Walter Isaacson, celebrul biograf care a prezentat viata lui Steve Jobs in singura biografie autorizata de catre fosul CEO al Apple, vorbeste intr-un interviu despre ceea ce l-a determinat pe Steve Jobs sa iubeasca design-ul si sa porneasca o adevarata revolutie in industria tehnologica. Totul a inceput cu casa in care Steve Jobs a trait, o casa modesta cu un design bun, dar care era disponibila la un pret decent pentru americani. Steve Jobs l-a apreciat foarte mult pe arhitectul care a conceput casa sa si casele cartierului sau, considerand ca el a oferit oamenilor case ieftine cu design atragator, iar acelasi principiu l-a aplicat si la primele produse ale Apple.
Steve Jobs’ interest in design began with his love for his childhood home. It was in one of the many working-class subdivisions between San Francisco and San Jose that were developed by builders who churned out inexpensive modernist tract houses in the 1950s for the postwar suburban migration. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of simple modern homes for the American “everyman,” developers such as Joseph Eichler and his imitators built houses that featured floor-to-ceiling glass walls, open floor plans, exposed post-and-beam construction, concrete slab floors and lots of sliding glass doors.
“Eichler did a great thing,” Jobs told me on one of our walks around his old neighborhood, which featured homes in the Eichler style. “His houses were smart and cheap and good. They brought clean design and simple taste to lower-income people.” His appreciation for Eichler-style homes, Jobs said, instilled his passion for making sharply designed products for the mass market. “I love it when you can bring really great design and simple capability to something that doesn’t cost much,” he said as he pointed out the clean elegance of the Eichlers. “It was the original vision for Apple. That’s what we tried to do with the first Mac. That’s what we did with the iPod.”
Stilul simplist al produselor Apple il stim cu totii si Steve Jobs a prins aceasta idee inca din tinerete, insa spre deosebire de casele cartierului sau, iDevice/Mac-urile nu sunt ieftine. Chiar daca Steve Jobs a avut o idee buna la inceput, pe parcurs ea a evoluat intr-una menita sa produca foarte multi bani pentru compania sa si numai el putea face un asemenea lucru. Interviul lui Isaacson dezvaluie si alte lucruri interesante pe care le puteti citi aici, iar aici gasiti o inregistrare audio a unui discurs tinut de Jobs in anul 1980 la o conferinta despre design ce a avut loc in Aspen, SUA.