“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”
~Steve Jobs
I think it is pretty safe to say Steve Jobs did something wonderful. Think different wasn’t just a tagline, it was a way of life.
RIP Steve.
(Written on my MacBook Pro)
vi·sion·ar·y = Adjective: (esp. of a person) Thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom:
Few people are true visionaries. We would like to think we are, but thinking outside the box is far harder than it sounds. Steve Jobs simply made the products everyone wanted. And if they didn’t know they wanted it, they did after all the buzz that surrounds an Apple release. I admit, I thought early on Apple missed the boat keeping products in house while Windows spread like a wildfire (or a virus is probably closer to reality ) Obviously Steve Jobs knew how to control a brand and grow it into one the most lucrative on the planet.
I started out a PC guy, and remained one until I bought my wife the mac mini when it came out. From there I was hooked. I have since bought, 5 macs, and love the products. With a PC your life is about anti virus software, and crazy executable files designed to ruin the world. With a mac it is about productivity.
And every release of an apple product helps me be more productive. As a web developer I spend all day on my computer, and Macs make that day more enjoyable, productive and profitable.
Then there is the iPad. I admit I wasn’t sold on it until I bought one for my wife. She uses it for almost all her needs. The product has revolutionized the industry and you better be developing websites that look ok on the iPad or you are missing a huge part of your market. Travel to any board room and watch Senior Executives. They pull out the iPad. The iPad also showed how the computer industry just wants to hang back, see what Apple does and create an inferior copy. It hasn’t worked, and the Pads which have come out, aren’t as good and don’t sell. Perhaps with Steve stepping down, other computer makers will actually think for themselves and create something great, to quote a great ad, “think different”.
So, with sadness, I wish Steve Jobs Godspeed. Thank you for Apple and all you have done. Few have really changed the world. You Have.
