I could live to be 200 years old and I would still trade it all for the impact Steve Jobs has had in his 56 years. He gave Microsoft the competition they so desperately required. He dragged the music industry kicking and screaming to a business model that their customers wanted. He completely revolutionised animated movies with the best signal to noise ratio of any studio ever. He dared to sell a quality product at a higher price when the PC industry was on a desperate race to the bottom. He changed how we spend our time.
I am old enough to remember when the whole personal computer industry started. I watched fine competitors like Commodore fail. I remember when Apple just seemed to be waiting for that knockout blow from Microsoft. I was stunned when Jobs got fired and then again when he returned. I have since watched as he took great ideas that had previously been poorly implemented and owned them like they were his all along.
I'm not a fan of how Apple went from feisty underdog to patent-wielding monster. Apple have come a long way from their "1984" Superbowl ad and are now the bullying giant. Their environmental and employee treatment are abysmal. I am not an Apple zealot even though I own at least a dozen of their fine products. iTunes causes me plenty of pain. BUT to a technologist like myself, today is one of the saddest days in memory. I cannot help but respect and love the man who rocked the boat and did things differently.
R.I.P. Steve Jobs. Our computers and our culture will be worse off without you.
