Steve: The best articles and videos on Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs recent passing has had a profound impact on me. Back in 2006 I wrote a personal letter directly to Steve, telling him how much I admired him. At the end of the letter I wrote a few questions I had hoped he would answer. Unfortunately I never heard from him.  I did not expect otherwise, but looking back I am glad I was able to let him know how much he influenced me. His incredible drive, passion for perfection and supreme creativity has been an inspiration, pushing me to also want to create something revolutionary. 

In remembrance of Steve and everything he has done, I have tried earnestly to find the most insightful pieces I could on Steve Jobs so there would be one location where anyone interested in learning about Steve Jobs could do so easily. Don't get me wrong, Steve was not perfect by any means. It is not clear if he ever donated much of his incredible wealth to any charity and his early abandonment of his first daughter is inexcusable, but for his many flaws, he was a genius and an artist that saw the world not as it was, but as it could be. Focusing all of his energy on trying to make that world a reality.

The List

This was not easy and I did not include pieces that perhaps should have been mentioned, but I tried to get the most important angles on Steve Jobs without creating a laundry list. Please feel free to mention anything you think I missed. I would love to look at them myself. 

Basics
First off the Steve Jobs book: http://amzn.to/qO9hVw. If you are not interested in reading a 600 page detailed account of Steve Jobs, the material below will definitely provide a clear picture on who Steve was.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech. A few amazing lessons on life delivered in Steve's trademark simple, but impactful manner: http://bit.ly/bbzc2b

The Crazy Ones (read by Steve Jobs) commercial. After Steve returned to Apple he wanted to craft a message mainly for Apple employees describing his vision and purpose for Apple: http://bit.ly/dvYeMR

The Good Stuff
1985 article done by Playboy on Steve Jobs'. Many of his core philosophies and plans for the future were clear to him 25 years ago: http://bit.ly/reHiqG

A Sister Eulogy for Steve Jobs. Obviously a biased piece but shows a more personal side of Steve Jobs: http://nyti.ms/sNZxYt

One Last Thing by PBS. An incredible short documentary on Jobs' career and early childhood: http://to.pbs.org/uv6j8Q

The Man Who Inspired Jobs: http://nyti.ms/qJqpFB

Steve Jobs' Best Quotes: http://on.wsj.com/n9ou2O

Harvard Business Review on Steve Jobs' Management Style: http://bit.ly/p7NDps

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates last on stage interview: http://bit.ly/p7S4m3

And one less flattering piece (but fair points) on Steve Jobs done by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker: http://nyr.kr/urlYiH


Rest in Peace Steve. It is now time for us to carry the torch forward.

Where My Tablets At?

The launch of the iPad nearly two years ago heralded what was to be a revolutionary new device. Apple’s incredible marketing machine combined with an Apple-loving tech-press and a fan-base avid for the newest and hottest Apple-product made the iPad’s debut a major event. It seemed to many that the iPad had changed the world. But has it?

While at the helm of Apple, Steve Jobs revolutionized the PC, mobile phone, and music industry, thus transforming the entire tech-space.  Yet, his venture into tablet PCs has been less impressive. You may disagree, but the numbers prove it.  Since the iPad's arrival, Apple has sold less than 30 million units. Globally! To provide some perspective, during the same period of time Apple sold more 3x as many iPhones, even when many customers have been holding off purchasing an iPhone in anticipation of the "iPhone 5". But don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the iPad is a terrible product. Many sales people love the device for client presentations and its ability to watch video on a portable screen is amazing, but it isn’t as revolutionary as the hype would have us believe. Rather, it is simply an OK product with an iconic brand-logo and an incredible PR/marketing effort behind it. I mean, the most popular website in the world, Facebook, has not even put the resources necessary to create an app for the iPad yet.

The truth is that no one has really figured out how to make a tablet device revolutionary yet. Neither Google nor HP has fared better. The fact that both companies’ efforts into the tablet market were a flop only further proves my point. The Android tablet for the most part has been from a hardware perspective, equal if not better than the iPad. Additionally, Google's mobile operating system is extremely user friendly – it is the most popular OS in the smartphone space. The key difference between them is that Apple has the ability to sell a product and to attract older consumers with disposable income to buy luxury multimedia toys. But if the iPad and other tablets are to become devices that are truly revolutionary and as ubiquitous as PCs or mobile phones, which they can be, they will need to change a few things.

One major flaw is that the iPad is neither ultra-portable nor does it provide an easy to use experience for key tasks. How does it fit into a person's life, with a computer, a smartphone and a TV? Shouldn't an "iPad" be a digital notepad? Well, Steve Jobs does not believe in the stylist and feels that writing is an ancient solution that will replaced by typing, but in reality for such a product and for various tasks on a flat device, a stylist would be an easier and more logical solution. For example, if you were reading a digital textbook and wanted to make a note in the margin a stylist would be perfect. Or if you did not have a flat surface to prop the iPad against, writing free style would be preferred. And typing on an iPad will never be an extremely easy experience; I am currently outside in a park where using an iPad is ideally designed to work, but my laptop is much easier to use.

Another major flaw is the size. The iPad is too big. It should be ultra-portable, not just thin and light. It should fit into a person’s suite jacket, back pocket, or small purse; only then will it have the same utility as a smartphone. Right now, my iPad is usually at home and when I am there, I often prefer to just use my laptop or TV. Apple's OS and huge selection of apps, combined with a 7” form factor (like the Blackberry Playbook) would be a winning tablet design. 

There are many rumors about the forthcoming Amazon tablet and Amazon maybe one of the few companies that has the operating environment and technical skills to create a tablet equal if not better than Apple's iPad. These additional two pieces combined with a user friendly operating system, a vibrant app store, and an innovative marketing strategy will give people a reason to buy a tablet. Plus, lead to the creation of something truly revolutionary. “Think Different” Amazon!

Google+ Will Not Succeed

Mark Hurst wrote an excellent piece on Google+ that covers many of the reasons why Google+ will not succeed, but he and others have missed a few things which I will discuss.  If interested here is a link to his blog post:

http://goodexperience.com/2011/07/why-google-will-succe.php

Mr. Hurst does feel Google+ will succeed at first, but that begs the question what is your definition of success? Clearly he means getting a lot of users and in real numbers, yes Google has done that, but for a company like Google, if it can't get 20M users for a huge product launch then it is not a product worth developing. That being said I would not call Google+'s launch a success, but rather the first step towards becoming an actual player in the social space. Welcome to the party. It only gets harder from here. 

But by now it is becoming clearer that Google+ may not be the new darling that the media and tech world predicted two weeks ago. Hitwise reported that for the week ending July 23, Google+ had 1.79 million visits, down 3% from the week before. The report also noted that the average time on the site was down 10%, to 5 minutes and 15 seconds.  Definitely not a good sign, but even Facebook had its ups and downs.

Still, most of us don't need in depth research reports to know how Google+ is really doing.  How often this week did you check your Google+ versus Facebook?  Or how about you go to your Google+ right now and scroll to the bottom of your "Stream" (News Feed). How old is your oldest post? Mine is nearly four weeks old (July 5th). What! And that is the true test. Some days it is hard for me to find something more than four hours old in my Facebook News Feed. My friends and contacts are constantly posting information, making Facebook a vibrant and live site, and a place where I and the majority of the other 750 million members regularly visit. 

Social networks are not about being beautiful or having cool tech functionality, but they are all about a product that actually helps people and does so in a fun, social manner. Google+ is incredibly designed and has cool functionality like group chat, but honestly ask yourself, what percent of the 300M Americans really notice the difference in the design or uses the group video chat regularly.  It is not like normal people are going to stop "hanging out" in person so they can "hangout" virtually online.  Mark Zuckerberg has never claimed that Facebook would replace real-life social interaction, but conversely has explained it would help make the world more social, and Facebook has.

If Google is serious about getting into Social, they need to think about their strategy, again. They need to stop going at Facebook head on. Sure people have their issues with Facebook like every other major website, but for the most part people are generally happy with it. But that does not mean give up on social; it is a huge white space where various products can co-exist, while serving millions of people.  Business and creating new products is not always about beating your competitor, but many times about figuring out how to grow the entire market. Google needs to figure out new ways to grow the pie for the social-media hungry audience, instead of trying to steal a large slice of what's already been served.

The biggest hurdle any social media product faces is with network affect - getting a lot people to use your product regularly and keeping it interactive. That is what Google+ is fumbling with now.  Google has tens of billions of dollars in the piggy bank, it should be aggressively shelling out that cash and buying up existing social products and integrating them successfully into Google (yes, I am thinking about Dodgeball). Some companies that come to mind would be Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Spotify, Instagr.am, and GroupMe.  Great products with regular users that frequently use their services; all the pieces a strong social application needs. And with Google's reach these products could become even more mainstream. 

At the same time, they need to start looking at their products from a different perspective and start focusing more on their end users and less on what would be cool from a functionality point of view.  They are a user interfacing company and they need to start running their company like such. Google, if you are not sure how to do that look at Apple. They do a pretty good job with this.


Please follow me follow me at @vivekmgeorge

The Twenty-First Century Doctor

Our computers, phones, tablet/digital readers, DVRs, cloud storage system and many other digital devices and services are becoming more and more part of our daily lives. These devices are not just tools, but objects that actually store precious information for us and about us that notebooks, photo albums and our brains use to do. And we can count on these devices to be there whenever we need them - 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But what if they get "sick"?

Isn't it the worst feeling when your computer crashes and for a moment you feel like you lost "everything"?  Or how about when you lose your phone? All those contacts, messages, and photos gone.  Every other day it seems like I read about some new virus, malware, or phishing attack hitting thousands of computers. According to Kaspersky Lab’s annual Threat Evolution report, in 2010 there was 580 million web-based attacks against users’ computers — nearly eight times more than the number of online attacks recorded in 2009.  And how about these hacker groups that have taken down the likes of NATO, PBS, CIA, Mastercard, and Visa.  Not to mention Sony which was crippled for 44 days by the hacker group Anonymous. Whether you agree or disagree with the actions of these groups there are millions of people who are in pain and who have lost a great deal of personal information. And these viruses can't be cured by your normal doctor or by antibiotics, you need a special doctor, the twenty first century type of doctor - a computer specialist.    

To stay healthy it is recommend to eat healthy - plenty of greens and not too many sweets or fried items.  You should also do a lot of exercise like swimming, weights, yoga, sports and various other physical activities. The same goes for your computer and other digital devices.  Firewalls and regularly updated antivirus software are essential these days.  But you have to consume carefully also, so that means being cautious of the sites and items you download (yes, be careful when downloading pornography). The web is a great place to share information, but it can be dangerous for you and your computer's health. When you get sick you are going to need to see a computer doc.

Malware and hackers will never go away.  Every time companies launch new products that we all download and use, there are new opportunities for viruses and bugs to infect us. These digital doctors are the only people with the knowledge, training and skill capable of saving us.  A major digital virus epidemic will surely hit the general public at some point, infecting ten of millions of people and crippling thousands of companies.  In 2009 the Downadup worm, also know as Conficker, infected 3.9 million people world wide. Companies like Intrepidus Group, Norton and other major antivirus/hacker security firms will be the leaders in recognizing these types of issues and working with government organizations to contain and cure such epidemics.

And even when you eat and exercise right, accidents and injuries occur. This happens to us all and increasingly to our digital devices. Look at Amazon last April when their cloud support service failed for more than 24 hours, taking down major companies like Foursquare, Quora and Reddit.

I am not trying to say that we will not need normal doctors in the future, but rather demonstrate how computer technicians will be nearly as important. So be nice to your IT support guy--he may save your life.

You can follow me @vivekmgeorge

Finding a Digital/New Media Job as a MBA

A few weeks back I completed my MBA from NYU Stern.  The past two years have been two of the best years in my life. I met great friends, took some incredible classes, helped launch an iPhone app and recently secured an incredible job at an advance media startup (subsequently requiring me to turn down an investment banking offer). But the process of getting a job at a digital/new media company is not easy nor clear cut coming out of B-School.  Below is a compilation of the best tips I found from online research, advice of friends, and lastly my own process.

Create Your Online Presence
Paper resumes still have there place in the modern world, but today the first page of a Google search result is one of your most important personal marketing tools.  So use it and get involved digitally.  If you are serious about the space you need to be sharing and learning with the industry.  That means tweeting and blogging.  An about.me page, Linkedin profile (I have heard a paid profile can be helpful) and a Facebook account (Tumblr is also good) are essential and bring depth to a name and resume.  Yes, I know it is a lot of work, but the more involved you are the more opportunities that present themselves, and the more you learn about the industry. I have friend that got a senior job at a hot startup because of blogging and networking.  

Build Something
Personally I built an app from scratch with two classmates and this was essential in securing a product manager role after graduation. This experience gave me the basic experience and knowledge in doing the job.  Additionally, it showed commitment and greater understanding of the mobile space which set me apart from other candidates.  If you can't come up with your own idea or find people to work on something of your own, then find another person's project and work as a free intern.  Yes, free! It will be worth it. It will help you find another job later on, and speak more confidently about the space. And interns are always needed. Even my app is looking for one or two solid interns...hit me up if interested.

Join the Community
Whether you are attending events at school put on by the tech or media clubs, or just joining the local tech meetups and conferences get involved in the digital community.  The more people see and meet you the easier it is to stand out as a person knowledgeable in the space. Mingle and introduce yourself, techies are friendly and will be happy to chat. After a few events you will be surprised by different opportunities that appear. Without even asking, the CEO of a technology medical startup gave me his card, suggesting that his company could use a MBA. 
         
Make Friends
No, not networking, but actually make friends in the industry. The more friends you have in the space the more opportunities will present themselves.  I got my startup job from a close friend. She has been in the industry for many years and had already accepted an offer, so when different opportunities came her way she always sent them to me first.  She did this because she knew and liked me, and because she felt I could do the job well.  But we were friends, I was not just a "contact".

Hustle
Last but not least you need to hustle and go out there and be aggressive.  A job is just not going to fall on your lap, you need to be passionate and use every resource possible. Your school's career center, headhunters, networking events, friends and family, targeted searching online (for geographically relevant companies), LinkedIn, and anything else people advise you to use or do. A tech/media job is not like a banking or consulting job where there is a set process and interviewing period, you have to pound the streets and go out there and create opportunities for yourself by getting in front of those who could possibly hire you.

Below is a link to a blog piece by Charlie O'Donnell's (Principal investor at First Round Capital) discussing a few additional tips that maybe helpful: http://bit.ly/9wzGD3.

Good luck and if you any additional suggestions please include in the comments below for everyone to learn from.

Supply and Demand: How the Bubble Will Burst

The other evening as I was walking out of my apartment I looked up and saw a projected advertisement on the side of my apartment building's wall. I was shocked. The advertisement was not the shocking part, it was the fact that someone paid money to do this advertisement on this particular wall. I mean advertisements are everywhere. On my dry cleaning hangers, coffee cup holders, in magazines, on TV, mobile apps, online, billboards, airplane TVs, subway cars, T-shirts, Netflix envelopes, taxis, newspapers, in the mail, on buses and cars, flyers, hot air blimps, on celebrities and athletes, on the radio, in bathroom stalls, literally anywhere you look and in thousands of different forms.  So what? Well who is paying for all of these ads and how many dollars are there to go around? For 2009, Nielsen reported that there was $117 billion spent on US advertising. That is a lot of money, but for companies to continue keep the lights on they need to be getting a fair piece of that total pie and at the right price.

As I have gotten into the digital/new media space and being in NYC I feel like I hear about 3-4 new companies a day. Almost all them relying on the advertising business model. But with all these new companies coming up and all these other channels of advertising available, can demand meet all the supply that is available at a price that can be profitable for all the companies involved?

Below is an image of a normal supply demand chart. In economics this chart is trying to show the optimal price for a certain quantity of goods.

But as the supply of advertising space increases, with new companies and other avenues of advertising, (projected ads on buildings for example) prices for these ads will go down.

As prices go further and further down, revenues will decrease, profits will decrease and the overall ability for companies to stay afloat becomes more and more challenging.  And this is how the tech bubble bursts. Right now every startup and tech company is projecting huge sales dollars based on current advertising prices. They continue to chase a story of how dollars are shifting towards digital or how demand has not yet met the supply available in the market.  But will it ever?  It is impossible to determine how much total available supply of advertising there is in a year, but we have all seen empty billboards, searches without advertisements, or plain coffee cup holders that just had an ad on it the day or week before.

So what does this mean? Well as more and more digital companies pop up and other forms of advertising appear, advertisers will have greater and greater power over publishers and the prices they pay. Just so publishers don't lose clients completely, they will drop prices, eventually leading to a unprofitable venture. If companies want to stay around they will need a few things. 1. they will need to come up with innovative advertising solutions that will drive real revenues and/or brand recognition for clients. 2. companies will need to be able to provide real insights and analytics on their users and how they are interacting with their product and the ads.  3. they will need a top notch sales force to be able to bring in clients because there is clearly a lot of competition out there.

Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare may have excellent products, with a lot of users, but if they and every other tech/media company wants to sustain the bursting of the bubble, they will need to be able to drive in real revenue, continuously, and not just rely on projected numbers based off of last years estimated sales growth, done by some analyst at JPMorgan. This can be done, it just requires some investment and innovative thinking.

I like to thank Seph from Proper Cloth and Steve Cheney from GroupMe for motivating me to start this blog. Thanks guys, I hope you like it... 

You can follow me @vivekmgeorge