Why We Love Steve Jobs

Because of His Restraint:
"From computers to smartphones, Apple products are known for being stylish, powerful and pleasing to use. They are edited products that cut through complexity, by consciously leaving things out — not cramming every feature that came into an engineer’s head, an affliction known as “featuritis” that burdens so many technology products."

Because of His Aesthetic:
"In his Palo Alto home years ago, he said that he preferred uncluttered, spare interiors and then explained the elegant craftsmanship of the simple wooden chairs in his living room, made by George Nakashima, the 20th-century furniture designer and father of the American craft movement."

Because of His Taste:
"Great products, according to Mr. Jobs, are triumphs of “taste.” And taste, he explains, is a byproduct of study, observation and being steeped in the culture of the past and present, of “trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then bring those things into what you are doing.”"

Because of His Expectations:
"In choosing key members of his team, he looks for the multiplier factor of excellence. Truly outstanding designers, engineers and managers, he says, are not just 10 percent, 20 percent or 30 percent better than merely very good ones, but 10 times better."

From "Steve Jobs and the Economics of Elistism," Steve Lohr, The New York Times, January 29, 2010.

(Note about this post's title: by "We," I don't mean "me." This is Steve Lohr's love letter to Jobs, not mine. But it does shed some light on the synergy between tastemakers, technologists, and scribes.)