4 ms·

Do you have a link to the page? I've never heard that Jobs claimed to have designed the Apple I. It's a strange claim for him to have made.

RogerL 13y ago
Sure, here [1]. First video, at 2:30. He keeps using "we" (I don't feel like transcribing the video). Now, if you parse the wording very, very carefully you could argue that Jobs never exactly says that 'he' designed it, but he keeps using 'we' - the computer was designed for them, 'we'worked on it for 6 months, etc. It's weasel words and phrases, and I have no doubt that every person in that room walked out thinking that Jobs co-designed the Apple I, and that Jobs thought up the idea. Whereas in reality Woz went to a homebrew meeting, came up with the idea, designed it, and then showed Jobs. Jobs came up with the idea of it being a kit, marketed it, and absolutely made Apple what it was. The third video, of Woz, explains that history. And then how about this quote: "This whole vision of a personal computer just popped into my head. [In March 1975], I started to sketch out on paper what would later become known as the Apple I." [2] [1] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jobs-ashton-kutcher-responds-steve-602679 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jobs-ashton-kutcher-re... [2] http://www.applegazette.com/steve-jobs/steve-jobs-quotes-the-ultimate-collection/3/ http://www.applegazette.com/steve-jobs/steve-jobs-quotes-the...
- pbreit 13y ago
  Your argument is ridiculous. One half of a two person team is certainly permitted to say "we". Sheesh. What he clearly meant about the Apple I was envisioning the end-user version of the computer, not how the transistors were laid out. My goodness.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - RogerL 13y ago
    I don't think it is clear at all. Woz's description of their respective role is crystal clear, and Job's description is clear only if you already know Woz's description. But, convince me, don't belittle me. What words did Jobs say in that video to convey that what he did was envision the end-user version of the computer (which I agree is what he did). edit: I am not suggesting something unheard of, after all. Google 'jobs takes credit for others work' and relevant links fill the page. Here's the top one: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-would-annoy-jony-ive-by-taking-credit-for-his-design-work-2011-10 http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-would-annoy-jony-i...
    - OafTobark 13y ago
      It is easy to claim Jobs takes credit for others work but I also think its fair to say that for most people who cofound a company, whether they are technical or not, they will often use the word "we" when describing something they've worked on.
    - taigeair 13y ago
      You just say we when you talk about your team or company to outsiders. It's pretty normal. You don't say our engineer bob spent months on it.
    - pbreit 13y ago
      The engineering portions of output are much easier to quantify. The non-engineering portions are much more difficult to quantify but much, much more important.
    - pbreit 13y ago
      I Googled it, and there were 2 or 3 results...the Ive quote, something from Woz and maybe one more. I'd be curious what the complete context is on the Ive quote. I think a good deal of the mis-placement of responsibility has to do with some people's attachment to novel-ness vs. other's respect for piecing together something marketable.
    - pbreit 13y ago
      I Googled it, and there were 2 or 3 results...the Ive quote, something from Woz and maybe one more. I'd be curious what the complete context is on the Ive quote. I think a good deal of the mis-placement of responsibility has to do with some people's attachment to novel-ness vs. other's respect for piecing together something marketable. I appreciate invention but understand that it is useless without marketing. Not so the other way around.
  - mncolinlee 13y ago
    There's a lot of Steve Jobs hero worship I hear of this sort. What did the poster do to deserve being called ridiculous? He laid out a very compelling case that there was serious ambiguity in Job's statements to the public. Do you think it does any good to elevate Steve Jobs above what he actually did? Who does that ultimately benefit? We have a whole channel full of entrepreneurs here who deserve to know the true story because they may also have co-founders who claim too much credit or they may have resentful co-founders. They all need to know that friction does not mean that their businesses will fail. Founders are human. Like Steve Jobs.

RogerL 13y ago

Sure, here [1]. First video, at 2:30. He keeps using "we" (I don't feel like transcribing the video). Now, if you parse the wording very, very carefully you could argue that Jobs never exactly says that 'he' designed it, but he keeps using 'we' - the computer was designed for them, 'we'worked on it for 6 months, etc. It's weasel words and phrases, and I have no doubt that every person in that room walked out thinking that Jobs co-designed the Apple I, and that Jobs thought up the idea. Whereas in reality Woz went to a homebrew meeting, came up with the idea, designed it, and then showed Jobs. Jobs came up with the idea of it being a kit, marketed it, and absolutely made Apple what it was. The third video, of Woz, explains that history. And then how about this quote: "This whole vision of a personal computer just popped into my head. [In March 1975], I started to sketch out on paper what would later become known as the Apple I." [2] [1] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jobs-ashton-kutcher-responds-steve-602679 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jobs-ashton-kutcher-re... [2] http://www.applegazette.com/steve-jobs/steve-jobs-quotes-the-ultimate-collection/3/ http://www.applegazette.com/steve-jobs/steve-jobs-quotes-the...

pbreit 13y ago
Your argument is ridiculous. One half of a two person team is certainly permitted to say "we". Sheesh. What he clearly meant about the Apple I was envisioning the end-user version of the computer, not how the transistors were laid out. My goodness.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- RogerL 13y ago
  I don't think it is clear at all. Woz's description of their respective role is crystal clear, and Job's description is clear only if you already know Woz's description. But, convince me, don't belittle me. What words did Jobs say in that video to convey that what he did was envision the end-user version of the computer (which I agree is what he did). edit: I am not suggesting something unheard of, after all. Google 'jobs takes credit for others work' and relevant links fill the page. Here's the top one: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-would-annoy-jony-ive-by-taking-credit-for-his-design-work-2011-10 http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-would-annoy-jony-i...
  - OafTobark 13y ago
    It is easy to claim Jobs takes credit for others work but I also think its fair to say that for most people who cofound a company, whether they are technical or not, they will often use the word "we" when describing something they've worked on.
  - taigeair 13y ago
    You just say we when you talk about your team or company to outsiders. It's pretty normal. You don't say our engineer bob spent months on it.
  - pbreit 13y ago
    The engineering portions of output are much easier to quantify. The non-engineering portions are much more difficult to quantify but much, much more important.
  - pbreit 13y ago
    I Googled it, and there were 2 or 3 results...the Ive quote, something from Woz and maybe one more. I'd be curious what the complete context is on the Ive quote. I think a good deal of the mis-placement of responsibility has to do with some people's attachment to novel-ness vs. other's respect for piecing together something marketable.
  - pbreit 13y ago
    I Googled it, and there were 2 or 3 results...the Ive quote, something from Woz and maybe one more. I'd be curious what the complete context is on the Ive quote. I think a good deal of the mis-placement of responsibility has to do with some people's attachment to novel-ness vs. other's respect for piecing together something marketable. I appreciate invention but understand that it is useless without marketing. Not so the other way around.
- mncolinlee 13y ago
  There's a lot of Steve Jobs hero worship I hear of this sort. What did the poster do to deserve being called ridiculous? He laid out a very compelling case that there was serious ambiguity in Job's statements to the public. Do you think it does any good to elevate Steve Jobs above what he actually did? Who does that ultimately benefit? We have a whole channel full of entrepreneurs here who deserve to know the true story because they may also have co-founders who claim too much credit or they may have resentful co-founders. They all need to know that friction does not mean that their businesses will fail. Founders are human. Like Steve Jobs.