Ed,
Reading your post brought a few things to mind that I think are worth mentioning. I don't think you're a conservative old fool, but from the sound of your description of Jobs' dress, you do sound more conservative than I. And I think that the issue that's at the heart of our different take on Jobs' garb, is an important one.
Steve Jobs' is a rebel. He always has been, and shows no sign of changing in that regard. Rebels are not as popular as they used to be and they've never been popular on Wall Street. Wall Street will grudgingly accept a rebel, if he makes enough money. Wall Street likes Brooks Brothers suits.
If you look at the "Think Different" ad, it's basically in praise of rebels. If you look at Bill Gates and MicroSoft, they're basically in praise of mediocrity and conformity. Bill probably wears a Brook Brothers suit (conformity...if not mediocrity). So it is along these battle lines that Jobs is making his stand. The jury is still out as to whether this approach will pay off within Apple's target market(s). It's a gamble. I, for one, hope it pays off, for reasons that have nothing to do with "shareholder value". Only time will tell.
I don't really understand the basis of your comment that "...Jobs is nickel and dimeing his way through this whole thing." Nor do I understand the comment "I'm not interested in types that are long on credit and short on cash.", in the context of Steve Jobs. But hey, we don't have to always agree. Or make sense for that matter, I guess.
Scott |
