This post has been written in English for my Knowledge Management and Information Systems class at the Universidad Europea de Madrid. A Spanish version is available through Google Translate clicking here.

Steve Jobs: CEO of the decade by Fortune

There is no better example of leadership, vision, innovation and passion for details than Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer Inc.) awarded in November 2009 as CEO of the decade for all the achievements since his permanent return in january 2000 to the company he co-founded. Jobs was not happy enough for having revolutionized one industry in the past (the computer industry bringing the graphical interface, the mouse and the first Lisa and Macintosh) that he also changed the rules and foundations of another two. This is why I will make reference to Jobs or Apple independently, as one cannot be understood without the other.

Fortune also did a special coverage with several articles, videos and interviews that can be found in their website. They synthesized the reasons for his appointment in this very short but illustrative video.

The evolution of Apple Inc.

CNN Money worked out a very useful and graphical way to understand the changes, launches and achievements that drove Apple to their current and excellent situation nowadays. It is specially interesting to have the value of shares underneath the timeline to have a better overall image. Feel free to read and scroll through the dates by clicking and dragging the red apple icon as I will highlight some of these events afterwards.

Apple in the 80′s: The computer industry

If you have seen the film Pirates of Sillicon Valley you may already know how Jobs, together with Steve Wozniak, introduced the concept of home computing back in 1984 with the launch of the Macintosh. In a time when the users of PC’s or IBM compatible computers had to remember a large set of commands in DOS, Apple came out with the graphical interface (borrowed from Xerox labs), the first text-to-speech technology, and new concepts like the desktop and the finder (file and application explorer) to manage all the actions with a pointing device (a mouse) instead of a keyboard, heavily decreasing the learning curve of computing to the masses. They also lowered the price to the more mainstream $2,495.

Apple in the 00′s: The music, films, and mobile phone industry

Once Steve Jobs returned to Apple he retook the path of innovation and positive revenues entering in the always profitable music sector. There were other players in the market that were not able to satisfy the consumers’ need for a product that could replace the well known and spread Walkman. Sony tried (with some success) to attract people to the Discman but the device was bigger than the Walkman and it couldn’t be used while running because it would affect the disc spin and damage the lens (somewhat solved later with G-shock). Apple found a third-party company that already solved some of these issues and found a more convenient way to navigate through long lists of music (the clickwheel) so they bought their technologies and combined them with a larger monochrome display, a completely new 1.8″ hard disk and their FireWire port to create the iPod. I find this video particularly funny because the journalists attending the keynote would never have though of the implications or the impact that this white device would imply in the future.

Now we use iPod as a generic name for all the MP3 capable or portable multimedia players, representing the huge success of the product together with the iTunes Music Store, still one of the most profitable businesses for Apple and responsible of its growth. The convenience of legally downloading high quality songs from your computer, being able to hear them first and buy just the ones you like for a lower price was with no doubt the formula to success. So they tried with video, starting with music videos (and the corresponding iPod Video), TV series and finally rentals and purchases of movies. Nowadays if your music label, record company, TV channel or movie distributor hasn’t signed an agreement with Apple, you loose your slice of the cake.

For several years, consumers were tired of carrying their phones and iPods everywhere and demanded a mobile phone the Apple way: good-looking and easy interface, excellent industrial design and the power of the iPod and the iTunes Music Store in just one device. But they found more: a revolutionary smartphone with cut-of-the-edge technology, years of R&D and dozens of patents like capacitive multitouch screens and gestures. And again, by popular demand, Apple extrapolated the formula they already used with music, series and films to create a wider and completely new market for users and developers: mobile applications and the App Store. They managed to innovate again and open new opportunities in an industry that seemed collapsed, becoming a game-changer and a real threat to established companies such as Nokia, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung. Now the business is not only in the hardware itself but also in the software and services attached to it, achieving the higher growth and revenue-per-unit in the industry.

Apple in the 10′s: The content distribution industry

This year Apple will be expanding even more the boundaries of their digital distribution channels with the launch of the long awaited iPad, the company’s approach to tablets, MIDs, netbooks and eBook readers. Using an evolved operating system of the found in the iPhone, Apple is aiming to enter the e-book business to become the market leader with the help of the highly profitable App Store and the new iBook Store to counterattack Amazon with their Kindle and Barnes & Noble with the Nook. And it seems that Jobs is in the right track: yesterday, March 13th 2010, the Apple Stores in the U.S. opened the presale for the Wi-Fi version of the device and sold 60,000 units only in the first two hours, growing with a pace of 20,000 units per hour. This means more than 120,000 units already sold in one day, equalizing the sum of the total sales of their competitors in a year. Seems that 2010 will be another great year for Apple.