RE: INCREDIBLE YOU! AND THE IMPOSSIBLE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
Let's just say some people have a big problem with criticism - it becomes very hard for them to put themselves out there "early" or "often" at anything short of perfection when they think they will be immune to it. Or at least in their eyes able to dismiss it as being wrong because they know it is perfect in their eyets. But guess what, at least in art, pretty much everything is subjective so even the perfect work of art will get criticised.
In code or industrial design - there's a much more objective measure of perfection (not crashing and not burning the user are good qualities to have). So then it is down to setting objective measures of what is acceptable.
It's interesting what you said about Apple - I'm guessing things were different with the company under Steve. I mean isn't the reason why the Apple Watch took so long to come out was because he couldn't get it good enough? I think we has a perfectionist but also a realist who perhaps also valued form over function enough to realease beautiful devices that didn't work as well as they should.
Yes some people it is impossible to give constructive criticism to, I think even in code or industrial design it is easy to suffer from the same malaise. Take Steemit for instance, last year I was a pretty loud voice shouting that Steemit inc. should be doing more to market the platform.
Time and again I was given the 'it's not ready' excuse, 'we're still in beta' and blah, blah, blah. My answers then were pretty congruent with what I've written above; "let's just get it out there and see what feedback comes in, and then use that to improve."
It seemed to rub people up the wrong way, so I gave up, as my intention was never to antagonise anybody, just to give constructive criticism which could be acted upon.
As far as Jobs was concerned, I think you're right with the form over function argument. However products were still rushed out when he was in charge, I remember the laptop that burned your lap if you placed it on your legs. I'm guessing the reason he took so long over the watch, was because he couldn't get the marketing strategy right.
After all, there's not much to those watches is there? They alert you to stuff going on, on your phone and that's it.
I think Job's version of perfection was getting something nice and shiny out that people would appreciate the look of. He realised that people wanted electronics that looked cool and worked to a minimum basic standard.
That's not to say they didn't innovate under him, quite the opposite, however he realised the futility of perfection.
Cg