Steve Jobs Dies – But Has Apple Also?
It is genuinely sad news to hear that Steve Jobs had finally succumb to the big C after such a long and brave battle with the disease.
Let me tell you some of my thoughts on Apple, and why this man has had such a positive effect on me and how this differs from anything the initial rivalry at Microsoft could have offered.
Two wars in a lifetime and both eventually won:
People seem to forget a few key issues regarding Steve Jobs’s life at Apple:
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- He was a founder who later on got the boot and was then later reinstated prior to the company’s meteoric success.
- He proved that the “money was only in software” attitude that many technology fools bandied about in the late 90’s to mid 2000’s was totally untrue in the long term as Microsoft are now fully aware.
- He fought as underdog and won almost all battles he undertook until his eventual battle with cancer was unfortunately a battle too far.
- He brought to he world a number of devices that revolutionised two huge industries: mobile phones, and music.
- He also brought to the world new devices that the world did not even realise they wanted or needed.
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It is true to say that the world would have been a lot more frustrating and uglier without the man who came to define the “i” generation, a very wide generation that is now all consuming via the very products that act as the conduits to modern day communication for a growing amount of humans on planet Earth.
iPhone 4S a bit of a let-down:
Could the release of the new iPhone be a sign that things are slowing down at Apple?
Or is this just a case of taking a bit of Apple taking a breather after such profound news that affects such a huge company is digested.
Either way Apple always like to keep their cards close to their sleeves and undoubtedly this will remain the case with the new CEO Tim Cook.
My own ode to Steve Jobs and Apple:
There is no doubt that the decision by myself to adopt Apple macs back when I was a music producer was a distinct life changer. Up to this point in early 1999 I had struggled to get along with highly average PC’s with an operating system that seemed to simply not do as I wanted.
At the time you were either Mac or PC and I happily found myself calling myself a Mac lover almost with in the first few weeks of moving to my G4, I have since owned a Macbook, iPod, iPhone, and use an iMac daily.
I can only say that while I was studying I used to watch my fellow non Mac students struggle with various applications (ahem programs) and continually battle with errors and bugs.
As a result I can safely say that I would not be using a computer to the extent I do without switching to a mac as I would have binned it and turned to tree surgery or something much more hand on….should I thank Apple?
Yes I reckon so, Steve jobs presided over a relatively small company initially, that became a Goliath through a clear vision of usability and design being the most important factors to any device that hits the shelves and long may this continue, he taught the world a lot in his life and also battled with his pancreatic cancer for 6 years meanwhile his company became the largest in the World….some achievement I must say.
Tim Cook…you have one hell of a man to live up to….good luck.
Anthony Munns