7 products Steve Jobs got wrong

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/itslideshow/9730727.cms

by prtk • 15 years ago

8 5 15 years ago

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The world wide web was created on a NeXT computer -- if that's a failure, I want to fail! Also the NeXT operating system still lives today inside of OS X...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb#History

ScottBurson• 15 years ago

I think the Lisa has to be considered a prototype rather than a failure.

chrisledet• 15 years ago

When clicking this link, I received a pop up ad, an overlay box ad, and an auto playing video ad which took up the bottom half of the screen covering up most of the content. No thanks.

6ren• 15 years ago

Also, the zero-button 3rd gen shuffle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Shuffle#Third_generation). Though a minor goof, it didn't kill the product line and I don't know Jobs' involvement in it.

Jobs' success is inspiring because of his failure. In adversity we can identify with him and hope that we too may yet triumph.

TomOfTTB• 15 years ago

There's a lot that's wrong with this article (or if not wrong nit-picky at the very least). Off the top of my head...

1. You can't really blame Jobs for the Apple III. His focus had already shifted to the Lisa/Mac side of things. Apple III was a business decision made to compete with the IBM PC and extend the Apple II's reach into the office. But Jobs wasn't directly involved with the project nor was he CEO at the time of its creation.

2. Jobs does deserve some blame for the Lisa but he also realized it had become a debacle. He was forced out of the project before it reached market and started focusing on the Mac. So you can't really blame him for the finished product (accounts I've read have varied as far as what Jobs' problem with Lisa was).

3. NeXT was a business failure during its life but it did lure Apple to purchase the company. So it was a success in the end. There are plenty of startups who are considered successes when they are bought out by Google, Facebook or whoever so I don't see how NeXT wouldn't be considered an eventual success.

4. On the Puck Mouse and the Cube you can't have it both ways. The puck mouse sucked design wise but sold like crazy (as part of the iMac). The Cube didn't sell well but was praised for its superior design. Calling both a failure is just looking for ways to nitpick.

5. The iTunes Phone had very little to do with Apple. It was a deal they made with Motorola to allow a Motorola product to sync with iTunes.

6. Apple TV's first version was rocky. But as someone who "cut the chord" from my Cable company and uses Apple TV exclusively now I can tell you it improved very quickly.

7 products Steve Jobs got wrong

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