http://www.yourtechtamer.com/blog/2011/10/thank-you-steve-jobs/
I never thought that I would feel moved to do this, but I have to write a brief note here to honor the life of Steve Jobs. I know that the media is overkilling his passing (no pun intended), but honestly, our world today looks like it does because of him. Many of us have the occupations and tools to work in our profession because of his vision.
I admit it…I only own one Apple product, and it is an ancient iPod. I only own one Apple device, but my life is surrounded by the “Apple influence”, none the less.
Let’s start with the mouse on my keyboard…Steve Jobs made it a part of everyday life – even on my non-Apple PC. He didn’t invent the device, but he made it a household product.
The Windows user-interface (often called the ‘GUI’ interface for Graphical User Interface) that we know and love/hate was inspired by the first Mac.
The music that I listen to no longer resides on records or CD’s…it’s all digital on my iPod.
The creation of the Android Smartphone that I use was jump-started by the advent of the iPhone.
The tablet revolution that we are currently experiencing was launched with the iPad.
The list goes on and on…
When I heard the report of his death last night, it dawned on me that losing Steve Jobs is sort of like losing Thomas Edison. He was a visionary. He saw things that ‘mere mortals’ can’t even begin to envision. He saw what I ‘needed’ long before I knew there was a void.
I think that the existence of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at the same point in time also helped to move the technology revolution forward at warp-speed…because they each pushed the other – bigger, faster, farther (can I mix any more metaphors in this post?).
Kids today don’t remember life before the PC or Mac…just the way we assume that electricity always existed.
Thank you, Mr. Jobs. Your contributions will live on for many generations to come.
2 Comments
Thank you for this, Sandy… and I also bid farewell to Steve Jobs.
Over history, it’s hard to think of more than a handful of people who have affected more people in more industries.
Benjamin Franklin is known for several inventions that didn’t relate to each other. Thomas Edison as well. But here was Steve Jobs: music, telephony, computing, the new tablets, and movies (with Pixar advances).
I’m typing on a MacBook Pro, edit my videos with Mac software, see photos taken by iPhones, have an iPod, and enjoy Pixar movies.
And as you point out (as did Malcolm Gladwell in is best selling book, Outliers), Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were within years of each other in age. (Truth be told, ALL of the early pioneers in personal computing were very close in age – it simply was time for computers and the Internet to take off.)
So… Thanks, Steve Jobs. Thanks for changing the world in the way you did. You will be remembered.
Charlie Seymour Jr
http://ExpertMarketingAcademy.com
Well said, Charlie!!! While I am not as entrenched in the Apple world directly, I know that what I DO use may not exist without Steve Jobs. His influence will live on for years to come.