Every once in a while, many of us who are arm-chair CEOs like to second guess Steve Jobs. This is most especially true after Apple has seemingly stumbled on this or that. Itis at those times when reading the interview to which we are directing your attention is most particularly welcome. We would also like to thank Macworld UK for directing our own attention to it. The Age, an Australian publication, has published an interview with Steve Jobs shows a glimpse of just why he is considered to be so brilliant. The interview appears to have taken place during Februaryis MACWORLD Tokyo Expo as it refers to Mr. Jobsi appearance in a Suit at that event and is set in a Tokyo hotel room. Much of the article includes some historical and personal information, but the part that really grabbed us came at the end. From The Age:
"We see our job as making the best personal computers in the world. Now the personal computer is evolving ... it is becoming central to the emerging digital lifestyle. Mostly we are just trying to make wonderful products for people, and we try very hard to do just that. Take iMovie, it still takes my breath away."
Again he jumps out of the chair. "Come. Look at these photographs. There are hundreds of them on this DVD. We can do this. Itis beautiful."
The passion and the pride vibrate in the room.
"Look at our new operating system (Mac OS X, released in Australia last week). See how you can shrink down your collection of fonts but still access everything you need? Itis simple to use, but it took someone months to do it like that.
"There are hundreds and hundreds of things like that in this new system," he says. "Some of them you will not discover for six months, but when you do you will sit back and say to yourself: `Oh my God, they thought of that, too.i
"So you come to realise [sic] that the people who make these products are craftspeople who love what they do beyond any other product you have ever seen. And because so much love was put into this you end up loving the product, too."
From anyone else you might think it was just a spiel. From Jobs it comes as a creed he summed up four years ago with a phrase that became the company motto: "Think Different." And he does.
This is a very well written piece, and we highly recommend you take a moment to read it.