Not surprisingly, I found out about Steve Jobs’ passing from my iPhone. I received a text that simply said “Steve Jobs :(“. I opened my iPad to look up information on the news, and read more articles about his passing later that evening on my MacBook Pro. 3 devices for which he was directly responsible for.
Say what you will about the ideals and behavior of Steve Jobs, but that the man was an absolute genius cannot be argued or denied. Apple is one of the most desired brands in the world, and the company owes almost all of it to the man who’s desire, ambition, and passionate pursuit of perfection drove the company to innovate and capture the hearts (and wallets) of millions of consumers around the world.I owe my job (literally) to that man, and his attention to detail and love for making design and functionality intersect peacefully will be sorely missed not just by Apple, but the electronics industry as a whole. The products he pushed upon us have set the golden standard in electronics design and function for years now.
Steve Jobs, in a much-quoted and much-linked commencement speech to graduates at Stanford in 2005, had this to say (among other things):
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
He didn’t waste his time.
So long Steve. Thanks for defining the awesome. You’ll be missed.
