11 Facts About Steve Jobs: Explore The Less Known

Steve Jobs (Credit: Pinterest)

Many people consider Steve Jobs to be one of the greatest individuals in design and technology where it is impossible to undervalue his contribution to the creation of Apple Inc. and the revolution in consumer electronics. However, there are lesser-known facets of Jobs' life that provide us with a deeper insight of his brilliance, challenges, and personality beyond the glamorous headlines and memorable product launches. Eleven amazing facts about Steve Jobs that provide insight into the guy behind the Apple enterprise will be covered in this blog post article where these revelations explore each aspect of his life and go beyond his public persona, highlighting the factors that influenced his legacy as follows:

1. He Was Adopted and Never Met His Biological Father: When Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955, he was placed for adoption right away whereby he was adopted soon after birth by a working-class couple, Clara and Paul Jobs. Both of his biological parents, Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Schieble, were enrolled in college at the time. Jobs grew up in Cupertino, California, which would eventually serve as the hub of his Apple business, with his adopted parents.

   Fascinatingly, Jobs and Abdulfattah Jandali, his biological father, never had a close relationship in the sense that Jobs grew distant from his father for the rest of his life, and he had a complex connection with his biological mother, Joanne, even though they eventually met. His personal story is enhanced by this history, especially in light of Jobs's later emphasis on relationships and family.

2. He Was a Zen Buddhist and Took Inspiration From Eastern Philosophy: Zen Buddhism, which Steve Jobs adopted while visiting Japan, had a significant impact on his approach to design and business, placing a strong emphasis on clarity, mindfulness, and simplicity (elements that are essential to Apple's design philosophy). Jobs was especially drawn to Japanese minimalism design, which is reflected in Apple products' simple designs and user-friendly interfaces.

   His study of Eastern philosophy also sparked his interest in calligraphy, which is credited with creating the stunning typography found in Apple's user interfaces. Jobs was greatly influenced by calligraphy's elegance and simplicity, and he tried to apply similar ideas to his designs.

3. He Dropped Out of College, But Attended Auditing Classes: Jobs attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, after high school, but left after just one semester but Jobs continued to take classes that struck his interest, nevertheless, rather than giving up on schooling entirely. His calligraphy lesson was one of the most important classes he took, and it eventually had a significant influence on Apple product design.

   Jobs once remarked, "If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts." One of the most important effects on Apple's design and User Interface (UI) philosophy was this course, which had nothing to do with his official degree.

4. He Did Not Like The iPhone’s Buttonless Design Initially: The iPhone's elegant, buttonless design is among its most recognizable features whereby this breakthrough, meanwhile, was not without its challenges in the sense that when Apple's Chief Design Officer Jony Ive first proposed the concept of a phone with a touch screen instead of buttons, Jobs was first hesitant since he worried that users would find it difficult to use and confusing.

   Jobs was first hesitant about the concept, but he later changed his mind after realizing how it may transform how we use technology and in addition to changing the smartphone market, the iPhone's success solidified Jobs' standing as a visionary who was able to adapt and welcome new ideas.

5. He Was Fired From Apple in 1985: The fact that Steve Jobs was let go from the company he started is arguably one of the most unexpected facts about him where Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985 following a power dispute with the board and then-CEO John Sculley. Jobs' career and ego were hurt, but instead of going into disappearance, he took this setback as a launching pad for bigger successes.

   Jobs started NeXT, a computer company specializing in high-end workstations for business and education, after departing Apple. Additionally, he purchased Pixar, a modest animation studio that, under Jobs' direction, grew into a globally recognized animation powerhouse and when he rejoined Apple in 1997, his absence from the company ultimately resulted in a significant return.

6. He Was Extremely Influenced by His Time With Atari: Steve Jobs was employed for the innovative video game firm Atari prior to starting Apple where he gained important knowledge of hardware design and software integration while working on circuit boards and game assembly. Jobs' grasp of the relationship between hardware and software, which would eventually be a key component of Apple's success, was shaped by this early technological experience.

   Jobs' work at Atari, in particular, strengthened his conviction that beautiful, user-friendly products are essential where also working with Steve Wozniak in particular during his time there helped to establish Apple and produce ground-breaking devices like the Apple I and Apple II.

7. He Was a Vegan and Had Unusual Diet Habits: Jobs spent the majority of his life adhering to a rigorous vegan diet, which made him well-known not forgetting that he frequently experimented with extreme dietary patterns, sometimes consuming only fruits and vegetables or even just apples and carrots for days at a time whereby his strange eating habits occasionally caused his coworkers to worry about his health.

   Jobs thought that his diet helped him think clearly, but his complicated eating patterns also led to times of severe weight loss and poor health. His compulsive temperament and need to keep control over every element of his life, including his beauty and health, are reflected in this aspects of his personality.

8. He Met Bill Gates When They Were Teenagers: Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were youthful, aspirational tech enthusiasts prior to Apple and Microsoft becoming bitter competitors. They briefly collaborated after meeting at a seminar in the early 1970s when they were both teenagers where Jobs' vision for personal computing captivated Gates, who was developing software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.

   This early exchange between the two computer giants serves as a reminder that, despite the fact that their companies would eventually become rivals, the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft was founded on respect and similar experiences before it developed into one of the most well-known commercial rivalries in history.

9. He Was Inspired by The "Buddhist" Apple I: The Buddhist principles of accessibility and simplicity served as the inspiration for Jobs and Wozniak's early Apple I computer, which they constructed in Jobs' garage. Jobs felt that everyone, regardless of technical skill level, should be able to use technology easily with the Apple I and subsequent Apple products being developed with this idea in mind.

   Jobs' early days, when he aimed to develop a product that was both useful and visually beautiful, was where his minimalist approach to technology originated with his goal for the Apple I being to develop a tool that empowered people, not just a computer.

10. His Reality Distortion Field Was a Real Phenomenon: Steve Jobs possessed a remarkable talent for inspiring others to go beyond their comfort zones and accomplish what they believed was unattainable in the sense that Jobs would push his staff to go beyond their ideas of what was possible, an ongoing trend that came to be known as his "Reality Distortion Field" (RDF).

    RDF was a psychological force that enabled Jobs to distort reality and make the impossibly feasible seem achievable, and it went beyond motivational speeches not forgetting that one of the reasons Apple was able to innovate so quickly was his ability to motivate his workforce to produce ground-breaking goods, frequently under extreme pressure.

11. He Had a Complex Relationship With His Daughter Lisa: The connection between Steve Jobs and his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, was complicated whereby Jobs first disputed fatherhood, even saying he was infertile, when Lisa was born in 1978. He did not willingly take responsibility until a paternity test proved he was the father.

    Despite their challenging connection, Lisa Brennan-Jobs went on to pursue a career in writing and wrote a biography titled Small Fry that provides insight into their complex father-daughter relationship whereby the book offers a distinctive viewpoint on Jobs, shedding light on his private life and the deep emotional dynamics that molded him into the person he is today.

Summary: A Man of Vision and Paradoxes

Steve Jobs was a man of complications: a minimalist who was strict about details, a visionary who could be both inspiring and challenging to collaborate with. His life was filled with successes, setbacks, and an unwavering desire to make a difference. The above 11 little-known facts about Jobs show that he was an interesting individual whose distinct viewpoints and experiences shaped one of the most influential technology company in history. We can get a fuller picture of a guy whose influence endures in the tech industry and beyond by learning about the above lesser-known facts of his life.

Jobs' legacy is proof of the strength of intelligence, tenacity, and the courage to question the accepted status quo. There is always more to discover about Steve Jobs, whether you are interested in the man who transformed personal computers, an aspiring business owner, or a consumer of Apple products with also his contradictory and unexpectedly twisted life continues to inspire people today.