By now, surely everyone has been made starkly aware of the passing of Apple’s CEO and Co-founder Steve Jobs. By now you surely have been reminded that he gave us the first real personal computer back in 1984. I’m positive you’ve read about his creation of the iPod and how it changed the way we interact with music forever. Heck, if you’re like me, you even received all this information on your smartphone, which Steve also gave us. In light of this, there really isn’t anything I can add about Steve’s accomplishments that could possibly embellish his legacy. Instead, I offer a few personal reflections.
The most striking thing about the passing of Steve Jobs was watching the hearts of every one of my heroes break, one right after the other, on the news feeds of various websites. Virtually every “important” person in the country stopped cold and payed tribute to this man. It was sad, of course, but more because of the gratitude at how fortunate we are to have lived in the presence of such a visionary, rather than a general disconnect with the concept of death. It is hard to overestimate just how intertwined Jobs has become in our daily lives, but somehow easily overlooked. This just seems like a world with amazing computers and incredible phones, but it is largely, if not entirely, thanks to the scope and innovation of this one dynamic man.
Being a mid 30’s, generation X, MTV era upstart I remember those old Apple II’s in school, and I remember Oregon Trail. I vaguely recall an Apple commercial during the Superbowl in 1984 that set lots of people talking about computers. I never really grasped the concept of Apple products until the iPod rocked the world in the early 2000’s. Then one day, after fighting Windows based pc’s for 10 years, struggling with viruses, crashing hard drives trying to record music…. I wound up with a Mac. After that, it seems like everything just worked. Windows OS had started to show up on some cellphones and my buddy Rob Bennet and I imagined what it would be like to have a phone with the Mac OS. About a year later, the iPhone showed up. The rest is history.
Since these devices appeared on the market, I can’t even begin to estimate how many hours I’ve spent using them. I can’t calculate how much music I’ve churned through my iMac. There’s no telling how many things I’ve done that I could not have otherwise managed. The Apple products are the perfect tools for creative, impatient people (sometimes known as artists) because they just work. They show up, just as inspired as you, and often even guide you through the process. Recently, I’ve collaborated with friends by receiving iPhone voice memos, dragging them into Garageband and cutting them up, and producing legitimate demos without ever being in the same room with the other musicians. Just a few years back, this would have seemed ridiculous. We are lucky.
This Apple stuff was the first technology I ever loved. Before these, devices seemed so pedestrian, so tactile. Before, even the best computers and phones barely had more appeal than the average VCR or fancy toaster. Steve Jobs made technology organic. He made it beautiful and warm. He made things simple and elegant. He knew that the cleaner, more focused approach was the way to go. It seemed like he could just see the future. Steve Jobs was outspoken about not wasting life, and being aware of your mortality. He advised to follow the heart, because it always knows where you need to go. He told us: “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Jobs. We will try.
