Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs strike me as kindred souls. Both are considered innovators of their time. Thomas Edison played a key role in the development and marketing of projected images and recorded audio. Steve Jobs played a key role in the development and marketing of the iPod, iTunes and the upcoming iPhone. Both understood the importance of marketing, name recognition and “branding”. Both are known as masters of the media, using the press and media to their own advantage.
But both also share one weakness. Edison didn’t invent the phonograph, just as Steve Jobs didn’t invent the computer. Victor Talking Machine Company introduced the “Victorola”, and Columbia also introduced their own brand of phonograph. Columbia, Victor, and Edison were the three companies dominating the industry. But Columbia and Victor standardized on the disc and their play-back technologies, while Edison stubbornly stuck with the cylinder, insisting that Edison recordings would only play on Edison phonographs. Today, Jobs and iTunes continue to use their own proprietary music formats, ignoring the MP3 format that is so dominant. Jobs insists that iTune recordings would only play on iPod players.
Edison eventually lost out to Victor and Columbia. Will Steve Jobs follow suit?
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