It’s always said that Steve Jobs lived and breathed for Apple, up until the very day he died, but it’s easy to discount how literally true that seemingly trite adage actually was. A new anecdote from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son puts Steve’s dedication to his company in stark relief, proving that Jobs was working on Apple’s next product up until the day before he died.
In an anecdote shared with PC Mag, Son says that he was having a meeting with Tim Cook on the same day as the iPhone 4S was announced when Cook has to excuse himself:
When I was having a meeting with Tim Cook, he said, ‘Oh Masa, sorry I have to quit our meeting.’ I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘My boss is calling me.’ That was the day of the announcement of the iPhone 4S. He said that Steve is calling me because he wants to talk about their next product. And the next day, he died.
It’s easy to obsess about what this ‘mystery’ product is, the latest device that Steve was trying to breathe life and soul into, even as his waned. However, I’m more touched by the fact that Tim Cook still called Steve Jobs ‘his boss’. Some relationships are much deepere than titles.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
22 responses to “Tim Cook: Steve Jobs Was Working On Apple’s Amazing Next Product Until The Day Before He Died”
Are you sure he didn’t state ‘my boss’ as a cultural reference for Masayoshi Son and not out of puppy dog eye admiration for the all mighty Jobs?
If this story is about the iPhone 5, then I would expect an even greater profit margin upon release than the iPhone 4S. Adding in the sentimental story of “Steve’s last product” will only add to the hype of an already stellar product. Could it be the first “globe buster”?
Unless Tim Cook looks at all board members as his boss, I highly doubt it. Technically, Steve wasn’t his boss after he resigned. I would think, like the article states, that Cook always has and always will look at Steve Jobs as his boss, even when he wasn’t.
Shit, the man was a legend.
I am awestruck by his total commitment to his life long project – Apple was a truly fortunate company to have such a dedicated servant/master. On the flip side though it makes me a touch sad to think of all the time Apple sucked up from him (along with all his other side projects) that he couldn’t spend with his family. I know, I know, he probably managed to spend some great time with them but it’s never enough when you’re a kid and a parent dies or a partner and your other half leaves early (especially when you look at Steve’s capacity to work like a beast). I hope they (the Jobs’ family) can be comforted by the fact that he was loved and admired by so many people that never even got to meet him. All of us know we were lucky to be the beneficiaries of his prodigious talents.
And, as every day passes I feel more and more that what Steve built with his team is going to be well looked after and built upon. Exciting times.
The call was most likely a heads-up on SJ’s condition going terminal & not related to a ‘product’ at all. Cook probably didn’t let on to Son what he knew. Apple had been informed & was expecting ‘news’ that week..
iCar! (jk)
he was a great man with his devotion to work
I guess he walked his talk … even if the day was his last day, he would still continue to do what he was doing.
Here’s a man who worked his life away, explaining that he wanted his kids to know who he was by leaving video’s instead of SPENDING TIME with them. In the end, it’s between you and God, not how hard you worked on a stupid phone!
probably hez having a piece of both.. Do you know him personally to jump to that conclusion?
The phone exists.Â
amazing. we lost him too soon. he had so much to offer
Wow that was a pretty ignorant statement – He is the reason I have a virtual office and am able to spend extra time with my children –
Wow that was a pretty ignorant statement – He is the reason I have a
virtual office and am able to spend extra time with my children –Â
Not that I doubt Steve was working until the day before his passing, but Son is a biggest liar for all we know. I truly can’t believe he was having a meeting with Tim Cook on such big day.
I suspect this to be the case. Â I’m surprised that so many people are giving credit to this report. Â Steve Jobs died a slow and painful death. Â He is not likely to have called Tim Cook about anything the day before he passed. Â Tim Cook likely wouldn’t say anything to a foreign business partner about it, either way.
ipod touch—iPad——————–iBoard————————————–iMat—————————————————-iFloor