i woke up this morning to the news of steve jobs’ death - fittingly enough, i read about it on my iPhone. i didn’t know him personally, but yet i feel truly saddened by his death. it’s not even that it was that unexpected - it must have been really bad for him to step down from the helm of apple in august. and yet someone like him seemed somehow invincible. but he wasn’t and i feel shock and sorrow. and i’ve even shed a few actual tears. 56 is far too young to die.
for all my joking about worshipping at the altar of apple, there is some truth to it. since college (except for those years where i accidentally worked for microsoft), all of the computers in my life have been macs. i even remained faithful during the PowerPC years (tho’ those were the years of apple without steve). now, as i write this, i’m doing so in a cute little café, latté at hand, on my MacBook Air, connected to the ‘net via my iPhone as a personal hotspot. a large portion of my identity is connected to my ownership of apple products and even more importantly, to being seen with them.
what a breathtaking legacy steve jobs leaves behind. what his vision did for design and how we use and identify with technology in our everyday lives is nothing short of stunning. but i think what worries me most is not what will happen to apple - they surely have some of the most creative people in the world working for them - but that i don’t see anyone on the radar who can even come close to his innovation and vision. and it makes me wonder where we’ll be without him, in general.
where are the visionaries? the real innovators? the ones truly unafraid to think differently and push us in new directions? like real philosophers, true innovators are thin on the ground without steve.
he will be missed. by the whole world.
10 comments:
Amen.
Sad news.
Too young.
So glad you wrote this.
I am so bummed. More than I thought I would be?
I, too, feel like we have lost a member of the family. Indeed, the whole world lost one of the good guys. And, I, too, began to think beyond the technology and wonder where, oh where, are the people like Steve who can help lead us, who have both the genius and the tenacity to make a better world. To not only Think Different, but to have the guts to stick to the vision regardless of nay-sayers, money or political influence. I drank the Cool-Aid, and love how Apple has influenced my life, but I am still thirsty...
I feel sad too....and I wonder who will have the vision.
That was my main thought as well - there doesn't seem to be anyone else stepping up to the plate like him. He definitely was one of the good guys.
Jess
Thanks for your post...
xoxo kim
i had no idea who steve jobs was until last year. really. then again i'm not loyal to any products (yes i can see problems even with el naturalista shoes) and i'm highly sceptical of any large company (and how they often exploit both the environment and labourers in less than fortunate countries). i have an ipod and iphone, i've not been more impressed by the macs i've worked on than any other computer, they all have there pros and con. i'm sure jobs was great at his work and a visionary in his field. but what did he do with all his billions, was he a kind, caring for others, giving billions to worthy causes man? that i would be interested to learn about. i just think it's important to have perspective... that said, of course it's a great loss for his family and friends.
I just knew that I would find a tribute to Steve Jobs here. Yes, you are one of the three people in the world that I totally associate with Apple.
My mother-in-law has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. What a crappy disease.
There's a direct parallel between Jobs' Apple and computer usage for many of us. Apple introduced smart, easy to use computers and then they kicked in the jams with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Jobs set a standard that, I hope, will continue. He will be missed. None the less, "In Apple I trust".
I wonder how much the fact that Steve Jobs dropped out of college was relevant to his innovative thinking. Obviously it is simplistic to look at it in isolation, but I worry about the way that our school system (at all levels)is designed to squash creativity and individualism.
I certainly saw it in my own sons' education, both in the UK and South Africa. Just one example of many is the time I went to a parent/teachers' meeting and being told by a geography teacher that 'simon asks too many questions'.
I know my sons had a harder time at school than they would have because I taught them to question everything, never take anything on face value and a fact is not a fact just because someone older/bigger than you says it is.
Our society is not designed to celebrate non-conformity, which is why we get more of the same and 'business unusual' is a tired phrase instead of the norm.
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