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Steve Jobs Rejected The First Medical App In 1977

11 points by jerryhuang100 13y ago

CmonDev 13y ago
"...people who really knew something more about programming than I did..." - should've contacted Woz.
Aqueous 13y ago
I mean it's a fairly good, strategic explanation - nothing was stopping this guy from building the software himself. He just wanted Apple to help market and distribute it - but medical software is not Apple's business. I'm sure there would have been another software company perfectly willing to take up the cause. What is annoying though? Jobs let him fly all the way up to Cupertino only to promptly turn him down. Certainly a "no" on the phone would have worked just as well.
- mariusz79 13y ago
  He was in a position to help him, without spending too much time on it.. "Here is a list of people that could help you. I will let them know you need help".
- pistle 13y ago
  The guy doesn't describe how, on the phone, he did his 30 second pitch to get the meeting... But then, in person his longer pitch was, I license this for $$$ and you guys build and market the commercial version. It's an early, and even better version of, "I have an idea for the next Facegrouponwhatsappfloppybird, you should do it for equity!!" If the guy had said, "I'm going to get it bank-rolled and shrink-wrapped and want to work an exclusive bundling deal with you to market to doctors..." then Jobs would have said, "Let's take our sandals off and touch toes."
- ctdonath 13y ago
  Not quite. Jobs gave him a chance to present. Maybe not very long, but the article does indicate the opportunity was given. Diamond took the opportunity, and it didn't work out. That Jobs gave him the time at all (however short) was a significant step.
jasallen 13y ago
"There was nowhere else to go"... so, meh, throw in the towel? I do hope I'm just reading that part wrong.
ynniv 13y ago
The less tantalizing title is "Steve Jobs was uninterested in building the pet application of a non-technical, non-businessman while he was leading the fastest growing company in the world." At the time, Apple's revenue was doubling every FOUR MONTHS.
danielharan 13y ago
"Bayes’ theorem– a sophisticated and complex tool for analyzing probability" Uh... really?

11 points by jerryhuang100 13y ago

"...people who really knew something more about programming than I did..." - should've contacted Woz.

I mean it's a fairly good, strategic explanation - nothing was stopping this guy from building the software himself. He just wanted Apple to help market and distribute it - but medical software is not Apple's business. I'm sure there would have been another software company perfectly willing to take up the cause. What is annoying though? Jobs let him fly all the way up to Cupertino only to promptly turn him down. Certainly a "no" on the phone would have worked just as well.

mariusz79 13y ago
He was in a position to help him, without spending too much time on it.. "Here is a list of people that could help you. I will let them know you need help".
pistle 13y ago
The guy doesn't describe how, on the phone, he did his 30 second pitch to get the meeting... But then, in person his longer pitch was, I license this for $$$ and you guys build and market the commercial version. It's an early, and even better version of, "I have an idea for the next Facegrouponwhatsappfloppybird, you should do it for equity!!" If the guy had said, "I'm going to get it bank-rolled and shrink-wrapped and want to work an exclusive bundling deal with you to market to doctors..." then Jobs would have said, "Let's take our sandals off and touch toes."
ctdonath 13y ago
Not quite. Jobs gave him a chance to present. Maybe not very long, but the article does indicate the opportunity was given. Diamond took the opportunity, and it didn't work out. That Jobs gave him the time at all (however short) was a significant step.

jasallen 13y ago

"There was nowhere else to go"... so, meh, throw in the towel? I do hope I'm just reading that part wrong.

ynniv 13y ago

The less tantalizing title is "Steve Jobs was uninterested in building the pet application of a non-technical, non-businessman while he was leading the fastest growing company in the world." At the time, Apple's revenue was doubling every FOUR MONTHS.

danielharan 13y ago

"Bayes’ theorem– a sophisticated and complex tool for analyzing probability" Uh... really?