As much of the world in general, and those of us in the tech industry in particular, mourn the passing of Steve Jobs, we turn to consider that the mortal man may be gone, but his legacy will live on forever. And how truly amazing this is for someone who is not a Nobel winner, not a head of state, but CEO of a tech company.
In short, Steve Jobs changed the way that many of us think, market, expect, and, yes, live.
While of course there are many whose work at Apple combine to bring to market the products that so many have come to almost take for granted as just being there to help us manage our lives (just ask any iPhone user how lost they are when they misplace their phone), it was Steve Jobs whose vision drove how these products came to be such integral parts of our lives.
They are just there.
Because they just work.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
It was Steve who drove the innovation, drove the paradigm – drove the gestalt, if you will – of the brand, and the products that were and are the foundation of the brand.
Every product had to “just work”. Every marketing effort – while perhaps novel, even edgy – just made sense.
From the canonical “1984” ad, to the “1000 songs in your pocket” of the iPod, Jobs insisted on product marketing that ‘just worked’, to match the products themselves.
That is the magic of Apple, and is the magic that Steve Jobs not only brought to Apple – he was that magic, and it is the magic that he left behind.
We have no doubt that Apple will be unable to deviate far from the course. Oh, they may stray, or even try – but they will have to come back to that old Jobs’ magic. And that is Steve Jobs’ legacy.
We wish Steve’s family – both personal and Apple – peace during this sad time.
R.I.P. Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
I have to disagree with a lot of folks’ description of Jobs as being a “visionary”. In my opinion if someone buys an Apple product, they are probably doing it for its over-priced and over-hyped style/design and not function, which can probably be found from other manufacturers’ products at considerably less cost. I make no secret of my dislike of Steve Jobs’ aggressive and ruthless attitude that seemed to rub off on the company, but that doesn’t stop me offering my sympathies to his family. 56 is no age at all to be taken, although I feel it wasn’t entirely unexpected.