# Steve Jobs--great inventor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895 "2011-10-07T14:29:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/41 "2011-10-07T22:13:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Just to give you an idea of what kind of inventor he was, [here](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/24/technology/steve-jobs-patents.html) is an interactive look at some of the things that were patented in his name (along with others) (and [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/technology/apple-patents-show-steve-jobss-attention-to-design.html) is the related article). Clearly, he was much more of a hands-on guy than many corporate CEOs. Those all look like they have more to do with form factor than anything. I doubt that it would be hard to get most of them slapped down as real patents. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/42 "2011-10-07T22:22:19Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Jobs’ main talent was in saying “this sucks”, and getting people to fix it. It’s an underrated skill. He had a great influence on the UI. David Pogue has a terrific [TED Talk on the concept that simplicity sells](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEjZt0y6OOw): _“Easy is Hard. Pre-sweat the details for your audience. Count the clicks. Remember: the hard part is not deciding what features to add, the hard part is deciding what to leave out. And best of all, your motivations: Simplicity Sells.”_ In a market where most manufacturers were simply tossing in features just so they can be listed on the box, Jobs was willing to jettison unnecessary bells and whistles in the name of elegance. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/43 "2011-10-08T04:59:02Z")
That’s why I like the term “deceptively simple,” I think it epitomizes Apple’s strengths in that regard, and it’s always the MO of truly great designers and engineers (and deceptively hard to accomplish, at that). ---
**Author:** ![YesWeAreAllIndividuals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8e7dd6/32.png) [@YesWeAreAllIndividuals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YesWeAreAllIndividuals)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/44 "2011-10-08T18:16:28Z")
A great term… it’s what Mr Jobs thought of all the people who bought his products. People who were too stupid to own a computer. Apple catered perfectly for women, snobs, lazy, too busy, rich, non technical, poor you name it. He drove a company for money and fame. The real creators of Apple’s blockbuster products are people like Jony Ive [Jony Ive - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Ive) The good news is there a lot of very happy people with Apple products because they are simple and they work. Also because they are expensive for their technical specifications, Apple can afford to provide lots of customer support for the kind of people who really need it. Because of Apple other companies were forced to “improve” their products, although Apple’s constrictive terms and software makes sure the consumer is “monetized” at every opportunity is something the competitors are “improving” too. I hope he is truly remembered for what he was, not a philanthropist, not a great inventor, by all accounts a nit picky, hard to please, selfish, greedy despot that capitalized on market needs instead of all this eulogizing that is going on right now. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/45 "2011-10-08T18:35:15Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > That’s why I like the term “deceptively simple,” I think it epitomizes Apple’s strengths in that regard, and it’s always the MO of truly great designers and engineers (and deceptively hard to accomplish, at that). I think this is the main point though. That Jobs was a great designer is almost certainly true. But design and invention are separate things. It’s not taking him down a notch at all to say that he’s one of the best designers of the computer age, it’s just far more accurate than calling him an inventor. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/46 "2011-10-08T18:37:52Z")
I think his greatest invention was himself: the cult of the heroic visionary who brought “taste” to the desert of the technology world. True believers like David Pogue bought it hook, line and sinker and hyped his products to the skies.I have never seen any products receive the kind of media adoration that the iPhone and iPad first did. These products had some brilliant ideas but they weren’t nearly as amazing as the media hype would have you believe IMO. ``` If I had to put a number I think Jobs and his creations were about 40% genuine brilliance and 60% hot air. Still it was a formula which has undoubtedly been a huge financial success. ``` However I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss Jobs as a mere conceptualizer. There is no question he put enormous efforts with the details of his products right down to the exact shade of the color on a logo. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/47 "2011-10-08T18:46:51Z")
can’t believe nobody did this yet > [@](#): > > Steve Jobs–great inventor? or _greatest_ inventor? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/48 "2011-10-08T20:33:17Z")
I’d say that his biggest strength was that he realized the importance of interfaces. Now, I don’t know to what extent he personally designed any of the novel interfaces Apple is so famous for, but even if he didn’t, he knew to hire the people who could. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/49 "2011-10-08T20:43:19Z")
This guy wrote an article in the SJ Merc today positing that Job’s greatest strength was in his role as [editor at Apple.](http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19065526?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/50 "2011-10-09T05:47:01Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > Nobody got burned by that blind faith - he proved himself right over and over again and it became an informed choice, not blind faith, to presume that if Steve liked it, it was good. [Disagree.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Apple-hockey-puck-mouse.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/51 "2011-10-09T05:59:32Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > [Disagree.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Apple-hockey-puck-mouse.jpg) Touche… But the iMac as a package did not disappoint raving fans overall. (besides everyone at the time knew the mouse that came along with a Mac got replaced with Two-Button mouse almost immediately anyway - another exception that proves the rule.) By in large, his personal taste coincided with the majority of the consumers of Apple products. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/52 "2011-10-09T06:18:05Z")
Actually I think the mouse thing (not just the hockey puck, but the whole insistence on just one button) is illustrative of how Steve could be blind to the failings of his design philosophy. On the whole I think he has improved the usability of computing devices, but even as a designer he had his share of faults. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/53 "2011-10-09T06:37:12Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Actually I think the mouse thing (not just the hockey puck, but the whole insistence on just one button) is illustrative of how Steve could be blind to the failings of his design philosophy. On the whole I think he has improved the usability of computing devices, but even as a designer he had his share of faults. It wasn’t often that in the long term it proved to be faulty, and sometimes just ahead of it’s time. Like removing floppy drives before their time had really come in the world. But it was coming, inevitably, despite much grumbling at the time. Maybe he already had [a zero button mouse](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Magic_Mouse.jpg) in mind as the ideal all along, and it took a long series of stepping stones to get there as the technology and material costs made it feasible to sell them. In the short term it was a fault not to just give people the two-buttons like they asked for, but in the long term the two-button mouse will probably be replaced by the no button mouse - back to the simple design he insisted on the whole time with stubborn resistance to making it more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/54 "2011-10-09T07:18:30Z")
Thomas Edison~~great inventor? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895/55 "2011-10-09T21:11:50Z")
> [@YesWeAreAllIndividuals](#): > > A great term… it’s what Mr Jobs thought of all the people who bought his products. People who were too stupid to own a computer. Apple catered perfectly for women, snobs, lazy, too busy, rich, non technical, poor you name it. He drove a company for money and fame. The real creators of Apple’s blockbuster products are people like Jony Ive [Jony Ive - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Ive) The good news is there a lot of very happy people with Apple products because they are simple and they work. Also because they are expensive for their technical specifications, Apple can afford to provide lots of customer support for the kind of people who really need it. Because of Apple other companies were forced to “improve” their products, although Apple’s constrictive terms and software makes sure the consumer is “monetized” at every opportunity is something the competitors are “improving” too. I hope he is truly remembered for what he was, not a philanthropist, not a great inventor, by all accounts a nit picky, hard to please, selfish, greedy despot that capitalized on market needs instead of all this eulogizing that is going on right now. This has got to be one of the most cynical comments about Jobs and Apple. You’re criticizing a company for raising the bar and making other manufacturers raise their quality to stay competitive? No one was forced to do anything, if you make a crappy product, guess what happens? No one buys it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-jobs-great-inventor/598895.md?page=2)