The birthplace of Apple may not have been in a garage: here is why it won't change a thing.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Steve Wozniak reveals details of what was like to work with Steve Jobs. His commentary on Jobs drive towards a computing revolution was nothing we haven’t heard before, except for one tidbit of information shedding light over the historical birthplace of Apple... and it wasn't a garage.
Wozniak candidly tells Bloomberg that the garage “... is a bit of a myth. We did no designs there, no breadboarding, no prototyping, no planning of products. We did no manufacturing there. The garage didn't serve much purpose, except it was something for us to feel was our home. We had no money. You have to work out of your home when you have no money.”. Shocking? Hardly.
While some may feel a tiny bit disappointed at the discovery that most of the manufacturing and engineering of the first Apple computers were done in an office cubicle at Hewlett-Packard, it doesn't take away from the fact that history is not made by places. It’s made by people with the determination to build something remarkable.
Undeniably, there will always be a fascination with associating a particular setting, or location, to success. As we take a page from the history of Silicon Valley's tech giants, the garage seems to be almost a catalyst for successful inventions and the beginning of something great.
On the other hand, how many garages do exist in the San Francisco Bay Area alone? And most importantly, what are the chances for anyone without drive or any trace of obsessive compulsive genius, to become the next Steve Jobs, just by tinkering in a suburban garage?
Coffee shops are the modern day garages, where armies of future entrepreneurs gather, quietly. Not all of them are pioneers. Some aren't even in it to change the world, and in a way, that's one thing we could get from Wozniak's revelation. Following a dream is not about being in the right place at the right time, but being capable of creating the conditions for success, regardless of the surrounding environment.
There is one common element, often repeated throughout all major Apple keynote presentations and product reveals. It was decidedly more evident when Jobs was on stage.
The element of disruption. To create the conditions for a revolution of thought, through technology. It’s a concept that transcends the historic value of a location. It's a message meant to inspire innovation, not emulation.
It's a message that compels creative minds to start something, no matter what it is, and see it through, whether it starts in a family garage, an office cubicle, or a coffee shop.