When I think of innovators, I immediately think of the technology industry. My mind automatically goes to the world of technology when I hear the word innovator. The invention of computers, cell phones, televisions etc. In order to begin, we must first define what an innovator is. Someone who invents or improves on an idea. It is not hard to find innovators. Your neighbor may be building a storage shelf for his garage. Or perhaps Elon Musk or Bill Gates. Steve Jobs’ story is fascinating and demonstrates a lot of resilience. Steve Jobs, the innovative genius behind Apple’s multinational technology firm, is a legend. We would live in a very different world if the technology we use today didn’t exist. Steve Jobs is a genius inventor who has made this possible.
Steve Jobs’ adoptive parents moved to what is now known as Silicon Valley in 1955. Jobs’ adoptive family moved to Silicon Valley in the 1950s, when semiconductor companies were a common sight. Jobs was able to play and experiment with electronic gadgets and electronics. The passion for Jobs was born. Jobs’ parents could not afford to send him to Reed College in Portland Oregon. Jobs had trouble adjusting to college because he was unable to find his direction. He dropped out six months later.
Jobs’ moved to a hippie communite after dropping out. Jobs’ was hired by Atari to make video games after a couple of years. He left his video game job soon after. Steve Wozniak worked with Jobs, and is crucial to Apple Inc’s success. Wozniak has a similar background as Jobs. Wozniak studied and explored computers, softwares, radios and more. He was passionate about electronics. Both men were driven by the same passions, and they became fast buddies. Wozniak wanted to create his personal computer in 1975. He had to make his own board.
Wozniak had the intellectual ability and study to realize his dream of building his own circuit board. Jobs noticed Wozniak’s brilliance and extraordinary talents. He realized that they were able to profit from this hobby. Jobs realized Wozniak was able to sell his invention to people who wanted to develop software but didn’t want to assemble computers. Apple Computer began on April 1, 1976. Wozniak was persuaded by Jobs. Jobs’s and Wozniak’s time was spent in Jobs’ garage creating boards for the “Apple I”. Wozniak created the “Apple II” computer before they even started their company. Soon, the two men realized that they had hit upon something unique and lucrative. Jobs began looking for funding and financial supporters not long after. The men were given a $250,000 grant in January 1977. This allowed them to create.
Apple sold its Apple I for $666.66 but made $774,000. Apple II, created nearly three year later, was worth $139 millions, a 700% improvement. Jobs went on to create the Lisa computer in later years of his career. After years of work, the Lisa product failed to take off. Jobs became so absorbed with his other projects, and his own successes, that he actually left the company in 1985 as only chairman. He was so frustrated and angry that he decided to sell all of his Apple shares except one and continue working on new projects. Jobs left Apple and founded NeXT while he was away. Ironically, Apple purchased NeXT in 1996 for $439,000,000 dollars. Job’s passion for creating and innovating was not affected by adversity. Jobs, when one door shut for him, always found another way to do it and never got discouraged. Jobs was born in the now infamous Silicon Valley. In a town with many semiconductor companies, Jobs had the opportunity to learn about technology and gadgets. The toys he played with as a child led to a career worth trillions of dollars. Jobs was just 21 years old when Apple launched, which made it difficult for him to interact with people who were much older.
Jobs also lacked the experience of Wozniak with computers and technology. Wozniak studied at The University of California Berkeley while Jobs only attended for six months. Jobs’ struggled in some ways because of his lack if experience but compensated by his entrepreneurial skills. Steve Jobs’s success at Apple is something I want to learn more about for many reasons. I now realize how significant and influential Jobs’ innovation was. I use my MacBook Pro to type, I hold my Iphone XR close, and I wear my Apple Watch. I believe that our society would have been a very different place had Jobs not pursued his dream in his parent’s garage. Apple Inc. was the catalyst for innovation and technology advances. Grudin’s “ethos of Inspiration” explains what one must do to be inspired. Grudin asserts that inspiration cannot be earned, but must instead be earned. This is something I think Jobs would agree with. Jobs was never a person who sat back and waited for something to happen. Jobs created new products and improved existing ones to keep innovating. After Jobs achieved success he did more than coast along. He expanded the companies, products and ideas he had created.
Lubert stated that creativity is being able to create work that is original, useful and meets a daily need. Apple I was created by Jobs to meet a consumer need. It was a product that allowed tech users to develop their own software without having to build their own computer. Jobs continues to identify problems in each of his products, be it creating a music player, a tablet computer that connects to the web and can run different applications, or even a product to play and store music. Jobs adheres to Lubert’s advice to the letter. Jobs’ vision grew beyond what he had imagined, even though he began his professional career by building computers. Apple’s products include computers, Ipads Ipods, Iphones, cell-phone cases, headphones and more. The company’s current value is over one trillion dollars. Apple was started by two guys in a small garage. One of them had little experience, limited education and few resources. I am adamant that the world would have been a very different place if Jobs hadn’t ever innovated. Jobs’ started the technology craze as well as the need to constantly innovate in this field. Apple has been competing with companies such as Samsung, LG, Matorola and others since then.
Jobs and Wozniak’s names will be forever etched in the history books as innovators who shaped our modern technology. Two men built a company worth a trillion dollars from scratch. They had some help, but their creativity, resilience and dedication made everything possible. Jobs died in October 2011 from pancreatic carcinoma, but his legacy lives on. Wozniak, who hasn’t been an Apple employee since 1985 but still attends many events to represent Apple, is often seen at these events. Wozniak is currently involved with and owns a number of technology and innovation businesses. Although he is not as well-known as Jobs, Wozniak was also vital to Apple’s success.
Sources Cited
Levy, Steven. “Steve Jobs.” Encyclop?dia Britannica, Encyclop?dia Britannica, Inc., 13 Aug. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Steve-Jobs.
Handbook of Creativity, Todd Lubart. Robert J. Sternberg (ed.), Cambridge University Press, 2014.
“Short Bio: All about Steve Jobs.com.” Short Bio | All about Steve Jobs.com, allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short_bio.
“Steve Jobs.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 21 Aug. 2019, www.biography.com/business-figure/steve-jobs.
