Bloomberg News
Steve Jobs
Apple's Autocrat
To understand Steve Jobs's unique competitive streak, just pick up any Apple product. While most tech items are built with budgetary constraints in mind, Apple's iPods and Macs have the fit and finish of a Ferrari—right down to Jobs's insistence that the iPod have no visible screws.
But if the products are pretty, his approach to business sometimes isn't. Jobs, 51, is notorious for personally arm-twisting suppliers and others into granting stiff price breaks. The result is that many Apple partners, from music labels to chipmakers, feel resentful. "Steve can be charming, but you can never know what's in his brain," says one such person. "I don't think he appreciates the concept of a win-win." Apple's customers may beg to differ.
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