software-ecosystem-dependence
The success of a new computer standard depended heavily on securing software support, which Jobs failed to obtain from Microsoft.
1 chapter across 1 book
Steve Jobs & The NeXT Big Thing (1993)Randall E. Stross
Steve Jobs faced significant challenges in communicating the unique value of the NeXT computer to ordinary customers and securing essential software support, particularly from Microsoft and Bill Gates, which limited NeXT's market success. Despite these setbacks, Jobs demonstrated entrepreneurial resilience by repeatedly adapting his strategy, shifting focus from academia to corporate clients, while navigating an intense rivalry with Gates. The chapter also contrasts Jobs's revolutionary hardware-software integration approach with Gates's software-centric, evolutionary strategy, highlighting the broader industry power shift from hardware manufacturers to software companies and Jobs's expanding influence beyond technology into the film and art worlds.