TightWind is written by Kyle Baxter. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Aaron Mahnke:

The thing about Steve Jobs that continues to amaze me is his timing. He releases devices into the world at just the right time. Like a surfer catching the wave at that perfect moment in order to get the best ride possible. Jobs introduces revolutionary new products when the world is on the cusp of admitting that they have a need. Instantly, he fills that perceived hole in our soul.

It’s because Apple rarely creates a new product type altogether. Instead, they pay really close attention to new technologies and new kinds of products, and when they notice something, they think really hard about what purpose it could serve. It’s always about the purpose of the product, rather than just the details. The iPod allowed you to listen to your entire library anywhere, and enjoy it–the hard drive size, how it interfaced with the computer, the screen type– all that stuff was secondary to its purpose.

Once they find something new that could genuinely provide a great benefit to people (and fits Apple’s competencies), then they launch into it with complete devotion. They figure out exactly the way it should be, then figure out how to do that technically. And along the way, if they find out they were wrong about how it should be, they start over again. And again. They only release really convincing products.

Those are Jobs’s biggest assets: his ability to see the important products and what purpose they serve, and to relentlessly develop a product until it is absolutely perfect. Then, not long after, start over and replace it.