From interviews and first-hand accounts I've seen, Steve was able to digest very technical ideas and concepts and extract "cliff notes" and first principles fro

From interviews and first-hand accounts I've seen, Steve was able to digest very technical ideas and concepts and extract "cliff notes" and first principles from them. Take the example/myth of him visiting Xerox and seeing a GUI interface and mouse for the first time. Additionally, Apple is and has been a consumer company, so understanding the nitty gritty technical details is not the core concern. Instead, building a premium brand, with a cult like following, and being able to identify market opportunities was his genius.