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Rank: 5
Why He Matters: Easily the greatest marketer since P.T. Barnum, Jobs has also become the innovator's muse. Is there anyone in American business today whose style, creativity, and pugnacious genius are more celebrated? Which brings us back to the question that drives this list: What's he done for us lately? Yes, yes, iPods, iTunes, creating a whole industry -- we already take that for granted. And the heretical move to the dual-core, Windows-running Intel chip. Fine, sweet, very cool -- and long overdue. But let's separate the reality from the distortion field: 2005 was a record year ... for Wintel PCs! An astounding 203 million Windows-running machines were shipped last year, and Windows market share has held steady at 94 percent since 1996. During the same decade, Mac's share slipped from 5.2 percent to 2.3 percent. Of course, Apple's influence has always far exceeded its modest scale, so all we're saying is ... bring on the next big innovation. Mobile phones? Home media centers? iHovercrafts? Take your pick, but we're ready for more.Steve Jobs CEO, Apple Computer |
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