Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, October 5, 2011. He was 56 years old.
The Internet was abuzzed with the news of Steve Jobs death. A lot of famous people
commented as well like Bill Gates, Sergey Brin and Mark Zuckerberg. Some saying that we love a great leader and visionary.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg even
compared him to Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.
Of course, with all the praises also comes the haters. With people wondering why they are treating him like a god and that it's ridiculous to compare him to Edison or Einstein. That Steve Jobs was not a great inventor but just a great marketing guy.
I feel sad on Steve Jobs' passing. It may be funny to think about. I personally do not know the guy nor have I met him. My only connection to him is the Apple products we have and what I read about him.
I remember when I first saw the news. I just got home and when I opened up my computer, the first news I read was Steve Jobs has passed away. I was shocked! I thought it was a hoax like before. But sadly, visiting Apple.com's website confirmed it.
I was never an Apple fan before. Although our first computer was an Apple ][ clone (I think). My early memories of using an Apple computer was in a BASIC programming class I took back when I was around 12 I think. After that, we've always had a PC Clone computers and even building my own desktop computers.
I looked at getting an Macintosh before due to the beautiful graphics. But it was way to expensive for me and I always thought they were overpriced PCs.
I started looking into Apple again when Steve Jobs came back to Apple and introduced the iPod. I was intrigued at first, but I never bought one because I usually just listen to music on my computer.
When I finally got my first iPod, it was actually the first generation iPod shuffle. The bubble gum stick type which was a giveaway from one of the companies we work with. I was intrigued by the ease of use and small form factor. I was literally amazed by the sound quality when coupled with a good quality earphones.
That's when my true interest started with Apple. I began following the company and watching keynote speeches by Steve Jobs. You can't help but be dragged into his enthusiasm in his presentations. But even then, I still felt Macs where overpriced.
What got me really interested in Macs was when Apple announced the Mac Mini at $499. It was mind blowing to me to say the least. It was the first really affordable Mac. That's when I began researching on OSX. I remember that OSX Tiger was the one coming out at that time and I found out that it runs Debian in the back end but fronted by easy to use GUI. The geek side of me got intrigued. It was a period of time when I was experimenting with Linux a lot and was frustrated with the lack of software options and ugly GUI for Linux.
I finally found a Unix based OS with a simple to use front end that even a kid can use.
When my wife wanted to get a computer. I did a lot of research and decided to get her an iBook G4. My decision to get an Apple computer was because I did not want to provide technical support anymore. I waste enough time on my Windows PC having to format it every few months.
She was concerned at first because she said she didn't know how to use it and that she's used to Windows. I told her main concern was, I didn't want to provide technical support for a Windows PC anymore. So we got the iBook and I crossed my fingers hoping that Apple computers where as advertised, that they just work. And work it did.
I bought that iBook in 2006. And to date, I have only formatted it twice. Once when I first got it and installed a bunch of software to test it out. After which, I cleaned it up and reformatted the whole thing to get it back to its original state. The second time was about 4 years later when after putting in a lot of junk software, I found out we never really used most of them and I decided to start with a clean slate.
I will have to say I am extremely satisfied with our iBook G4. In fact, I still have it and use it every day to surf the web. It is simply the most durable computer I have ever owned. We have spilled milk on it and water. It has been dropped from a height of 3 feet and it still runs like new. The keyboard is shorted out now, but I now use a bluetooth keyboard and it still works fine.
That's when I really said that the price you pay for an Apple product is worth it.
The next time I was amazed with Apple was when I really saw how intuitive the GUI was. It's one thing for my wife to be able to use a computer, she's computer literate, it's another thing to have her mom use it who's never used a computer in her life.
My wife decided to get her mom a laptop so they can keep in touch with Skype. My concern was how to teach her mom who is on the other side of the globe to use the computer and how will I provide tech support? Some of my techie friends says that a Windows PC is easy to use and don't buy the hype that Macs as easier to use. Fair enough, but my main concern is who will provide tech support if something wrong happens? It all falls down to me again and I cannot provide tech support to someone who has never used a computer before and I have to spend long distance calls to teach them.
So we ended up getting a Macbook for her mom. When my wife gave her Mom the Macbook, she spent a few days teaching her how to use it. And by golly, her Mom now uses it to keep in touch with her daughters around the world without having to spend money for long distance calls. They now get to talk everyday for hours. Her mom even uses it to watch her favorite TV shows. And all without me having to provide any technical support except for the odd updates now and then.
When Facetime came out, I was blown away. Not because it's video conferencing. Video conferencing has been around for years, you can do that with Yahoo Messenger or Skype. No, I was blown away because there's now a really simple way to video conference with someone. It may not be a big deal for people who know how to use a computer. But the real beauty of Facetime is that it allows people who don't even know what video conferencing is to use it effortlessly.
When the iPad 2 came out and it included a camera for Facetime, my wife decided to get her mom one to make it even easier for her to keep in touch. When I saw what it can do, I decided to get one for my parents as well so we can keep in touch with them, especially with our kids.
Before that, we only used VOIP solutions to talk to my parents and our children would hardly talk to them because they won't spend time talking on the phone.
But now with Facetime, my children can see their grandparents and talk as long as they want. That is the beauty of an Apple product. They just work.
So what do these things have to do with my sadness of Steve Jobs passing? For me, it was losing a visionary that we could all emulate. I was losing someone who you aspire to be. Someone who is not afraid to march to his own drumbeat.
For me, Steve Jobs was a genius. No, he was not a genius like Einstein who created the Theory of Relativity. He was not a genius like Thomas Edison who invented the lightbulb. I don't view Steve Jobs as a genius inventor. To me Steve Jobs is a genius at making things a reality.
He was a genius at melding various technologies that were hard to use and make them so simple and beautiful that even a 3 year old or an 80 year old can use them right away.
He was a genius in changing our views of what a computer should look like. Instead of an ugly beige box, he made it acceptable that computers have colors and great design and not just accept pizza box designs of laptops. He made important that we should learn to move forward and let go of the old by eliminating the floppy drive and then the CD drives.
His meticulous attention to detail and going against the status quo made things better for us even if we don't use Apple products.
Just imagine where we would be now with Smartphones if the iPhone never came out? We'd still be looking at plastic cigarette box phones with ugly user interface and just accepting that we have to pay for every single apps or features on a phone. Now we have a phone with only one button that can do the job of a full computer 5 years ago. You can surf the web, check e-mail, play games, call, video conference and do some work from a phone in your pocket without a stylus!
Where would we be with tablet computing if the iPad never came out? We would still be using full version desktop OS with a stylus and hard to use interface tablet computers. He made it acceptable to use mobile computing OS on a tablet device and show us that even a mobile OS is capable of doing the job of a desktop PC.
Steve Jobs was a visionary. He made computers not just functional, but something to be part of your furniture in your house to display. He hates wires and clutter and we should be thankful for that because we all benefit from it. You will be proud to display your iMac instead of hiding a beige box under your desk. He made a utility device into something sexy.
He saw the world of the future and tried to bring it to us today. He didn't listen to what people said they wanted. He followed his own intuition and showed people why they would want his products. When he came out with the iPhone, critics said that it was overpriced and useless as a phone. Not seeing Steve Jobs' vision on the future of the smartphone. Look at where we are now?
He gave us the iPad and critics where saying what is the point of a table device when all other tablet device failed? Now we all know why we need a tablet device.
Steve went with his instincts and vision, not what the market was telling him. He showed us his vision of the future, but piece by piece, until we are ready or the technology is ready.
I didn't watch the iPhone 4S keynote the day when it came out. I saw it after I heard the news of Steve Jobs' death. I was wondering if Steve hanged on until after the keynote. It made me also wonder if they named the iPhone 4S as a tribute to Steve as iPhone 4 S(teve).
A lot of people were disappointed with the keynote saying that the iPhone 4S was a big letdown. It was basically the same iPhone with upgraded internals. I think they all missed the point.
One thing about Apple is that the hardware is only part of the equation. There are other phones out there with better specs compared to the iPhone. But no other phones out there will have the blend of hardware and software like the iPhone.
After watching the keynote, I just saw Steve's vision for the future and the future is
Siri. Sure, people will say that voice recognition programs have been around for years and it's nothing new. Just like video conferencing is nothing new, but Apple has a way of bringing technology that has been around for years that few people uses and bring it to the mainstream.
Siri brings to us voice recognition technology that you only used to see on Star Trek. Siri is the future, Steve's vision of the future and a future that is yet to come.
Steve has shown us what its like to follow your heart and your dreams. What it's like to not follow what everyone is doing. He made it acceptable to be the round peg in a square hole. To break the rules and be a rebel.
He dared to push the human race forward in views. He wanted to change the world and he did. You may or may not agree with it, but he doesn't care. And that's what's important. He created works of art that everybody copied. He followed his heart and dared to Think Different.
RIP Steve Jobs. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
Think Different (1997) from Christoph Dernbach on Vimeo.
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