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It’s Only Common Sense: Innovations From the Greatest Innovator of Our Time

Continuing my series on people who influenced the world, I want to talk about Steve Jobs. We all know who he is and how he impacted the world—making a dent in the universe, as he was fond of saying.

Those who worked with Jobs will admit that he was not an easy guy to deal with. At times, he was not very nice. Maybe that’s how it must be if your goal is making a dent in the universe. Maybe he didn’t have time to dawdle. Maybe he even had a premonition that his life would be cut short at only age 57. But whatever the reason, he crammed as much life and produced as many life-changing products in the mere 39 years of his career.

Sure, Steve Jobs had a lot of good ideas, but then again many of us have a lot of good ideas. The difference with Jobs, and what made him great, was that he delivered on those ideas. He produced, and he shipped. Remember, one of his mantras was, “Great artist ship.” Yes, he shipped a lot of products.

Usually when I write about someone who impacted the world, I quote some of their ideas, sayings, strategies, and philosophies. In the case of Steve Jobs, I thought it might be enough to list the ways that he impacted the world with his ideas and his products.

Here are 25 of the innovative products that we owe to Steve Jobs:

Apple I computer: Co-founded by Steve Jobs, the Apple I was one of the first personal computers, marking the beginning of Apple's journey.

Macintosh: This line of computers introduced the graphical user interface (GUI) to the mainstream market, revolutionizing personal computing.

iTunes: Transformed the way people buy and consume music, making it easy to purchase and organize digital music files.

iPod: Revolutionized portable music players, providing a sleek and user-friendly device for storing and playing music on the go.

iTunes Store: Pioneered the concept of selling digital music online, paving the way for the digital music industry.

iPhone: Redefined the smartphone industry with its innovative touchscreen interface, App Store ecosystem, and sleek design.

App Store: Created a platform for developers to distribute mobile applications, leading to the proliferation of smartphone apps and creating a new industry.

iPad: Introduced the concept of a tablet computer to the mass market, creating a new category of devices for consuming media and productivity.

Apple retail stores: Revolutionized the retail experience by offering a unique and immersive environment for customers to interact with Apple products.

Apple Watch: Popularized the concept of a smartwatch, integrating health and fitness tracking features with smartphone capabilities.

Apple Pay: Introduced a convenient and secure way to make payments using iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac devices.

Touch ID: Revolutionized mobile device security by introducing fingerprint recognition technology for unlocking devices and authorizing transactions.

Face ID: Advanced biometric authentication by using facial recognition technology for unlocking devices and authorizing transactions.

iCloud: Provided seamless synchronization of data across Apple devices, making it easy for users to access their files, photos, and documents from anywhere.

Retina Display: This technology revolutionized screen resolution, offering incredibly sharp and vibrant displays on devices like the iPhone, iPad, and MacBooks.

Siri: Introduced the concept of a virtual assistant on mobile devices, enabling users to perform tasks and get information using natural language voice commands.

AirPods: Popularized wireless earbuds, offering seamless connectivity with Apple devices and high-quality audio.

Apple Music: Provided a subscription-based streaming service, competing with established players like Spotify and offering exclusive content and features.

Touch Bar: Introduced a dynamic touchscreen interface to the MacBook Pro, offering contextual controls and shortcuts for various applications.

Swift Programming Language: Swift became Apple's official programming language for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS development, offering a modern and efficient alternative to Objective-C.

Retina MacBook: Set new standards for thinness, portability, and display quality in laptop computers.

Thunderbolt Interface: Provided high-speed connectivity for peripherals, enabling faster data transfer and more versatile expansion options for Mac devices.

Apple Silicon: Apple's transition from Intel processors to custom-designed Apple Silicon chips marked a significant shift in performance and efficiency for Mac computers.

Augmented Reality (AR) Kit: ARKit brought augmented reality capabilities to iOS devices, enabling developers to create immersive AR experiences for apps and games.

Environmental initiatives: Under Jobs' leadership, Apple implemented various environmental initiatives, including renewable energy projects, and recycling programs, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Frankly when I started researching these products, I had no idea how many there were. I was shocked by how many can be attributed directly to Steve Jobs and Apple.

These ideas not only shaped Apple's success but also had a profound impact on the technology industry as a whole. Many of us would consider our life a success if we had produced just one of these products. I can say from my personal experience of doing the research for this column that it was a truly awe-inspiring experience. I hope you will feel that too.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.