I love the story about Apple Computer. Because there is so much you can learn from it. The story isn't over, we hope, but it's definitely been interesting to watch.
Ironically it was actually Woz who sold Jobs on the idea of a computer in every home and not the other way around. Apple really pushed the concept of using software drivers which helped to lower the cost of technology and simplify the design of hardware components.
Steve Jobs was logical, artistic, and passionate. That combination helped him to brilliantly market technology that he himself didn't invent. Some of the things he did, could definitely be seen as cheesy. But other things were brilliant and highly innovative.
The main point, is that new technology needs technical innovation, great vision, and capital or it will die. Much like a fire (air, heat, fuel) if you take one of these factors away, it will slowly decrease until it smothers itself out. I've seen amazing technology die under these same circumstances, in fact we all probably have. And it's sad, and it's a waste of time, and a waste of good talent.
Pixar didn't invent 3D imaging or animation, but they found a way to do it very well. Ford didn't invent the automobile, but he figured out a way to assembly-line it and market it. As a tidbit Ford is credited in inventing the modern work week (M-F) because he had a vision of people socializing on their weekends and driving around in his automobile.
I remember reading an article several years ago (actually over a decade now) where Bill Gates was in his Washington home in a very relaxed mood talking to a reporter while he played around with his HP tablet. He pointed to the HP TC1200, and told the journalist that this was the future of personal computing. Here you have the founder of Microsoft, a tech visionary in his own way saying tablets are the future. But unfortunately, without the good vision of a better development structure, a more custom touch friendly UI, windows tablet completely failed. If you've ever seen a HP TC1200 in person, you'll realize what the device was capable of. I used similar tablets for a long time, but I always felt limited by the clunky stylus input.
Sadly I watched Gate's vision crumble as the "tablet" appeared to fail and become washed over by new trends. And by fail, I mean it wasn't a marketable success and it didn't catch on. Microsoft still created some good software (OneNote for example) and tablets still existed, but the hype was mostly gone. Microsoft ditched their "XP Tablet Edition" and instead allowed future OS's to support touch input (notice they weren't trying to actively market windows on tablets).
Flash forward to when the original Apple iPads came out. Jobs made a comment, that I at first doubted but now I understand. If you create a touch device and have to use a stylus, you've failed. People want to interact with technology in a way that feels seamless and connected. If you've watched a toddler swipe through a nursery book app, you'll get it.
Apple's products don't do everything I want them to do. But they do some things very well.
Just remember what "smart" phones were like before the iPhone came out. They did a good thing. And now we have lots of competition going in the right direction.
Let's just hope it stays that way.