6 Years Later: Was Steve Jobs the Smartest Man in Music?

CNet takes a look, 6 years later, at Steve Jobs' 2003 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine and the checklist of predictions -- make that accomplishments -- is impressive. Then again, Steve Jobs did make his name, and Apple's, with just that kind of market savvy:

iPod (and now iPhone) could be more important to Apple than the Mac
Big media doesn't understand technology
iTunes would be non-trivial for others to copy in 6 months (make that 6 years?)
Copyright is important. Theft corrodes the soul. Apple will provide a legal alternative
iTunes could sell 1 billion songs a year (now selling 1 billion in 6 months)

What's even more interesting is seeing how Steve Jobs' insight not only helped change the face of computers (Apple, Mac), Music (iPod, iTunes), retail (Apple Store), movies (Pixar) but now also cell phones (iPhone). Mostly linked together (Pixar more tangentially), but with the same focus on premium quality, unsurpassed user experience, and utter simplicity of execution.

Makes me even more eager for the iPhone 2,1 (iPhone HD?) to really bring it all together...

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.