Steve Jobs’ Legacy Lives On After Death, Despite His Core Vision For Apple Being Ignored

The brilliance that resonated from Steve Jobs was genius all in itself, as though he was genetically modified to rule the computerized world. Sadly, his untimely death has left a gaping hole in what might have been within Apple’s future. With the simultaneous release of multiple iPhone versions and the larger size — which Steve Jobs was reportedly against — one wonders if Apple is improving or regressing in their development. However, according to Andrew Cave with Forbes Magazine, Steve Jobs still rules the roost, and others would do good to research and mimic his leadership and innovative style.

In a new study by Loizos Heracleous and Laura Klaeiring of Britain’s Warwick Business School, Steve Jobs is the “perfect template of how to deliver expertly tailored rhetoric.” The duo urges industry leaders to not only attempt to mimic his success, but to do so by studying him and his processes similar to a football team does its competitors.

Some of the areas that were observed by Heracleous and Klaeiring included the defense of his company in relation to all decisions made, how he handled intense questions by the media and government, and his communication skills, especially during speeches. Heracleous summed up their findings.

“We found that the driving factor in Jobs’ rhetoric was his perceived ethos, which significantly influenced how he used logos and pathos. When ethos was low, high levels of pathos were employed by Jobs and low levels of logos, such as in the pre-trial interview with the SEC. When ethos was high, lower levels of pathos were used and higher logos, which is what happened at the digital conference, where he already had an admiring audience.”

He went on to say, “Jobs was brilliant at choosing the right mix of persuasive strategies. This combined with the stability of his central messages was his great rhetorical skill.”

Despite the clear cut ideals that Steve Jobs had for Apple and the devices they manufactured, the cult-like status that he achieved seems to have been ignored since his death. Some of the changes that have been implemented may unintentionally provide more pain points to Apple that were previously available. Some of the changes include the introduction of multiple devices at once and a larger device. Steve jobs was against a larger device, declaring that no one would buy something that did not fit in their hands. However, following Samsung’s lead, the new iPhone 6 plus is considerably larger and not without its issues.

In contrast, Steve Jobs was against shrinking the iPad to a mini size. Now, with the large iPhone, the two devices are becoming blurred together. With the two devices that do similar things with minimal differences so close in size, there is wonder if the iPad and iPhone might eventually combine into one device. If so, the market share on Apple devices could decline as there would be no need to buy two devices any longer.

There were times that Steve Jobs did not get his way. One example was the introduction of the white iPhone. Steve Jobs preferred the use of Moon Gray, but lost that battle. He also imagined a remote, similar to a Wii Mote (Nintendo), to control Apple TV, but the idea was eventually lost. Finally, Steve Jobs shared his dismay in developing an actual HD television. Yet, rumors suggest that an Apple-branded TV could be on its way.

Steve Jobs may not have been perfect in every aspect of his life. However, his success in business and devotion to his product exemplified in everything he did. It may remain to be seen whether his legacy lives on through future Apple products or if the company can chart a course of their own. Maybe another CEO will grasp Jobs’ ideals and continue on in tribute to the man who built Apple. Regardless, his legacy will live on in the technology used and implemented.

[Photo Courtesy: Critical Shadows]