Steve Jobs' Legacy With Apple? Keeping It Simple

Ken Segall is the author of "Think Simple: How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity," a book that argues that simplicity is "the most potent weapon in business."

Segall also authored a book on Apple Inc. AAPL titled "Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success." The book argues that simplicity is not just a "design" at Apple, rather it is a "value that permeates every level of the organization."

Apple's Simplicity Led By Jobs

On Wednesday, Segall was a guest on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to discuss Apple's "simplicity" in the post Steve Jobs era.

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According to Segall, Jobs was "incredibly good" as CEO of Apple because he was able to accomplish tasks through the "sheer force of will" and keep his employees focused on key tasks at hand.

One such example is when Jobs returned to Apple as CEO in the late 1990s, he slashed the company's product line from more than 20 products to just four. He also pulled the plug on dozens of projects that were in the company's pipeline waiting to be explored.

"Everyone at the company knew what Apple stood for," Segall said. "And every customer would know what Apple stands for."

Finally, Segall suggested there is a perception (which is partially based on reality) that software "has become an issue" for Apple. He acknowledged that in the past Apple's hardware products "meshed beautifully" with its software, but as the company has grown as the technology becomes more sophisticated, "things happen"; Apple isn't as simple today as it was in the past.