Steve Jobs wanted comfortable and simple sneakers, it wouldn’t attract much attention and it would complement his austere black turtleneck, jeans and Seiko watch. In fact, for years he wore sandals, a humble model that he repeated constantly. But if Tim Cook’s are Nike sneakers designed with an iPad Pro M4, Jobs’s were more classic.
Steve Jobs had a habit: always wearing the same clothes. The aforementioned black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers became his. outfit predefined. The one they continue to emulate to this day. Rare was the day when we didn’t see him in these clothes, his war uniform. And in fact, his shoes were always the same, New Balances of a very specific model. To this day, they are still for sale.
The New Balance 991, an important milestone in history
Among the many models released by New Balance, the “991” debuted in 2001 as the eighth installment of the “990 series”, the only model produced primarily in the United Kingdom, recognized for its exceptional comfort and understated design , created from Visible Material ABZORB
Although they look like simple sneakers, they are the result of four years of research and, although the original “991” was made in the United States, later versions were developed in the United Kingdom, where Steve Jobs invented the 992, the model that accompanied him until the end of his days. And they were controversial because even former United States President Donald Trump bragged about using them.
Some sports shoes with a lot of history
When I say Steve always dressed the same way, I’m not exaggerating. He says it himself. If you have a work “uniform”, it’s one less thing you have to decide every day, giving you more time to choose between aspects important to your work, such as which products to launch or which features they will have. He explains it this way in his biography, written by Walter Isaacson:
“Do you know why I always wear a black turtleneck? It’s a uniform. “I decided I had a lot of decisions to make every day, so I wanted to simplify my life.”
Concretely, he used two New Ballance models: the 991 and the 992. The names are original to say the least. The 991, as is logical and obvious, preceded the 992, which are the ones Jobs used from 2007 to 2011. They came out the same year as the iPhone, and if you look again at the layout of that iPod, that phone, and that Internet communicator, you’ll see him wearing them. Steve used the 991 from 2001 to 2006.
Steve Jobs was part of the creative process
The advantage of these shoes is that they are made for everyone. Whatever your size, they would be available for you. The width or length of the foot did not matter. Of course, at the time It was the most expensive model made by New Balance.
It is said that Jobs himself helped launch these sneakers. From what they say, they sent him the final sketch of the shoes before their launch. They knew he was an absolute fan of the 991, and at New Balance they understood that it would be very special for him to be part of the process, even if it was never officially confirmed.
These models were discontinued a few years ago. Now though, In 2020 New Balance decided to reissue the 991 in a retro edition. These are tricks that Steve used to introduce the first iPhone, and they are available on his website for the modest sum of 240 dollars. They are not cheap at all, although it is true that they have a history behind them that adds a lot to their value. Personally, I wouldn’t buy them because they’re not my type. You would do it?
An older version of this article was originally published on 05/30/2023.
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