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The launch of The Apple Store, Apple's online retail center that made it the first major computer manufacturer to sell its products directly to consumers, was the third largest online retailer within a week of its launch, signaling the success of Jobs' new vision (Sanford 2010). Having bought out many of the company's licensing agreements with other manufacturers, Jobs was focusing on making the company entirely contained in its vertical integration, and this has served the company incredibly well ever since (Sanford 2010).
The iPod was released to phenomenal sales, and these sales continue with newer models and with other products like the iPhone and the most recent iPad. No sales strategy could account for all of these products' success, however; obsession with detail is one of Jobs' overriding traits, and the aesthetic and practical design elements of these products are huge factors in their ongoing domination of sales for similar items (Lyons 2010). Innovation is also a key ingredient; under Jobs' direction, Apple is again tackling the same issues as other computer and software producers in very different ways, and in ways the public seems to enjoy (Lyons 2010). Jobs has shown the same level of innovation and independence in his other endeavors, such as his having headed Pixar Studios for years prior to its being bought buy Disney, where...
With Pixar, Jobs ushered in the age of digital animation and again built a hugely successful and profitable company from what began as an uncertain endeavor.
There are other executives that have also contributed to Apple's ongoing success, of course, but Steve Jobs is closely associated with the company and its future prospects in a major way, and with good reason. He is essential to the company not only in its actual direction and operations, but also as a figurehead and an inspiring figure for employees and consumers alike. It is difficult to tell how the company will fare when Jobs eventually leaves the company, as eventually he must, but this departure is (thankfully, to Apple shareholders) likely a long way off.
References
Imbimbo, A. (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple. Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing.
Lashinsky, A. (2008). "The genius behind Steve." Fortune magazine. Accessed 23 September 2010. http://www.signallake.com/innovation/GeniusBehindSteve111008.pdf
Lyons, D. (2010). "Think really differently." Newsweek 26 March. Accessed 23 September 2010. http://www.newsweek.com/2010/03/25/think-really-different.html
Sanford, G. (2010). "Company history." Accessed 23 September 2010. http://apple-history.com/?page=history§ion=h6
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