It’s a surprising story to say the least. In an interview with journalist Joanna Stern, Tony Fadell, the former vice-president of Apple who notably worked on the iPod, returned to the design of the first iPhone.
The manager notably returned to a request that Steve Jobs had made concerning this smartphone. He wanted there to be no physical slot for the SIM card. The former boss of the tech giant was very clear about this, he told engineers and designers ” we don’t want another hole “. His choice therefore corresponded to a design criterion.
Steve Jobs ended up being convinced
In detail, Steve Jobs argued by citing the example of Verizon which used the CDMA network and not GSM. Clearly, SIM cards are not necessary in this context because the smartphone is directly connected to the operator’s network.
Tony Fadell then explains that he used market data to convince Steve Jobs that using CDMA instead of GSM was clearly not a good idea. He ended up winning his case, but it seemed to be complicated.
This anecdote illustrates quite well the strong character of this man known for his qualities as a visionary. Despite his impressive charisma and his oratorical skills highlighted in his keynotes, he also had his detractors and some hated his tyrannical side. Steve Jobs was very often right, but when he was wrong, it was not always easy to make him understand.
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his death, we have just returned in an article on the major aspects of the personality of this extraordinary entrepreneur.
Par: Keleops AG