googleiconh
With the news of Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO, several reaction pieces and stories have been circulating. One popular one is from Google's Vic Gundotra who posts an anecdote about Steve Jobs urgently calling him on a Sunday in January, 2008.

I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?

"So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I've already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow" said Steve. "I've been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I'm not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn't have the right yellow gradient. It's just wrong and I'm going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

The story was complimentary to Jobs, and Gundotra pointed out Jobs' attention to detail as a positive trait for a CEO:

But in the end, when I think about leadership, passion and attention to detail, I think back to the call I received from Steve Jobs on a Sunday morning in January. It was a lesson I'll never forget. CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.

Based on the date given, we determined that this was for Apple's 2008 Macworld San Francisco keynote speech which was delivered a week later by Steve Jobs. Jobs introduced webclips and custom home screen icons for the iPhone during that keynote. This was before the App Store was launched. The Google icon in question is pictured above.

Top Rated Comments

j800r Avatar
181 months ago
Some people dislike Steve or think he's an ass. What they don't realise is all the best business men are...well...a word I can't really say on here.
All those haters have no idea of the kind of person Steve REALLY is. From this post, the idea I get of Steve is a person who cares. The guy clearly puts his heart and soul into the company and when he is truly gone he will be missed beyond belief.

It was Steve who saved Apple and made them the company they are today. I wouldn't be typing on this particular iMac if Steve hadn't come back to Apple. I wouldn't be using OSX Lion. OSX wouldn't exist. In fact, if it wasn't for Steve Apple wouldn't exist at all. I, as a Mac user, owe much to him as I'm sure many of you also do.

On a side note, for the ones who call it OCD. It's that kind of OCD which resulted in the fantastic products you're now using.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
qpawn Avatar
181 months ago
There is nothing epic about this. This is borderline, dare I say, full, OCD on Steve's part.

Micro-management on issues without any importance.
Many designers would call it attention to detail.

I see from your previous posts that you're into photography. I'm sure you've analyzed and critiqued many of your own photos. If you planned on submitting a photograph to a magazine or contest, wouldn't you try to make sure everything was the best it could be?

Given your relatively nice posts on the forum and the fact that you run your own business, I find it odd that you choose to openly question a successful businessman on his methods.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
till213 Avatar
181 months ago
So we have resolved that ugly yellow.

Can we go on now and resolve all these other ugly icons in the Lion Finder?! And please make this unspeakable "real world" appearance from iCal / Address Book go away!

Please have this fixed by Monday. Thank you.

----------



Any questions?

Hell yeah: can we now get our matte displays back? The glossy ones suck big time!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ssk2 Avatar
181 months ago
The thing I love most about this story is that it shows a healthy working relationship on both sides of the fence. Too often some on here think of Apple vs Google, when in fact, both will have worked closely with one another. Its really heartening IMO to see this kind of relationship, where CEOs can talk to each other in order to resolve issues.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yumunum Avatar
181 months ago
Haha, that's so awesome. I totally relate to Jobs' mentality too... I can't STAND to see ugly software, hardware, whatever. And beauty is part of what makes Apple products what they are (not saying it's the only reason I buy them)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
181 months ago


Steve rules! Imagine being the engineer assigned to fix this on Monday morning!!

This engineer was named in the post, and he appears to be the director of human interface at Apple.
http://www.jigsaw.com/scid7075483/greg_christie.xhtml?ver=5

arn
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...