Jobs' Magic Touch Behind iPad

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- For months, Mac-bugs and tech junkies have been anxiously awaiting Saturday's launch of Apple's (AAPL) highly anticipated iPad.

Apple shareholders and developers are relying on this new tablet computer to usher in the next big advancement in personal computing.

Donning his trademark black turtleneck, denim jeans, and sneakers, Steve Jobs initially unveiled the iPad at an Apple event in late January. Using the words "extraordinary" and "magical" to describe the product, he demonstrated the touch screen tablet's capabilities to a crowd of adoring fans, many of whom may already be standing outside of Apple Stores hoping to be the first to own one.

The iPad is just the most recent product from Apple that threatens to redefine the tech universe we know today. Other landmark products developed by Steve Jobs and his team include the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone.

As the charismatic face behind Apple, Jobs has made a name for himself for not only reviving the once floundering company into the third largest U.S. company by market cap, but also by melding personal computing with high style.

> > Bull or Bear? Vote in Our Poll

Some believe that Job's unique ability to drive consumers to buy Apple's products is due to his mastery over the classic instruments of effective marketing and branding. Others, however, argue the CEO is in possession of a unique tool that commands more power over a crowd than mere marketing techniques. They believe Jobs has his own reality distortion field.

Though the idea of a reality distortion field originally appeared in the TV series, Star Trek, the term was first used in reference to Steve Jobs in the early 1980s. At the time, Andy Hertzfeld had just begun working on the Mac project with Budd Tribble, Apple's vice president of software technology.

At one point during his time on the project, Hertzfeld expressed his concerns about the tight timetable that Jobs had envisioned for the plan. Though Tribble agreed with Hertzfeld's concerns, he went on to explain that it was no use trying to change their boss' mind.

1 2 Next › Last »