If you have not heard the news yet than you are perhaps a member of the very small population that has somehow not had at least 3 aspects of their lives changed by this man. Yesterday the world lost Steve Jobs, who had spent his last handful of years courageously battling pancreatic cancer. So much can be said and has been said of this man, but for the sake of simplicity perhaps it is best to summarize his impact on the world as such: he turned a mundane fruit into an internationally recognized eternalized iconic image. Stop for a moment and think about what you're doing: How are you reading this post? How did you even find it? Are you listening to music? If so on what device? Where do you go to purchase it? How are you sharing it, this post, and every other bit about yourself with the rest of the world? If you're in a cafe, library, study hall, airport, or simply walking down the street, what kind of device is everyone else on? The answer to all these questions will either directly or indirectly take you back to that one image: Apple. In 1976, Steve Jobs and his colleagues created the first Apple computer, and since then the world has never been the same. But it was not just the technology that made a difference: computers had existed and would continue to exist without Apple. So would the internet and email, etc. . It is the genius innovative and determined spirit with which Jobs approached his technology that made all the difference, and there is nothing wrong with stating that the digital revolution we've all come to witness and experience would not have happened the same way without him.
Have you ever seen the movie Toy Story? What about Finding Nemo, Wall-E, or Monster's Inc. Actually, name any other animated movie that's come out in the last 20 years and dazzled a child (and adult's) eye, and you can trace its origin back to Jobs as well. While on hiatus from Apple, Jobs went on to create Pixar as the animated-film powerhouse we all know today. The success of its first film brought the animated movie back to life. So much so that even non-Pixar made films would not have been possible without the precedent Toy Story set and the new place for imagination it created.
Jobs's eventual return to Apple however generated the iGeneration we belong too. There isn't really a need to continue listing every individual accomplishment and invention. We already know them, even if we don't know them. Because the plain truth is this: Ever since 1976, the mind of Steve Jobs has changed the entire media and entertainment industry, how we communicate, share, and relate with one another, and increased the number of innovations made possible by a myriad of other creative divergent thinkers in the digital age. The old saying of "standing on the shoulders of giants" holds true, except today one could more or less say that the current digital innovators (who are without a doubt also swiftly changing our lives) are standing on the shoulders of one giant: Steve Jobs. Whether as followers, competitors, or simply users, there are thousands of people and ideas that would not exist without this man. With that we wish to pay our respects to his legacy and honor his life, although there is no doubt that the name, work, and image will stay with us forever.
Thank you Steve, rest in deserved peace.
For extra inspiration, please read the text of his tremendous speech at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement Ceremony.
True genius. So much respect for this man. RIP
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