Science Friday Apple: trying to think different for 50 years
19 snips
Mar 23, 2026 
David Pogue, tech journalist and author of Apple: The First 50 Years, traces Apple's rise from garage tinkering to a global tech force. He recounts Steve Jobs' magnetic leadership, Wozniak's engineering roots, the mouse and GUI from Xerox PARC, the iPhone’s risky multi-touch pivot, secret projects like Project Titan, and odd missteps such as the Paladin fax prototype.
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The Forgotten Third Founder Who Left Quickly
- Ronald Wayne was a third founder who took a 10 percent stake but left 12 days later, selling his share for $800 because he feared risk.
- Wayne later said he didn't regret it given his knowledge then and that he never starved after exiting the company.
Jobs's Design Rules Define Apple's DNA
- Steve Jobs's managerial style and product principles shaped Apple's long-term DNA: secrecy, intense focus, and obsessing over small details like rounded corners.
- Those design and process rules persisted after his death and continue to influence Apple's products and culture.
When Jobs Called About iMovie
- David Pogue describes being on the receiving end of Jobs's reality distortion when Jobs called criticizing his iMovie review and insisting users don't edit movies anymore.
- Jobs predicted casual, quick uploads would replace traditional video editing, and Pogue admits Jobs was right about user behavior.
