Gear

The Surprising Patents of Steve Jobs

Depending on who you speak to, Steve Jobs was a prolific innovator, relentless collaborator, or shameless limelight stealer. Regardless, his name is on more than 350 patents. The patents always list Jobs as part of a team. But given his famous attention to even the tiniest details, I’m guessing his name wasn’t added for purely ceremonial reasons.
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Depending on who you speak to, Steve Jobs was a prolific innovator, relentless collaborator, or shameless limelight stealer. Regardless, his name is on more than 350 patents. The patents always list Jobs as part of a team. But given his famous attention to even the tiniest details, I’m guessing his name wasn’t added for purely ceremonial reasons. Included in those 350-plus patent filings are some very well known products and features, including iPhone, Apple II, and original Mac. But beyond the iPhones, iPods, and iMacs, Jobs had a hand in some less obvious patents that illustrate Apple’s thought process and continue to shape the way the company presents itself to the world.

Architecture

Glass Staircase

The glass staircases in flagship Apple Stores boast some unique engineering. The steps are constructed of three layers of glass with a DuPont interlayer. Titanium connectors hold the glass in place, and the opaque steps are laser etched for traction (and to keep pervs from looking up skirts). Illustration: USPTO