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Details of designing the Jobs family yacht
Last month we saw images and a video of the Jobs family yacht Venus, which features a row of 27-inch iMacs on the bridge, floor-to-ceiling glass in many places, and a very unique design. SuperYacht Times recently interviewed famed French designer Philippe Starck, who collaborated with Jobs on the design of Venus. Starck noted that at the beginning of the design process, Jobs gave him "carte blanche" to do whatever he wanted -- the requirements were just the length of the yacht and the number of guests Jobs wished to entertain on board. After that point, Jobs and Starck spent one full day every six weeks between 2007 and Jobs' death in 2011 poring over design changes "millimetre by millimetre. Detail by detail." The result of the collaboration is a design that's very much the embodiment of Jobs, something useful, yet simple. Starck notes that there is not a "useless pillow" or other object without a purpose on the entire yacht. The SuperYacht times interview is a fascinating look into both the mind of designer Starck as well as the design philosophy of the late Jobs. [via CNET]
CNN talks with Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson
If Walter Isaacson's 600-plus page tome covering the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs left you wanting more, CNN recently sat down with the writer as well as John Huey, author of the Sam Walton tell-all, to shed some additional light on two of the most influential businessmen ever. The chat covers everything from Jobs' showmanship regarding product reveals to both men's refusal to play by anyone else's rules. When the topic of whether either man could be considered a "genius" pops up, both biographers put the label firmly on Jobs, with Huey comparing Steve Jobs to Thomas Edison and Sam Walton to Henry Ford. You can read the full article on Fortune's website, or catch it in the December issue of Fortune magazine.
Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs movie to portray backstage at three Apple Events in real-time
Aaron Sorkin is in the middle of working on his version of a Steve Jobs biopic, and at a meeting called the Hero Summit, he revealed that the screenplay's current form might seem a little strange. The Daily Beast reports that instead of traditionally telling the story of Steve Jobs from the beginning of his life or career, Sorkin plans to focus on three different segments, each about 30 minutes of the film in real time, set backstage at different Apple Events. It's an interesting idea, to be sure. Steve was known for his presentations, and much of his and Apple's story was written at those big announcements, where he revealed products such as the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone. Portraying three events at different points in Steve's life would show both his and the company's growth, and also put him on display when he shined the most and backstage, when he was perhaps the most honest with his co-workers. We'll have to see how this works out. Since the screenplay is still being worked on, the script might change as time goes on or, in the wild world of Hollywood, this version of the movie might never make it to shooting. But it's an interesting idea, and it would give us an unique perspective on Steve Jobs and his legacy. [Via TechCrunch]
Editorial: A conciliatory Apple would be real innovation
There are signs of a new attitude emanating from Cupertino, extending across Apple's relationship management of customers and competitors. One of the two most important things you can say in English is "I'm sorry." (The other is "Thank you.") Failure to get the apology right brands a person as arrogant. As with people, so with companies -- to whatever extent they have personal relationships with their customers. In Apple's case, its best customers definitely feel personally involved with the company's ethos, products and leaders. Apple's main personifying force is its CEO. That individual manages both the connection with customers and the competitive relationship with other industry players. Now, following an unusual apology to users, Apple startlingly unplugs one of its Android lawsuits against a competitor, and a profound personality change seems to be in progress. Apple is not apologizing for its historical Android rage. But the brand's official temperament might be changing at the core, with the company possibly becoming a more conciliatory actor in the field.
Daily Update for November 7, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Pixar names building after Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was critical to the early success of Pixar, and the animation company has honored that legacy by naming the studio's main building the Steve Jobs Building. A photo posted to Twitter by Pixar employee Junn Lee shows the building, which was designed by Jobs during his time at the company. Jobs bought Pixar, then known as The Graphics Group, from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division in 1986. He adopted the name Pixar and was the executive producer on the company's first film, Toy Story, which was released in 1995. A series of animated hits including Finding Nemo, Cars, and Ratatouille followed the breakout success of Toy Story. Pixar was acquired by Disney in 2007. The all-stock transaction totaled US$7.4 billion and made Jobs the largest individual shareholder in Disney. [Via Pixar Times; hat tip to Jeff Agapitos]
Daily Update for October 29, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Steve Jobs' yacht unveiled
An 80-meter yacht that Steve Jobs helped design has launched a year after his death, according to Dutch blog One More Thing. The uniquely styled craft, christened "Venus" after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, has floor-to-ceiling glass in many areas and other interior design elements reminiscent of Apple's retail stores. Far more interesting from our perspective are the seven 27-inch iMacs that seem to serve as the ship's main instrument monitors. They definitely appear to be the new super-thin iMacs, but speculation in the TUAW newsroom ran rampant over what software they're running. It's possible they're operating on entirely custom software, but they may also be running an off-the-shelf solution (likely virtualized in some fashion). Though we called it Jobs' yacht in the headline for the sake of brevity, it's obviously his family's yacht now. In gratitude, the family issued shipbuilders with iPod shuffles and notes thanking them for their "hard work and craftsmanship." A video of the yacht is embedded below. [via The Verge]
Documentary on Steve Jobs building NeXT
The Loop has posted a link to a documentary that shows Steve Jobs running a meeting while he was at NeXT, the company he formed in 1985 after leaving Apple. The company's mission was to produce high-end workstations for colleges and the business market. It's always interesting seeing Jobs interact with people, and the video shows him listening and trying to move his colleagues along to his way of thinking. The documentary was shot over several months, so we see the earliest days of Jobs at NeXT and then see Jobs dealing with issues such as getting software shipped on time and dwindling funds. You'll also get a look at Paul Rand, one of the great logo designers who did the logos for NeXT, IBM, UPS, ABC and many others. Apple bought NeXT in 1996 and in 1997 brought Jobs back to the company he started. The rest, as they say, is history.
Play with a classic iPod in your browser
Here's a nice tribute to the late Steve Jobs: A working iPod interface using HTML. While the iPod was the consumer electronic device that helped Apple go beyond the Mac, it's important to remember the iPod gave rise to the iPhone before the iPad. The story goes that Steve Jobs realized smartphones would eventually be able to conveniently play music on them, and that a competitor would eat the iPod's lunch. So he decided to launch the iPhone, which was an internet communications device, a phone and an iPod. The rest is business history, as the iPhone has become a huge revenue stream for the company.
Daily Update for October 5, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Dude recreates first-gen iPod in-browser, won't put 1,000 songs in your pocket
Here's a bit of web fun to liven up your weekend: a digital artist by the name of Pritesh Desai has recreated a fully functional first-generation iPod that you can play directly in your browser. In remembrance of Steve Jobs, Desai built the faux iPod using HTML5, CSS3, and a touch of jQuery. You can drag the click wheel around just like with the real deal, change the volume, hit play / pause and even skip tracks. Especially nice is the addition of Extras like the Clock and the Calendar. Unfortunately, you won't be able to play any of your own tunes, but Desai had compiled a list of Creative Commons songs, so you can see how the player works. The next step is for someone to fill this up with hits of the early aughts ("Last Nite" by The Strokes, perhaps?) so you can truly travel back in time to the heydays of Windows XP and the Enron scandal.
San Francisco Chronicle publishes Steve Jobs retrospective
The San Francisco Chronicle used the anniversary of Steve Jobs' death to compile a 57-photo retrospective that looks back at the life of the Apple founder. The photos start with a picture of Jobs holding an Apple II in 1977 and end with a tribute to the Apple CEO displayed on an iPad. Head over to the San Francisco Chronicle's website and take a few minutes to check out the photos. It's a wonderful way to remember the Apple visionary on this somber anniversary.
Apple's Tim Cook remembers Steve Jobs' life on the anniversary of his death
On the first anniversary of his passing, Apple has converted the front page usually monopolized by the latest shiny gadgets to a tribute to its late co-founder and CEO. "Remembering Steve" cycles through some iconic images and moments in the tech pioneer's life, including the memorable launches of the iMac and iPhone. It's a touching tribute, coupled with a hopeful note from his successor, Tim Cook, who asks the rest of us to reflect on Jobs' life, while adding that he considers the company's current output a tribute to his "memory and everything he stood for."
Apple acknowledges anniversary of Jobs's death with video tribute
Apple replaced both its main page and storefront with a moving tribute to Steve Jobs that remembers his passing one year ago today. The short video clip highlights Jobs' achievements and includes pictures and quotes from the Apple founder. The tribute ends with a brief letter from Tim Cook, who asks us all to "reflect on his [Jobs'] extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place."
Time capsule containing Steve Jobs' mouse lost for 29 years
The other day, blogger Marcel Brown wrote about a cassette tape that had been found and given to him. That tape contained a recording of Steve Jobs speaking at the International Design Conference in Aspen (IDCA) in 1983, and has been widely reported as proof that Jobs was envisioning iPad and iPhone-like devices even back in those days. One other fun tidbit from Brown's post was the hint that Jobs had contributed something to a time capsule (no, not the Apple backup device) that was buried during the conference. Today, Brown posted a followup about the time capsule. Apparently, while Jobs was giving his talk at the IDCA, he was using an Apple Lisa that was connected to and controlling six slide projectors. Jobs was asked by one of the conference participants to donate an item to be buried in a time capsule for either 20 years or until the year 2000, so he thought about it for a second, then unplugged the Lisa's mouse and handed it to the man. Well, unfortunately nobody is quite sure where exactly the time capsule was buried. In order to dig up this piece of Jobs history, Brown is organizing an effort to recover it. If you or anyone you know attended the IDCA in 1983 and might have an inkling of where the time capsule is hiding, please contact Brown. With any luck, the mouse and other artifacts might be unearthed on the 30th anniversary of the conference.
Original Mac factory fails to become a historic site
The city of Freemont, Calif., has been trying to get the factory that assembled the first Macs recognized as a national historic site. Unfortunately, the effort has failed. The reason? It's too young. According to Mercury News, the city council noted that, at just 30 years old, the factory is too young to meet state and federal criteria for a historic designation. A site must be 50 years old or older to receive such an honor. There was a financial barrier, too. The News reports that the review process could have cost around US$45,000. In the article, Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison recounted a story about a phone call he once received from an irate Jobs when there was an issue with the building inspection process. Let's say Jobs used "colorful" language to make his point. Bad luck for the factory. Perhaps if its kept in good repair for another 20 years, it will receive the recognition it deserves. [Via MacObserver]
Daily Update for October 2, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Steve Jobs' former friends, colleagues share memories
As we approach the first anniversary of Steve Jobs' passing, former friends and colleagues are sharing memories of time spent with Apple's former CEO. Several of those stories will appear in the October 22nd, 2012 issue of Forbes magazine. One amusing tale comes from Randy Adams, who worked with Jobs at NeXT. The pair had bought Porsche 911s and always parked them side-by-side. One day Adams received a phone call from Jobs, telling him they had to move their cars. When he asked why, Steve answered: "Ross Perot is coming by and thinking of investing in the company, and we don't want him to think we have a lot of money." They moved the cars to behind the building and Perot later invested US$20 million. There are a few more fun stories in the article. Check it out and look for the forthcoming issue of Forbes for more.
How Corning developed the iPhone glass
WIRED has published a compelling look at how Corning created Gorilla Glass, which is used in iPhones. Steve Jobs went to Corning in 2005 and convinced CEO Wendell Weeks that is company could invent a new type of glass within six months. That meeting was related in Walter Isaacson's bio of Jobs, but the story of how Corning did it has not been told. WIRED begins with the company's accidental invention of the material that would become Corningware and goes on from there. For example, one of the first conversations Corning had with Jobs was about a projection technology it was working on. Jobs called it "dumb." Corning got to work and saw promise in a cooling technique called fusion draw. Unfortunately, it had only one plant capable of the process. I won't spoil anything by saying it eventually worked out. That's the end of the story, which I encourage you to read in full. Each new iteration of Gorilla Glass presents its own challenges. It's a fascinating story about a component of our iPhones we look at every day.
