‘Steve Jobs – One Last Thing’ premieres today on PBS

Few men have changed our everyday world of work, leisure and human communication in the way that Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO, has done. The scope of his impact was evident in the outpouring of tributes from around the world — voiced on Twitter as well as through makeshift memorials in front of Apple stores — following his death, from complications of pancreatic cancer, on October 5, 2011.

Steve Jobs – One Last Thing not only examines how his talent, style and imagination have shaped all of our lives, but the influences that shaped and molded the man himself. The documentary takes an unflinching look at Jobs’ difficult, controlling reputation and through interviews with the people who worked closely with him or chronicled his life, provides unique insight into what made him tick. Among those interviewed for the film are Ronald Wayne, co-founder of Apple Computer, Co. with Jobs and Steve Wozniak; Bill Fernandez, who is credited with introducing Jobs to Wozniak and was also Apple Computer’s first employee; Robert Palladino, calligraphy professor at Reed College whose classes Jobs acknowledged with inspiring his typography design for the Apple Mac; Walt Mossberg, who covered Jobs as the principal technical journalist for The Wall Street Journal; Dean Hovey, who designed the mouse for Apple; Robert Cringley, who interviewed Jobs for his documentary Triumph of the Nerds; and Dr. Alvy Smith, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, which Jobs acquired in 1986.

In addition to those who knew and worked with him, Steve Jobs – One Last Thing features a never before broadcast, exclusive interview with Jobs. Speaking a year after he was first diagnosed with cancer, Jobs expounds on his philosophy of life and offers advice on changing our own life to achieve our ambitions, desires and dreams: “Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is, everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you … the minute that you understand that you can poke life … that you can change it, you can mould it … that’s maybe the most important thing.”

Steve Jobs – One Last Thing takes its name from a catchphrase Jobs used to tease and titillate audiences at the many successful publicity launches he helmed for the ever evolving Apple product line. Appearing to reach the end of a presentation, he would then announce to the expectant crowd: “Oh … one last thing,” before unveiling the company’s latest design achievement.

Steve Jobs – One Last Thing premieres Wednesday, November 2, 2011. Check Local Listings to see when it’s airing on your local PBS station.

Source: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

17 Comments

    1. I just watched this. Better than the Myth Busters show (which was too rushed to broadcast). But not great.

      I don’t think there was anything new I hadn’t learned in the past month if not in the past 35 years.

  1. I watched it. My ‘analysis’:

    Entirely awful, worse than my cringing early expectations. Walt Mossberg in particular destroyed the program. His gross misinformation about ‘Apple was 90 days from bankruptcy’ was the climax of the program’s ineptitude. This is media reinforcing media created lies once again, just as it did on 60 Minutes last week. History be damned. That this monstrosity was created and broadcast by Public Broadcasting makes me particularly upset. That this worthless garbage program will be repeatedly broadcast for years to come as ‘factual’, useful and meaningful is disgusting.

    Apparently facts and truth are entirely ignorable in our decrepit contemporary culture for the sake of dramatic effect and audience appeal. Consider me gagging. So much for honoring the life of the remarkable Steve Jobs.

    :-Q*******

    1. You should pass that on to PBS. I’ve been looking all over trying to find the video online. Now I think I will cut my losses and be thankful I didn’t find it. Thank you for saving an hour of my life that I would probably want back.

      1. I was bored today and decided to watch the show (from my iPad streamed to my Apple TV via AirPlay). I’m glad I did. I thought it was very well done and found myself tearing up occasionally. Strangely, I was embarrassed (although I was completely alone) to think that I was tearing up over someone that I had never met. But then I realized that I have an emotional attachment to the products that he championed. And not just the “products”, but the philosophy that makes those products great – not settling for “good enough”.

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