Where Steve Jobs Ranks Among the Greats

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what an absurdly ridiculous article. you don't account for so many things that steve jobs did, including: the basic notion of a personal computer for the masses, the mouse and a graphical user interface which have been used on practically every computer since he introduced his first mac, how his graphics friendly computers helped designers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers to create work and share it with people, his influence on the entire music industry, how he created pixar and what that did for computer animation. every smartphone since the iphone is an imitation of the iphone. he had such a huge impact on people and how they interact with technology, and the scope goes far beyond the actual devices he created.

kiyong of AR 2:01PM October 06, 2011

I think what people fail to get is that Jobs did not change the ***WORLD*** the way others have. Yes, he changed the technology world and that in turn changed the lives of those of us living in the more advanced nations. However the world is a very big place and the overwhelming majority of the world do not have any access to the internet, computers or any form of digital technology. This is very different from someone like Jonas Salk whose vaccine has very directly impacted the lives of nearly everyone in the world by almost completely eradicating polio. As for computers impacting the lives of people who don't own or have access to computers, that was already happening well before Apple.
I'm also amazed nobody has mentioned the fact that Steve Jobs was probably the wealthiest man in America to not give away any real part of his vast fortune to charity. I'd challenge you to name any American in the past 50 years who had a comparable fortune and gave less to charity. I know it's fashionable to tear into the wealthy (and for good reason) but let's not forget that some of America's wealthiest people have also been some of the most generous. Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie, the Rockefeller family and many other extremely wealthy Americans have used their fortunes to fight diseases, increase education, etc. What did Jobs do with his vast fortune? Nothing beyond a few relatively token contributions (though hopefully that will change with his passing). He even severely curtailed Apple's corporate philanthropy making them one of the least philanthropic companies in America. Hardly a great legacy to leave behind.
And to those who want to call me an Apple hater keep in mind I'm writing this on my Mac Air (receiving a wifi signal from an Airport) which is sitting next to my iPhone behind which is my iPad. We own 14 Apple gadgets in our house and love them all. I'm also an Apple shareholder.

Crosswrench of CA 1:56PM October 06, 2011

As other people have commented Tesla is the man that you need to give a lot more credit to. A good resource would be the PBS documentary "Master of Lighting". Edison is nothing more than a thief. Only in this country is Edison given credit for the ideas he stole. It's nice to see others are starting to learn the truth, but articles like yours do nothing more than perpetuate lies.

Mika of CA 1:28PM October 06, 2011

You are selling his impact way short. To complain that his products are too pricey at this point in their life cycle is ludicrous. Were cars immediately available to the masses at bargain prices? They still aren't. So much then for Henry Ford according to your own reasoning. In addition to price points likely collapsing in the future, his brilliance lay in the business model of iTunes and App development (admittedly after getting it wrong the first time around where Gates owned the software development market). He has unleashed a wave of creativity around his products the likes of which has not been seen. Stay tuned, he is right up there.

Wayne of FL 12:23PM October 06, 2011

I apologize for the typos & poor grammar but you really threw me for a loop with this poorly written article.

Manuel J. of AZ 12:23PM October 06, 2011

Rick,
Your assessment about Jobs' "gadgets" is off base. Macintosh computers introduced fonts, the mouse, & graphic user interfaces (GUI)... NOT Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft, HP, and others incorporated these "gadgets" that have helped to increase productivity in all facets of life.
Lastly, Edison did not invent alternating currency (A.C.), which is what powers homes and businesses, Nikola Tesoa did. In fact, he stole the light bulb idea from Tesla. With going into all the details... when Tesla confronted Edison about not be compensated for the light bulb invention, Edison told Tesla, "you learned your first lesson about business in America" when
Manuel J.

Manuel of AZ 12:17PM October 06, 2011

Sorry, but I find your analysis a little short sighted if you limit Jobs impact to strictly Apple customers. Chances are you wrote this article on a personal computer with a graphical user interface and a mouse. You probably also carry a smart phone, and perhaps also own a tablet pc. They may not be Apple products, but it was Apple and Jobs who saw the value in these devices and how they could make computing accessible to billions of people world wide. Apples innovations changed the way people communicate, create, and put bread on the table. I'd put that right up there with Ford and Edison IMHO.

Keith of NY 11:45AM October 06, 2011

Rick, you have entirely missed the point. What Steve Jobs did was turn the computer into a household appliance. Bill Gates, Sergei Brin, Bob Noyce and many others would never have gotten to be "great" if Jobs and Wozniak had not made the computer into something that ordinary people believed they could have in their homes. Indeed, the internet itself would just be a geek tool for particle physicists if Apple had not come along and started the fire that led to the PC revolution. You bring up Edison as the guy who supposedly electrified America. Well, you're wrong there. It was George Westinghouse who championed AC power. Edison's DC scheme was never practical. What Edison did was put the idea in everyone's head. This is probably the best analogy to Jobs's contribution. For the record, I am not an Apple maven, nor am I an Apple hater, which you seem to be. I think it is highly inappropriate for you to pen a disingenuous article such as this one and post it the day after the man's death.

Phil Cullen of CA 11:44AM October 06, 2011

Rank him? Really? Why does the press have such a fetish with numbering people? The New York ethnocentric gabbers and writers are so tiring. Why not just focus on the wonderful accomplishments of Steve Jobs AND the people who surrounded him? If our economy had more "doers" like Jobs and fewer monday morning quarterbacks, we'd be well out of recessionary pressures by now.

Chuck of TN 11:39AM October 06, 2011

I'm assuming you wrote this on a computer, perhaps one that used a windowing system to navigate around with. Without Jobs, you'd most likely be navigating around your computer in some form of DOS or Unix command line syntax. Just because you don't use Apple technology does not mean you have not benefitted from it. Every other tech company mimics Apple's moves. Using Windows? Thank Apple. If you drive a Chevy, do you not still owe it to Henry Ford's ingenuity?

Jim Winski of CO 11:22AM October 06, 2011