You are on page 1of 5

Iannacone 1

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Steve Jobs the Apple Innovator

and Planned Obsolescence

John Iannacone

University Writing 1102

Ms. Santiago

7 February 2017
Iannacone 2

The question posed for this project is How did Steve jobs make apple innovative

and how has planned obsolescence affected the company? Many have pondered the

idea to understand what truly makes people gravitate towards their products even when

much of the technology used is not new at all. Throughout this proposal an overview of

this idea will be given as well as insight on why when Steve Jobs passed away, a part of

the company did too as well as how that has affected Apple today.

This topic has been of great interest for quite some time now as Steve Jobs was

a self-made man who created one of the most profitable companies as of 2015

(McIntyre and Frohlich). By the year 2015 there have already been three movies made

that were based around his life from the very beginning of Apple until a little before his

death in 2011 (The iPad Guide). One of the biggest issues posed with this topic is the

fact that many people have already fully examined various aspects of Apple as well as

Steve Jobs life, leaving very little to expand upon for debate. There are still some topics

that can be argued, one of which being based around the idea of taking a product of

which is already available, optimizing it and finally selling it as if it is revolutionary. Many

credit Apple with this ability as was seen when the first iPod and iPhone were released.

There were various other products available that were similar, but these two blew away

the competition as they were innovative products. Today the battle between Windows

and Mac OS is more relevant than ever as the software teams are both trying to make

the best operating system. A great comparison between Mac OS and windows 10 can

be found on LaptopMag on which the various optimized features are easily seen in the

Mac environment (Casey). Although many like the Mac environment, it is still only one

aspect in regards to the overall topic regarding innovation and obsolescence though as
Iannacone 3

changes over the last several years have shown that the company is struggling to

continue innovating for the future.

Many people in the technology industry gravitate towards topics based around

computing and innovative needs as demands of technology increase so does the need

for companies to utilize those advances. Steve Jobs was a man who even after his

prolonged absence from the company (Biography.com) came back and began to

innovate and optimize technology to make it the best for the end user The cure for

Apple is not cost-cutting; the cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current

predicament. (Gallo) This quote by Steve Jobs represented much of his devotion to

making the best product available no matter the cost involved. Today much of that

innovation has left which can be seen by the same product being slightly updated each

year to be just good enough for the demands of the time. Many people show interest as

well as a deep respect for Steve Jobs because even though Apple products are more

expensive, they stood the test of time and are user friendly. If you look at a windows

laptop from 2008 versus a Macbook pro from 2008, the design, build quality, and

usability is in some cases still unmatched for the Macbook (EveryMac). Steve Jobs was

the innovation at Apple and only time will tell the future of the company in the hands of

Tim Cook.

The next step for me is to gain a better understanding of Steve Jobs because

much of my following research will be based off of ideas that he carried with him for the

time that he was CEO of Apple. Once I understand more about him, the rest of my

information will begin to fall into place. I feel that one of the best sources to learn more

about him will be documentaries with him being asked questions and ones that give an
Iannacone 4

overview of who he was. At that point I will more easily be able to see the current

direction of the company with Tim Cook being in charge. More research will be done

based around innovation and finally I will understand how planned obsolescence may

cause issues for prospective buyers of their products. All of that information will then be

summed up the answer my question that was posed for the project.
Iannacone 5

Bibliography

McIntyre, Douglas A., and Frohlich C. Thomas. 10 Most Profitable Companies in the
World. USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 24 Oct. 2015,

Kell, John. The 10 Most Profitable Companies of the Fortune 500. 10 Most Profitable
Companies, Fortune, 11 June 2015,

The iPad Guide. How Many Movies Were Made about Steve Jobs? How Many Movies
Were Made about Steve Jobs?, The IPad Guide, 2015,

Casey, Henry T. MacOS Sierra vs Windows 10: Why Apple Wins. Laptopmag Part of
Tom's Guide, Laptopmag, 17 June 2016,

Gallo, Carmine. The 7 Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3
Aug. 2016,

Everymac. Unibody Macbook pro Facts. EveryMac.com, EveryMac, 19 May 2016,

Farris, Dale. "The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs." Library Journal. Vol. 136 Iss. 16
2011.

Warner, M. "Demystifying Apple Inside Apple: the Secrets Behind the Past and Future
Success of Steve Jobs's Iconic Brand by A. Lashinsky; Steve Jobs by W.
Isaacson; Adventures of an Apple Founder: Atari, Apple, Aerospace and Beyond
by R. G. Wayne; Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple by S. Thomke, and B.
Feinberg; Decoding Steve Jobs: Select Commentary from Hbr.org by N.
Smallwood Et Al." Journal of General Management. Vol. 38 Iss. 2 2012: 102-103.

Matt, Richtel, and Chen X. Brian. Tim Cook, Making Apple His Own. The New York
Times, The New York Times, 15 June 2014,

Steve Jobs: Billion-Dollar Hippy. Films Media Group, 2011,

CNBC Titans: Steve Jobs. Films Media Group, 2011,

Biography.com Editors. Steve Jobs. Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24


Sept. 2015,

You might also like