“Computers have fascinated me for as long as I can remember,” Tony Fadell writes for The New York Times. “In grade school, I took a summer programming class, using a mainframe computer with punch cards. My grandfather helped me buy an Apple II; he didn’t know anything about computers but recognized that, for me, it was an important tool — just like his hammers and drills. In high school, a friend and I started a small company, Quality Computers. We worked from his parents’ basement, reselling Apple II hardware and writing software.”
“Music has always been one of my passions,” Fadell writes. “[In 2001], Apple Computer hired me as a consultant in designing what would become the iPod digital music player. Computers plus music plus Apple — it was another dream gig. Eight weeks later, I approached Steve Jobs with the initial iPod concept and was put in charge of building and leading the development team. One iPod led to another, eventually becoming 18 generations of iPods — and then three generations of the iPhone. My wife also worked at Apple. Eventually I wanted to spend more time with our two children, and I also wanted a break. So in 2008, I stepped away as senior vice president of Apple’s iPod division and became a strategic adviser to Mr. Jobs. He was an incredible influence on how I think about bringing products to market.”
“After leaving Apple, we decided to build a ‘green’ home in Lake Tahoe, Calif,” Fadell writes. “While researching heating and cooling systems, I realized that the thermostat was ripe for innovation. I founded Nest Labs to build the self-programming Nest Learning Thermostat.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If you’re in the market for a thermostat (or even if you’re not), there’s only one thing you need to know: You want the Nest Learning Thermostat.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David G.” for the heads up.]