Today's blog is a treat, especially for the legions of Apple fans out there. We're all used to seeing Steve Jobs get on the stage at MacWorld with his signature black sweater and jeans, extolling the virtues of whatever's cutting edge this year at Apple. Sadly, his health prevented this year's appearance, but YouTube is loaded with some of Jobs' major announcements through the years, allowing us to enjoy some of his "greatest hits."
Here's Steve's presentation of Macintosh way back in 1984 that is truly amazing for many reasons.
First, the hair and the outfit. They speak for themselves.
Second, Jobs' abilities as a salesman for his company are very much on display in this video.
Third, it's a reminder about how far the tech world has come in 25 years.
But for me, it was also a clarion call about change. Computers don't look like that anymore. The product and its basic value proposition have changed immensely, which makes this video look very nostalgic.
I asked myself about how this compares to radio. Does radio in 2009 sound all that different than it sounded in 1984?
You still hear the basic architecture on music and talk stations. There are still call-in-to-wins, jingles that sound decades old, DJs performing the same basic functions, and commercials that have gotten no better at all.
To a large degree, we have failed to evolve with the times, and it is part of the reason why we're paying such a steep price today. When it's working, you don't change it. That is, unless you're Apple, Costco, and Amazon – companies that realize that during the good and bad times, you have to adapt, evolve, and grow to maintain market share and relevance.
We have lost the battle on the music front to iPods, Pandora, and other services that provide many of the same basic functions – without the commercials.
So, what do we have left? Localism and personality.
Just the things that are being hacked out of budgets in stations big and small.
Oh, to go back to the good old days of 1984. But running stations through a nostalgic lense won't solve our problems.
Steve Jobs has always understood "what's new." He also grasps "change or die."
He would've made one helluva radio CEO.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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