Former Apple CEO, John Scully shared some interesting insight into what it was like to work with Seve Jobs in an interview with CNBC TV18. John Sculley was hired by Steve Jobs and joined Apple on April 8, 1983. He left Apple in 1993.
According to Scully, Steve Jobs would go for walks at 1am in the mulling about how he can make “a dent in the universe.” Steve would also talk about “Zoom Out: Connect the Dots and Zoom In: Simplify, Scully states.
Interestingly, he also states that Apple was working on a Mac Phone back in the late 1984.
John Scully:
I remember we were working on Mac phones back in late 1984. Steve was thinking about those kinds of products back then. He used to say, the most important things are not the things you build but also the things you don’t build. He was rigorous in the discipline of simplifying. Bill Gates used to come quite often to see Steve that time, and both of them would sit for hours and argue over things. I would watch these two geniuses who have such different views about how the computer industry would evolve. Steve was all about perfection, no compromises, he was not concerned about being the biggest company in the world. He wanted to build the most perfect company in the world. Bill was all about land grab. Both of them were right though. Both of them built incredible companies. Here were two entrepreneurs, both knew where the world was going, but very different ideas of how to get there.
When asked whether Apple should build a cheaper phone or a laptop, Scully said:
I don’t think it would be a compromise to come out with a broader product line. I don’t think they will get into the $100 range of smartphones. What I would imagine is, and I have no insider information — they would improve their top range of products. One thing about Apple is they have these fanboys – as I always say sell to the people who love us. For example when they came up with iPad mini, everyone who had an iPad went out and bought a mini as well. If Apple comes up with a higher end phone with a bigger screen etc, you will see a lot of install base go and buy a further higher end phone. Now they also have a trade-in program, so they can start to sell those in markets where price is really important. Apple is like BMW, and BMW doesn’t compete with the lowest price brands. I think Apple will do just fine. Tim Cook has done a terrific job of setting up the stage for some exciting products next year. I don’t think there would be a creative leap in the smartphone industry, and the industry is maturing and is stabilizing right now. But I am sure we will see a creative leap from Apple maybe a TV or a wearable.
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