Small nitpick: Gruber says Jobs killed the Newton not out of spite but because his skill is in creating new products, not improving other people's.
But the problem with that is that the original iMac, the product that made Apple relevant again, was conceived before Jobs' return. To be sure, he added his magic to the product that eventually came to market, but it was very much the case of Jobs imroving on someone else's product. (As was the case, more debatably, for the iPod)
The difference wasn't that Jobs dreamt them up from start to finish -- it was that he could take credit for them from start to finish.
About the iMac? I read about it in "iCon", the Steve Jobs biography (much less hostile that its title would seem to indicate), and a couple places on the web if memory serves, but I couldn't tell you where.
But the problem with that is that the original iMac, the product that made Apple relevant again, was conceived before Jobs' return. To be sure, he added his magic to the product that eventually came to market, but it was very much the case of Jobs imroving on someone else's product. (As was the case, more debatably, for the iPod)
The difference wasn't that Jobs dreamt them up from start to finish -- it was that he could take credit for them from start to finish.