Steve Jobs Product Development: Apple’s Art Levinson Talks About Steve Jobs, Product Development

Steve Jobs Product Development: For many people, those on the outside looking in, not much has changed at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) since the passing of Steve Jobs. While current CEO Tim Cook has done an admirable job leading the company, many recall their time spent with Jobs.

One such guy is Arthur D. Levinson, a member of Apple’s board of directors since 2000. Not only did Levinson work alongside Jobs at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), but the two became close personal friends over the years.

In a recent piece published by Forbes.com, Levinson had this to say:

“I’m still not to the point where I walk into that boardroom and don’t miss Steve. He was a one of a kind guy … The Steve Jobs that was in the public eye was not, for the most part, the Steve Jobs that I knew.”

These quotes were pulled from Levinson’s interview Tuesday afternoon at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business

Levinson took questions from the audience, primarily students of the university. In addition to his own past, he talked about Steve Jobs as well as the future of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

When the time came to talk about the Cupertino-based company’s long term forecast, here is what he had to say:

“There [are] long-term signs of how a company is doing and whether or not Apple sells 47 or 48 million iPhones — let somebody else worry about that.”

While there were a lot of points brought up during the interview session, details surrounding new products may have been the most interesting.

Many would  believe that Levinson, along with the other directors, would have a lot to say about product development. He shot this notion down, however.

Here is what the Forbes article had to say:

“So how much input does Apple’s board have in the creation of its new products? Not a whole lot, according to Levinson, though new products are presented to the board between 6 to 18 months prior to launch. If presented early enough, some board insights are taken into account, and those on the board with expertise in certain product areas may have more influence, he added. But while long-term direction and planning fall under the board’s jurisdiction, individual product review isn’t a top priority. “The board is not there to define product specs,” said Levinson. “It’s there as a sounding board. It’s there as a resource. And ultimately, the board is there to hire and fire the CEO.”

What do you think of all this information shared by Art Levinson? Do you find his comments interesting?

Check back here for more updates on Steve Jobs Product Development.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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