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In memory of Steve Jobs, I am re-publishing an edited version of my article from August 25, 2011, the day after he resigned from his position as CEO of Apple.
Yesterday Steve Jobs passed away, but his influence will live on, as he truly revolutionized not only the tech industry but the world. Future generations will study the man as he has secured his place in world history.
Jobs’ genius extended from tech to design, innovation, marketing, development, management and presentations. The iPod, iPhone and iPad not only have become best sellers in their categories, they have also brought mass appeal to consumers. MP3 players, smartphones and tablets existed before Apple launched its devices. But widespread consumer adoption occurred only when Apple entered these markets. Jobs succeeded not only in brilliant innovation, but in making personal technology appealing to the general public. Few products instill fervor in consumers as Apple products do.
With all of the impact Jobs had on the consumer technology market, his biggest contribution was his introduction of devices that are sophisticated enough to perform complex computing functions, while being intuitive enough for everyday people to enjoy.
His genius was believing in the wonder of tech and making us believe in it too.
What do you think of the impact Steve Jobs has had on the world? What does the future hold for Apple? How will innovations in personal technology be affected? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section below.
* Image by Marco Paköeningrat
For me, it was not the gadgets, it was the Macintosh computer that changed my world. I learned I could do things on a Mac that amazed my friends–publish a newsletter, publish a magazine, keep a database for mailing the magazine, create a catalog for an art auction, create political flyers and mailers–all with zero professional training. I never could have done any of that on a PC, in fact, I used to stare at my friend’s, befuddled as to what a C drive was and why I needed to find it to copy an article onto a disk.
Anyway, because he made a computer for people like me, I mourn Steve Jobs today. His work affects my life every day.
Hi Kathy, This truly is a day of mourning, not just in the tech world, but in the world as a whole. Few people can have such a profound impact on the world in such a positive way.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Kathy.
Thank you so much for this beautiful tribute to Steve Jobs from someone who really understands how his contributions revolutionized the world!
Also, congratulations Carolyn! I just saw your blog published in the Philadelphia Inquirer today. It was a great blog, you looked beautiful, and I think its wonderful that you will now be able to reach out to an even larger audience of techno neophytes like me who need your wisdom and your uncanny way of making the information interesting, accessible, and fun!
Hi Kathy, Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I do understand the profound ways Steve Jobs has touched so many lives, including my own! He will be missed by many, including friends, family and many who never had the opportunity to meet him in person.
I am thrilled to have The Wonder of Tech published in today’s paper! I am excited that this blog will appear in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s newspaper and on its website on Thursdays. Here is the link to today’s column for those who are interested in checking it out: Why you might need an iPhone 4S
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your wonderful comment, Kathy!
Wow, Carolyn, that is so cool about your blog. Congratulations!
Thanks, Karen. I agree, this is very cool! Thank you very much for your kind words. 🙂
I think Steve Jobs gave a lot of people hope and anticipation for the future. While that’s always necessary for individuals, he helped generate a real community (albeit an imagined one) among Apple users and in doing so, helped that community and the nation at large fear the future a little less. He represented a beacon of hope and progress in a dark tunnel.
Hi David, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, like many remarkable people in history, Steve Jobs rose from humble beginnings to achieve greatness. He is truly an inspiration to others, not only with his success story, but also with the products he developed that help others to reach goals they never thought possible.
Thanks so much, David, for your wonderful comment!
World’s creative light switched off! The man of passion who changed the views of technology! An unmatched true genius! Really a great loss to technology, industry and Apple. Today we all mourn for him about his loss and he engraved the technology not only for apple. For the whole planet. A Macintosh is a simple example to exemplify his true mastermind. Technology has gifted to had Steve to understand its own power and got an opportunity to let people understand how it can embed day today life. Billions of people real love towards Steve is not even enough to compare billions or Nobel award honors for him.
The impact of Steve’s loss could be pointed at many areas including, MultiMedia, 3D technology, tablet PC, OS development, Music and entertainment world. Simply telling, Steve will be in our mind, where ever you think how to change the planet technically.
Still I couldn’t imagine he is not with us. It’s an unbelievable loss!. Yesterday night I express my Tribute at MediaCrayon too.
I miss you Steve!
Hi Manickam, Beautifully expressed. Thank you, as always, for sharing your wisdom with us.
He changed mobile devices forever – that’s the biggest impact I think he’s had. I really hope that Apple doesn’t lose its flair now that Steve has gone… the next 6-12 months will be a very interesting period for the company.
R.I.P.
Hi Sandip, You’re absolutely right, the next year will be crucial in revealing the fate of Apple. I hope the company continues to bring us exciting and innovative devices.
He is one of the greatest people. He used his intelligence to benefit the world. His impact will last forever.
🙁
Hi Mouh, You’re absolutely right. Steve Jobs is one of the greatest people to live during our lifetime. He used his intelligence to benefit the world. As do you, my friend. Thank you for sharing your intelligence with the world on your blog. 🙂
The man was just pure genius Carolyn. No other way to go about it. I mean who lives in the US and has never heard of Apple or the Mac! Even my Mom has heard of iPods even though she has no clue what they are. He changed technology and has paved the way for the future.
My heart goes out to his family having lost him at way too early an age to the ugliest disease known. But he will live on in each and every one of us for what he has done for technology!
Thank you for this wonderful tribute and I LOVE that photo.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I love that photo too. It speaks volumes about his contributions to tech.
On the Today Show this morning, Matt Lauer asked the crowd standing outside if they had an Apple device with them. Nearly everyone in the crowd held up their iPhones (or maybe they were holding up iPod Touch devices). I can’t think of another company’s products that would be that pervasive among a crowd, can you?
Thank you very much for your visit, wonderful comment and shoutout to The Wonder of Tech at your blog! 🙂
I just read a post by my friend, Ellen, thanking Steve for creaing the ipad because thanks to an ipad app her son who can’t talk can communicate with her talk about innovation with a purpose 🙂
Hi Nisha, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! That is a wonderful story! The way Apple product have assisted the disabled community is truly remarkable. In March I wrote an article about how iPads have helped autistic children communicate, some for the very first time. That is how to change the world.
Thank you very much, Nisha for your visit and touching comment!
I started using Apple products about 7 years ago, and it all started with a Mac Mini (because it was the cheapest). I had heard so many amazing things about Apple, and I just wanted to experience it myself. The problem was that I didn’t know a single person who owned a Mac, and I didn’t have a way to test it without actually buying one.
So, I just bought a Mac Mini. And I probably don’t have to say what happened next.. I ended up buying several iPods, iPhone, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac.
I felt connected to Steve Jobs. Because when you buy a Mac, it’s not just a computer, you sort of feel that you belong to a tribe. At first I was sort of laughing at the people who were looking at the Apple events online, but then I started to become interested myself. It was a brilliant way to market new products, and I was eager to see what was happening.
I started to read about Steve Jobs, how he started Apple and how it became so successful, and to me, he was (like you’re saying) a genius.
– Jens
Hi Jens, That was very brave of you to buy a Mac Mini without testing it out first. But what a great payoff for your bet!
You’re right, buying an Apple device is more like buying an experience than a product. Apple stores are always packed in malls. In this worldwide economy, that is remarkable.
So Jens, will you be getting the Steve Jobs book that comes out on October 24?
Yes, I will probably buy the book, but probably not right away. Now that I have my Kindle I don’t buy new books until I’m ready to read them. Before my Kindle I bought tens of books at the same time 🙂
So you’re buying fewer books now that you have a Kindle? I don’t think that’s what Amazon intended, but I understand. With the knowledge that you can have whatever Kindle book you want within 10 seconds, there isn’t much incentive to pre-purchase books anymore is there?
The world lost a visionary. I believe Apple is in good hands but Steve Jobs was a symbol for Apple that will never be matched.
RIP Steve Jobs
Hi Jocuri, I agree, it is difficult to imagine that Apple will be the same without Steve Jobs. He is a man who has few equals in modern history.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us!
Hi Carolyn!
I absolutely LOVE that photo! I would say that every person in the U.S., in one way or another was touched by Steve Jobs. iPods, iPhones, the list is endless. He also forever changed personal computers. Nobody doesn’t know who this great inventor was!
I am keeping his family in my prayers.
Have a wonderful week, and thank you for this tribute!
~Pianolessongirl,
Dakota
Hi Dakota, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Good point, Not only was Steve Jobs brilliant, his brilliance touched so many lives. He will be deeply missed, not just by his friends, family and co-workers, but by the world.
I love that photo, I’m glad you love it as well. Have a great weekend, Dakota!
Well he certainly was a great marketeer and an entrepreneur. but sometimes I feel like he also stole the credit from the people he benefited from. I mean people usually don’t talk about Steve Wozniak that much, Despite he was the brain behind the first mac. Not to mention Jon Lech Johansen, the creator of iTunes.