Jobs: Napster Controversy And Turn It Into A Win For Apple

1) Define the Jobs’ “whole product theory” and discuss why it was more than the device and the software. What else was a factor in the development of the product?
A) Jobs “whole product theory” states that you cannot product successful technology products-products that work well and live up to expectations-unless the company that created the hardware also creates the software (Elliott, 2011). It was imperative that in order to get the best performance of the software running on the hardware, you must control the total system. Apple for example, believes that the “Whole Product” means way more than the device. Their goal is to design the product so it fits into the natural ways of life, how people customarily use things, rather than expect people to adapt-aiming to create a satisfying sense of the natural, intuitive, and simple (Elliott, 2011). Product decision, challenge of timing, being an evangelist for your product were just some of the factors in the development of the product.

2) How did Jobs weigh in on the Napster controversy and turn it into a win for Apple?
A) When weighing in on the Napster controversy, Jobs and his cohorts at Apple insisted that the issue of music piracy was fundamentally behavioral, not technological (Elliott, 2011). Jobs

Jobs made rounds with several companies telling them about how bad they were selling their products. How they are not in touch with the way people relate to their music, computers, and entertainment. Jobs explained to the companies how Apple understands people and that they were going to enter their market under their rules. The process was not easy, as executives were not interested until Cingular which was later AT&T made a deal with Jobs where can dictate the terms of the agreement. Apple definitely gambled, but if payed off in the end for both