“Steve Jobs is on a roll, again. With iTunes music Web site, the hot new iPod mini-digital device from Apple and Pixar’s wildly successful animation movie ‘Finding Nemo,’ you’d almost think that Jobs is becoming something of a media darling,” Hilary Kramer writes for The New York Post. “His companies’ new products are winning him press. And Pixar’s tough negotiating stance with distribution partner Disney, coupled with nephew Roy’s shareholder battle with Disney’s Board, has even prompted rumors that Jobs might even become the next head of the Mouse House.”
Kramer writes, “But before anyone anoints Jobs top cheese, let’s consider what kind of management guy he really is. There’s no question that he’s proven himself to be something of an iconoclastic visionary. Nevertheless, it’s that very vision that often clashes with his ability to be corporate management material. Said Harry J. DeMott III, a partner at Gothic Capital Management and media industry specialist, ‘Steve Jobs’ miscues were a function of his believing he was right and not willing to change when the consumer demanded something else. He has a knack for figuring out what people want, but sometimes he was 10 years ahead of himself.'”
“Many agree Jobs is innovative. It’s why he’s successful. Yet some of his initiatives never amounted to much,” Kramer writes. “Sure, everyone remembers the first Apple and the Macintosh, but does anyone remember what a flop Apple Lisa was? Or how about his other startup, NeXT Computers, and its commercially challenged “mainframes on a desk” for $4,000 a pop?”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Actually, an up-to-date version of the OS found in those NeXT computers is in use by over 10 million users today – it’s called Mac OS X. More info on Apple’s purchase of NeXT here.
Trip down memory lane reading that article on the purchase of NeXT, remember the macworld a week later when we all got copies of Independence Day and then the huge keynote in August where Jobs and Gates got together… then it when it all came back for mac.
“but does anyone remember what a flop Apple Lisa was? Or how about his other startup, NeXT Computers, and its commercially challenged “mainframes on a desk” for $4,000 a pop?”
Think big, then whiddle it down from there. All good innovators create a “flop”. That’s where all the good stuff is borne from. Without it, you have stuff like Windows, unispired, copy-cat junk.
Do we remember NEXT?
Yes, absolutely. These days its called OS X. Many of the next specific admin applications are now being replaced with their Unix equivilants. Applications such as TextEdit, Mail.app started life as NEXT applications. The Next OS was way ahead of its time. Orignially everything was displayed in postscript and has now been moved to royalty free display PDF.
Wish I knew more, but a Next box was out of my price range and I had little need for its Unix underpinnings at the time.
-b
iTunes is not a website, it is an application.
If Steve had remained in the fold and been developing NeXTStep with Apple, the world would be a different place. Microsoft would just be an applications developer and websites like this wouldn’t be necessary. Imagine OS X in 1988 before Windows 3.0. It didn’t succeed for NeXT because they had no foothold in the market, but Apple did. It’s scary to think…
iTunes Music Store a/k/a iTMS is the website. (It used to be called Apple Music Store… remember, before the Beatles!)
Wow… think of all the flops before the first commercial lightbulb. Sheesh.
Disney culture and Jobs is a clash and probably wouldn’t work out. Think about Disney’s limited time release of classic disney cartoons. Think about Apple instituting a yearly charge to use iLife. After all you are using it to share all that Disney/Pixar content.
These people are all about protecting their copyright and intellectual property. Any distribution by them will be heavily dependent on them defining when, where and how you use your rented media, whether it be movies, music, art or even common web pages.
Disney could not remake their business model to be much more open as to users rights. IF Apple bought Disney, then that could happen but it’s not likely to happen. If you ask me any purchase of Disney is the death of Disney as we know it. If they were smart they would spin off their movie and distribution business and Partner with Apple. iTunes/Disney video and music store. I could go on and on.
Disney is big and bloated. Amusement parks are now a dime a dozen so there is no cachet there anymore. Movies are now produced on a Macs by thousands of studios and individuals. Animation in now done is cyberspace.
Disney distribution is what was the appeal of their relationship. Pixar is now big and successful enough to depend on it’s good name to assure distribution so they don’t need Disney. At this time they don’t need anybody, only lawyers to negotiate with Wal-Mart.
Sorry Jadisne, but iTunes Music Store is a web site.
As for this article, why would I want to be head of such a leader in mediocrity like Disney? It’s been hard enough to shake off the fact that people don’t get it.
And some people STILL don’t realize how my one-button mouse is the be-all and end-all of interfaces!
LISA was merged with Annie (Macintosh) when jobs took over. Sure it appeared as a separate (expensive) machine too, but lots of its tech made its way into the Mac too. Lets not forget too that SJ did FOUND Apple in the first place. Anyway, this is all irrelevant now. Didnt he just win CEO of the year?
If iTMS is a website, then what is the URL where I can purchase?
It’s just like the crazy, right-wing, good-enough-for-toilet paper Post to bring the Yankees into the equation. The Post values one thing: power. (US, Microsoft). When Zimmer criticized Steinbrenner, they put his head on a mouse and gave him the front page. What a whacked out world the Post exists in!
Citizen X – if you had intellectual property wouldn’t you want to protect it. If you invent something and then everyone just steals it, then you have nothing. Without getting into the whole copyright/fileshare thing, companies like Apple would not exist. The same is true of Microsoft. The question is where the correct balance should be.
That should read, “Without getting into the whole copyright/fileshare thing, companies like Apple would not exist without some regulation of intellectual property rights.” Sorry.
Don’t you just love ignorance parading as “good press” ??
Failure teaches, victory does not! OS X is a platform rich in potential! And Steve Jobs is astute. Merging PIXAR with a Disney (sans Eisner) would offer him a complete vertical market solution! Of course Sony could provide that too!
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http://homepage.mac.com/johnhood
Stuburn Steve .. is that why we still have a single Apple mouse ?
Hey JadisOne, here’s the URL you requested… this one’s for Nickelback… go rok out with you cok out…
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=5414214&selectedItemId=5414212
Control click on a song… and click “Copy iTunes Music Store URL” throw it in a browser, like Safari and Bam!… it takes you to the iTunes Music Store, inside iTunes of course… I get what your saying though… it’s not really through a real web browser, but through iTunes… But I guess Safari is an application and a browser, so iTunes can be an application and a browser too. Everybody wins the argument! Yay!!! Peace at last!
(and no, I’m not a Nickelback fan, it was just an random song I clicked on.)
Even a zealot like me can say that NeXT was a flop.
It’s remain were recycled – big deal. Hardly a success any way that you measure it.