14 Best Inventions of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs may just be the greatest inventor of our age. We dug through Google Patents and found that Steve Jobs is listed as the primary or co-inventor on 241 patents. Granted, some of those inventions were duds, no doubt. But some were pure genius, and did nothing less than completely change the way we use technology in our lives.
So as he prepares to walk away from the company he built, left, and rebuilt into something bigger than anyone thought possible, let's take a walk through some of his inventions that moved the technological world. We found the the original drawing submitted with every patent application submitted by Steve and his teams, along with the eventual Apple device that changed everything.
goody2
August 30, 2011 at 7:52pm
Another achievement of the iPod: it was compatible with the Windows OS and enticed a significant number of Windows users to take a step into Apple territory. This led, with help from the new Apple retail stores, to a sharp rise in Mac computer sales to first-time Mac buyers (presumably Windows users).
And about the Apple retail stores...I don't know whether they carry any patents, but they deserve to be considered an invention. They were designed and engineered by Apple from the ground up, based on in-depth research into the customer experience. From the opening of the first store at Tysons Corners, they turned heads and drew customers.
The Genius Bar was born from a study that revealed consumers' favorite retail establishments to be hotels because of the concierge. This service might have been viewed an unnecessary expense by a smaller-minded company. Apple considered it an investment, and the Apple Stores generate more sales per square foot than any other retail stores in the world.
duffythomas
August 30, 2011 at 12:02pm
I have been with Apple since the Apple II, that was 1977. He is my hero. His patents has class and function. And now I am using the iPad 2 and almost 60 years of age.
bgreggs
August 30, 2011 at 9:10am
No doubt Apple Patents, not Google...great article for us long time Apple fans.
sduncan
August 29, 2011 at 3:41pm
I have no direct knowledge of what part Steve Jobs played in any of these inventions. However, it is common practice for team leads, managers, professors, etc. to have their names added to the work of people they supervise, advise, etc.
I have had Macs consistently since the first 128K Mac (which was upgraded for me by someone to a 1M machine "for practice") and which I still have (with a huge 20M hard drive). So I like Macs a lot and admire what Jobs and others have done to make Apple what it is.
But with the announcement of his stepping down as CEO, I'd hate to see all sorts of claims made about him that shouldn't be while perhaps other things get less attention, like how he changed his management style and approach between his "tours" with Apple and what both approaches meant.
And now, what it will mean for Apple's future.
Geoduck
August 25, 2011 at 12:49pm
I had a 15" "Lamp" iMac at work and LOVED it. Slickest design ever. Upgraded to a G4 iMac (the white all in one, 17" I think) and it was fine but not nearly as nice as my little lamp.
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