying music in a new way from iTunes (with Creature speakers at work) to iPods. Hell, even the one proprietary Windows app can be run on VPC and XP is actually more stable on the Mac than on a PC.

All this is because of the focus that Jobs has brought back to Apple. It shows in the interview. More importantly, while I read the article I kept thinking that there are very few companies that can match Apple's focus. The comments were therefore not so important when thinking about Apple as when thinking about other companies.

It was, as always, a pleasure to read Steve's comments. He is one of the most important minds in the business world today and I continue to be most impressed with him.

My favorite quote from this interview concerns why Mac users are so loyal:

"I get asked a lot why Apple's customers are so loyal. It's not because they belong to the Church of Mac! That's ridiculous. [Take note, RC]

It's because when you buy our products, and three months later you get stuck on something, you quickly figure out [how to get past it]. And you think, "Wow, someone over there at Apple actually thought of this!" And then three months later you try to do something you hadn't tried before, and it works, and you think "Hey, they thought of that, too." And then six months later it happens again. There's almost no product in the world that you have that experience with, but you have it with a Mac. And you have it with an iPod."

I've experience this "ah ha" moment with Apple products time and time again. As an engineer by training, I can appreciate the work that has gone into all major operating systems, Windows included. But where the Mac and other Apple products shine is in the human-centered design and plain elegance. To me, requiring a manual to figure out how to work something is a design failure.

One statement (I think it was from a past edition of The Mac Bible) that I think sums up how Apple thinks when it designs products is "Easy is hard. Hard is easy." In other words, it is easy to just throw something together and let the user figure it out, or feel like an idiot when they can't. It takes true talent to design a product that most people can figure out without breaking out the dreaded manual.

Great interview. I think Mr. Jobs has hit the nail on the head. When you focus on making great products, having a passion for making great products, then making a profit will happen. Too often companies do lose sight of the things that made them successful. Look at HP now, or even look at Sony. Without Morita's leadership, Sony isn't quite the company they used to be. However, I also think that Mr. Jobs had to leave "his baby" do Next and Pixar to reagain the focus he has. I truly like Apple products because they just work!

This interview will leave other CEOs either looking on in awe or quaking in their boots (depending on the industry ). Steve shows he's an experienced, focused, level-headed, AND hip tech veteran. He's probably never been a more dangerous competitor. You gotta love it.

Mr. Jobs talks about focus and how easly success can "dilute" it, and how other forces come to power
Quote:

"Q: What's the CEOs role in all of this?
A: I don't know. Head janitor?"

I love his response for there are two ways to read it. Read it as "head JANITOR", its cute and flippant. Read it as "HEAD janitor" and it fits.