I Invented The iPad and Tinder – So Why Didn’t It Make Me Rich?
I‘ve learned some valuable lessons — you can too
I invented what should have become the iPad, and I invented what should have become Tinder. So I should be an extremely wealthy man!
Instead I have had a career in writing and journalism. So what went wrong?
Well firstly, there’s no disgrace in taking the career path I chose. But I do have a “what if?” hanging over me. And I think it serves as an example to us all to follow that idea through and never give up on a great idea.
Before entering journalism – so this is in my teenage years – I used to design newspapers, stapling or taping sheets of paper together, making at least 16 pages of current news, features and sport.
It turned out to be good practice, as I ended up running my own publications, and was involved in the redesigns of others.
Each time I made one I’d try to improve on the last, reworking it, redesigning it, trying to find something that made it stand out as being different.
Looking back, I’m quite proud of what I achieved, but the final one I made just couldn’t deliver.
It struck me that what newspapers lacked was the ability to update the story, to include a gallery of photos, or a powerful moving pictures report like I’d seen on the TV news.
When I was writing about the pop music charts, I wanted something to say ‘press here to listen to the songs’. I wanted to somehow take people to different publications to find out more detail, as I couldn’t fit everything in the space I’d allocated for the story.
I vividly remember tapping on words and pictures on my piece of paper, asking myself: “How do I achieve that?”
This was the year 1984. Steve Jobs invented the iPad in 1998 and it was launched in 2010.
If only I’d found a way…
I’m no Steve Jobs. That’s partly the point of this article. One of the many differences between us back then was that my thought processes went along the lines of “I’ve come up with a great idea / How do I make it happen? / I really can’t see a way.”
And of course Steve Jobs always found a way. He was a genius, an innovator, a visionary, and a man determined to translate dreams into reality.
Could I have kept pushing with my idea? Could I have taken it to a blossoming tech firm back in the day? Would anyone have listened? Would I have sold my idea and vision to them? Maybe not, but I do wonder what might have been.
Especially because I invented dating app Tinder as well as the iPad, two years later in 1986.
Don’t worry, I’m not trying to steal anyone’s glory, I’m not claiming that anyone stole ideas from me, and I’m not denying that, somewhere in the world, somebody else might have been thinking the same kind of thing.
But it’s interesting to recall. I was on holiday with a bunch of college mates in a place not renowned for its nightlife. I believe only two of the eight of us had partners at the time. I was not one of them.
I remarked, as we traipsed round the streets, that it would be really useful to have some kind of device in our hands which showed all the people around us, which ones were single and who was game for going for a drink and a chat, and whatever else...
They all gave me funny looks but come on! In 1986, that’s not a bad shot at an invention of a GPS dating app.
So Tinder launched in 2012. Both it and Apple are, of course, worth more money than I can ever appreciate even exists. But I’m not bitter.
It was my own fault I failed to realise that I’d stumbled across ideas which solved problems for people, and at the same time offered something new, exciting and ground-breaking.
I couldn’t see a way of making these ideas anything more than a pipe dream in my creative head. So I didn’t take them any further.
Likewise, I have written loads of songs which I have thought were really, really good. I’d sing them in my head all day. Because that’s where they were invented, and that’s where they stayed.
I still can’t play an instrument to bring the tunes to life, and I’ve forgotten them all now anyway.
So how do YOU succeed where I failed? And how do I give myself a chance of turning my next big idea, if I get one, into a multi-billion selling whatever-it-is?
I’m less interested in the process, more interested in the mindset required.
Of course, in practice, you would take an idea through to product via research, feedback, collaboration, assessment of time, money and skills required, design, manufacture, pitching… it can be a lengthy and complex operation.
But what takes you from having a great idea, to developing the determination to jump through all those hoops, overcome all the obstacles and much, much more to see it through to the end?
It’s a mindset you can develop if it does not come naturally, and it makes sense to go back to Apple legend Steve Jobs for inspiration on the subject.
His astounding legacy includes a tome of advice and reflections we can use to accelerate our minds into a higher gear to drive achievement and success.
Steve Jobs Quotes For A Can-Do Mindset
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
“You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.”
“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”
“Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
Steve might not be here, but I’m still listening to his advice. I guess it’s time to be a little more crazy…..
