uTouched!!

The word “I” is one of the most powerful words but at the same time self destructing. We are often told not to over-use the word as it can exude “ego”. But when “I” is the prefix of any product, one is assured of the magic it packs. The story of man behind all these products is a perfect recipe for any thriller movie- A college dropout, humble start from his garage, an innovator in personal computing, a millionaire in his twenties, ousted from his own company when he was thirty (!!), made a comeback and helped the company back to its former glory and much beyond but died fighting pancreatic cancer……

The year 1955 must be mystical. The year when we lost ALBERT EINSTEIN but in the same year BILL GATES and STEVE JOBS were born.

Jobs started his journey just as most of early computer entrepreneurs/scientists- a college drop out and first lab as a garage. Teaming with his friend Steve Wozniak, he went on to create the biggest brand on planet.

Much was said about Jobs’ management style. He was once voted “one of the toughest bosses of America” (while in NeXT). But perhaps this was because he was a perfectionist. He always strived to cross boundaries of the industry norm. This was the root of his feud with Bill Gates. Jobs and Gates have always been critical of each other. Jobs disliked Microsoft as he thought they were stagnated and this was in the year 1994!!

Once ousted from his company, upon his return Jobs went on to create one of the most iconic brands of modern world. The success of i-products is unparalleled and may be to a great extent unrivaled also. Jobs at the time of death was credited for not less than 342 patents. The biggest success of Jobs however was in the endless pursuit of technological advancements. With each new product and its new versions, Apple and Jobs discovered new frontiers and every time their peers were catching up and running out of steam.

When iPad was launched I quipped to my friend that I fail to see its worth. But Jobs’ thinking was- consumers may necessarily not know what they want. It’s exactly this thinking which led him to defy the odds and every time come up with inspirational innovations. The revolutionary iPhone completely changed the mobile phones. The existing players were now completely out of sorts and the touch-technology became synonymous with iPhone.

Jobs should be credited for making complex technology appear user friendly. This was evident as even from his earlier Apple series of PCs, which were first to make use of GUI (Graphics User Interface). However, his return to ailing Apple in 1996 was beginning of a history. That was the time only Jobs could have made Apple the market leader once again but even for autocratic Jobs this was the only opportunity to leave an indelible mark in the history. In the process, his NeXT was taken over by Apple and now renowned MAC OS has all that NeXT Technology if one goes through the complex labyrinth of sophisticated technology. The generation of i-products set new parameters in personal computing industry. Apple or Jobs did not really invent music players, mobile phones, tablet PCs or even the touch technology. But they stretched the limits of technology far beyond imaginations of even the nearest rivals.

For a computer geek, ability of strong persuasiveness and shrewd marketing are rare qualities. As much as people looked forward for a launch of any product, they also wanted to listen to the keynote address of Jobs along with it. So much was the aura of the man that at the launch of iPhone 4S, one of the major attractions of launch was not the phone but an appearance of Jobs. Sadly little did we know that he was battling valiantly his lone war against pancreatic cancer (The rumored disease of Sonia Gandhi) that time. It seemed at one point of time that Jobs had successfully evaded the cancer. But this form of cancer is one of the most fatal ones. The success story of Jobs is even more touching as not only he battled a tough corporate war on day to day basis but at the same time he was fighting with cancer for seven long years.

To me personally, the crowning jewel of Jobs’ life is PIXAR. When he was ousted from Apple by his own recruits, Jobs started NeXT in 1985. In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group which was later renamed PIXAR. PIXAR completely changed animation movie making. If Walt Disney brought life in characters, PIXAR with Jobs at the helm brought those cartoon characters into our lives. Its first movie- The Toy Story – is most innovative way animation could ever be used. The characters in PIXAR movies are woven around heart touching stories. The movie list of - The Toy Story, Bugs Life, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Cars has truly bridged the gap between cartoons and humans. PIXAR was subsequently bought by Disney. Steve Jobs ended up being the biggest individual shareholder of Disney.

Always shrouded in secrecy, not much is known about his personal life. He is not much photographed with his family in public. He virtually spent his entire life within 20 mile’s area. His much awaited autobiography will definitely bring much clarity on his life and ideas. Apple has never marketed its products aggressively in India. And yet Jobs has profound connections with India. Once as a youngster, he has been to India to seek enlightenment at the ashram of Neem Karoli Baba and went back a Buddhist!! He also survived on the meals of Hare Krishna Temple for over one and half year.

A visionary scientist, a persuasive manager, a charismatic marketing genius and a cancer fighter – STEVE JOBS has left an indelible mark on the lives of most of us. If one has to compete with Isaac Newton for the title of “Mr. Apple” then that sums all really!!

RIP Steve. uTouched!!

11/10/11