With the recent passing of Steve Jobs, much has been written about the man, especially the extent of his, and Apple’s, influence.
Much has been expressed about his brilliance, prescience, and so on. Much of this was indeed mentioned during his lifetime.
I found this quote from 1989 (from Inc. Magazine, April 1989):
"You can’t just ask customers what they want then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new".
The sense of it registered first, then the date really hit me.
Do you hear this philosophy very often? No. Quite the opposite.
What I hear from all the internet "geniuses" is that you find out what the market (customers) want and give them exactly what they asked for.
In the first case, you create something that people come to desire, believe in, utilize, and make a necessity.
In the second case you create something that people briefly embrace, than dispose of.
Therein lies the difference in the approach.
Given the past successes of both approaches, which would you choose?
