Yes indeed, Turi. Let me add an anecdote:

I worked at Bell Laboratories for many years. The early Eighties were the years of "Japan Inc." I asked some of our executives if they thought Japan had outpaced the US in science and technology. Some said that the game was over, and that they were way ahead. Others said Japan simply copied and stole, rather than do real science.

The most thoughtful answer was from our executive VP. He said that Japan had not (to that date) created anything as basic and fundamental to technical advancement as the transistor or laser (both of which were invented at Bell Labs). But, he added, they excelled at bringing state-of-the-art devices and products to market, quickly, with outstanding quality and reasonable cost. "I count that as innovation," he said.

That's how I view Steve Jobs: he was not a fundamental scientist, but he had amazing vision, an innate sense of the marketplace, and enough technical smarts to make it happen.

Vision is really important to innovation and creativity. My favorite examples:

--Henry Ford envisioned the automobile as Everyman's conveyance, not just one-offs for rich people. He pioneered the assembly line, built America's largest factory, fed it from his own iron mines, paid his workers more than others (so they could afford his cars), and put America on wheels.

--David Sarnoff: He envisioned the airwaves as something more than a medium for carrying Morse code. He loved classical music and wanted every American to be able to hear great symphonies and opera even if they couldn't afford then-expensive phonographs and records. Result: RCA Corp., with its own R&D, manufacturing, radio and TV stations, recording studios and labels, artists and repertory--and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

--Walt Disney: He envisioned an entertainment empire out of a cartoon mouse. In the process, he invented techniques that made cartoons into full-length, artistically brilliant movies; and built two completely unprecedented theme parks, with Disney World a showcase for leading edge urban infrastructure.

--Berry Gordy Jr.: He envisioned "Music of Young America" that broke R&R out of its rigid white/black mold into a universally appealing sound rooted in R&B but appealing to all. He arranged traveling cavalcades as showcases for his acts, hired dancing, singing and poise coaches, then created his own movie company.