Apple founder Steve Jobs was well-known for his attention to detail, but now, his widow Laurene Powell Jobs has revealed he was so obsessed with details that it took them eight years to pick out a couch that he approved of.
Laurene, now 58, who was married to Steve for 20 years before he died of pancreatic cancer in 2011 at the age of 56, reminisced about her husband at the annual Code Conference on Wednesday – including his infamous fastidious nature.
While chatting with current Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple designer Jony Ive, and journalist Kara Swisher, she revealed that Steve wasn’t just painstakingly particular about his work – but that it also carried into his personal life.
Steve Jobs was well-known for his attention to detail, but now, his widow Laurene Powell Jobs has revealed he was so obsessed with details it took them eight years to pick out a couch
Laurene (seen in 2019), 58, reminisced about her husband at the annual Code Conference on Wednesday – including his infamous fastidious nature
She revealed that the Apple Founder wasn’t just painstakingly particular about his work – but that it also carried into his personal life. Steve is seen in 2007
‘People made fun of us for years because in our house we couldn’t agree on a sofa or chairs,’ she explained, laughing.
The businesswomen said it took eight years for them to agree upon a sofa and chairs for their home. She and Steve are seen above in 2010
‘For many, many years we had neither, mainly because there were so many details that we had to agree on. And we finally did, but I think it took about eight years.’
Steve spoke out about how important small details were to him many times in the past, with his statement, ‘Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right,’ becoming one of his most well-known quotes.
Back in 2011, Business Insider described him as a ‘true obsessive,’ while reporting that the tech mogul ‘pored over every tiny details of every product, ad, store, and every thing else related to Apple.’
It’s been said that his father, Paul Jobs, instilled it in him, as Steve told biographer Walter Isaacson, ‘He loved doing things right. He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn’t see.’
Former Apple art director Lee Clow once revealed that Steve spent 30 full minutes deciding on what shade of gray he wanted to make the bathroom signs in Apple stores.
Business Insider described the mogul (seen in 2001) as a ‘true obsessive,’ while reporting that he ‘pored over every tiny details of every Apple product, ad, and store’
Former Apple art director Lee Clow once revealed that Steve (seen in 20003) spent 30 full minutes deciding on what shade of gray he wanted to make the bathroom signs in Apple stores
Developer Bill Atkinson said Steve (seen early in his career) ‘agonized’ over things, including title bars on folders – insisting on going through 20 versions until he found one he liked
‘Steve figured out that every way a brand touches you is a message, and it’s either a positive message or it’s a message that kind of contradicts what you thought about the brand,’ he said of the creator.
Mac developer Bill Atkinson also stated that Steve ‘agonized’ over small things, including the design of the title bars on folders, explaining that he went through 20 different versions before he was happy.
And while almost no one would see the inside of the computer, Walter wrote in his 2011 book, entitled Steve Jobs, that the Apple CEO wanted the circuit board ‘to be as beautiful as possible.’
‘A great carpenter isn’t going to use lousy wood for the back of a cabinet, even though nobody’s going to see it,’ Steve said, according to Walter.
It’s also been reported that it took him over a year to design the interior of his private jet – because he was unsatisfied with the aircraft’s buttons.
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