Former Apple CEO John Sculley believes the iPhone may be bigger than the Mac - and says the popular Newton handheld PDA was "15 years too early".
Speaking to TechRadar, Sculley explains the importance of the iPhone launch - and of the man he fired, current Apple CEO, Steve Jobs: "Jobs's genius is his ability to use technology to create products that define fundamental cultural shifts. The Mac defined 'personal technology', and the iPhone defines 'intimate technology' as a convergence of communications, content and location."
He stressed the aesthetic, uncompromising attitude to design evinced by the Apple co-founder, observing, "I don't see any mobile device company who has figured out how to replicate Steve's design principles," and continues to observe Jobs to be "still defining the platform".
While Sculley bemoans the absence of a physical keyboard on iPhone, he's bullish on the App Store, calling this "more important than anything else".
Proof positive of that latter allegation is seen in Google, Nokia and RIM's various moves to offer their own equivalent stores for application purchase.
On the failure of the Newton, Scullet remarks, "We had the right idea, but we didn't have Steve's unique talent to create a culture-changing product..."
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(Reuters)
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