Tech & Biz

Steve Jobs on the genesis of the MacBook Air

by Alfred Hermida | January 16, 2008 at 12:07 pm

859 views | 17 Recommendations | 5 comments

The Macbook Air is a beautiful piece of engineering. In an interview with the New York Times, Apple's Steve Jobs offers an insight into the two years of work that went into the design:

The company’s design team went through roughly 100 design prototypes to find the right form, he said. Both he and his lead designer, Jonathan Ive, were not certain that they would be able to fit the computer into the package that they came up with.

There are other competitors, so in way, Apple is late with its lightweight laptop. But then, the iPod was not the first MP3 player on the market.

Rather, Apple's success lies in combining design, engineering and ease of use into a compelling package.

Even when Jobs doesn't get it quite right, as with the Apple TV, he just keeps going:

One of the remarkable qualities that Mr. Jobs has is his ability to continue looking forward and not focus on the past. For its Apple TV set-top box, “Take Two” is a great example of the computer impresario’s ability to recast an anemic first effort with great fanfare.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Jarrett Martineau

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:52 on January 16th, 2008

Thanks for this, Alfred. Jobs and Apple truly seem to understand that it isn't as important to be 'first out of the gate' with new products as it is to build better products. When done right, as the success of the iPod demonstrates, Apple devices have the potential to set new industry standards for design and functionality, and to become both ubiquitous and iconic technologies.

Kaitlin

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:32 on January 16th, 2008

Alfred Hermida, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Jobs isn't Jobs for nothing; he probably has the firmest grasp of how tech works in a real world context of anyone out there. And the results of that are plain to see in Apple's output.

Rob Peters

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:42 on January 16th, 2008

Yeah I agree with Jarrett. They seem to focus on overall quality and usability rather than whatever it is Microsoft focusses on. Vista errors maybe? I like that Macintosh pays attention to the details.