
Steve Jobs and the Economics of Elitism - peter123
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/weekinreview/31lohr.html
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pmorici
Open Source projects with strong leaders like Linux, Python, etc... are really
just like Apple in terms of their "innovation model".

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george_morgan
Did anyone notice the mention of the “auteur model of innovation,” attributed
to “John Kao, a consultant to corporations and governments on innovation”
which sounds an awful lot like John Gruber's auteur theory of design:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk3UcgbbmxQ>

The article even used the same examples as Gruber, hm.

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gojomo
'Auteur theory' is neither Kao's nor Gruber's; they're both referring back to
a concept from film criticism:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory>

It's a fairly obvious analogy to draw when dealing with other team creative
efforts which are orchestrated by strong central personality.

I suspect you could find other people applying the label to Jobs as early as
the 1980s; after a quick search here's one from Scott Rosenberg of Salon in
1999: <http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/01/05/jobs/index.html>

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george_morgan
I realise this, it just seemed odd in the context of it being Apple and the
exact same references given.

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grinich
I'm tired of good design being considered elitism.

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ugh
I’m tired of elitism having a negative connotation.

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ejames
Then why not call it "meritocracy" instead? The great thing about English is
there's a word or phrase for every shade of meaning - if you don't like the
connotation of one usage, pick another!

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johnl
I guess there is no chance that it is a very well designed marketing ploy,
that is putting Jobs in front of everything?

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elblanco
> Great products, according to Mr. Jobs, are triumphs of “taste.”

This is basically the same thing a high dollar fashion house is offering as
well. Is a $2000 Louis Vuitton scarf warmer than a $10 Walmart scarf? Probably
not. But you can guarantee it'll match this season's shoes out of Milan.

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Mz
Elitism does have a negative connotation. I think "excellence" would have
worked better in the title. For that matter, I don't really understand why the
word "economics" is in the title. The title doesn't seem to fit the article
all that well -- at least not to me. The article is about the culture and
design process at Apple, not Steve Jobs per se. Yes, Steve Jobs is
intrinsically part of that culture. He founded the company and he is an
important leader within it. No, you can't really separate the two at this
point. But he isn't actually a one man show.

I like the quote used within the article that "A defining quality of Apple has
been design restraint." I think that basic idea should have somehow made it
into the title, rather than the name Steve Jobs and this incomprehensible,
seemingly irrelevant, phrase "Economics of Elitism". Perhaps they could have
just said "At Apple, Less is More" and then explained why.

