Because this is the legacy that Steve Jobs has left behind.
He made extraordinary technology accessible to, and useable, by commoners like me.
How he was an amazing person and all that has been canvassed by better writers elsewhere. Suffice to say that I found him to be a charismatic, intelligent business leader. A bit of an egomaniac, but so are most great men. I actually talked about him as a business leader I admired during my last interview, which was on the date that he stepped down as CEO, funnily enough.
So I'll just talk about why his death has affected me somewhat more strongly than I would have imagined.
I got my first iPod waaaaay back in Year 9. It looked a lot like this:
In fact, you could argue that it looked exactly like that.
The first generation iPod mini.
It was wonderful. The build quality, the ability of it to store a bazillion songs on it, the click wheel, the colour, the cool factor, the headphones. Keep in mind that this was off the back of having owned a Sony Walkman. Which, as things go, wasn't too bad. But this was a whole new level.
I remember that it also cost a gazillion dollars. Now that I look back on it, it was really expensive. And I got it a week before the second gen came out for a hundred dollars cheaper.
But I didn't care. I still think this is the best-looking iPod, apart from the one that I got next, after this was no longer fit for my needs.
This, too, was awesome. It let me listen to music in colour.
But seriously, it was great.
The best thing about these things was that they bring back such memories. They went places with me. They made my otherwise interminable train trips in the mornings that much more bearable. They blocked out the noises of squealing babies, squawking schoolgirls, squabbling adults and general noisiness.
Sadly, the black fella didn't last as long as the blue fella. It died one day after leaving it in a car that was a bit too hot. The blue fella still works though, which I think is quite an achievement.
Anyway, I'm now on to an iPhone and a MacBook Air, and I love them both. The iPhone because it's so easy to use, and allows me to do everything I need it to. Yeah, Android, blah blah blah. I'd rather have a good-looking, operational phone and user interface. I don't need my phone to be able to fly jet planes.
Funniest thing is, even those that berate Apple and their products, use Apple products to do it. I read some Tweet by some person today, screaming that Steve Jobs was evil and such like. I'll let the picture do the talking.
My MacBook Air, I love because it weighs practically nothing, looks beautiful, boots up in 10 seconds flat, has almost zero lag, has a full size keyboard, and a five-hour battery life. Pretty amazing if you think about it.
Steve Jobs, with his creativity and superb market and financial intuition, made all of these devices possible. I loved using every single one of them, and I don't think it would be too hard to see that those devices, along with others that you might have heard of (this little thing called the iPad), have changed entire industries. Music, movies, computers, phones.
Further, I think almost everyone I know has had an iPod at some stage. It's not every day somebody creates something that pervasive, that iconic, and that awesome.
Oh yes, and Pixar. Absolutely love Pixar films. Every single one, except maybe Cars, is a masterpiece. Seriously.
I can't speak for everyone, but the products that you created have left a lasting, and, I hope, positive impression on me. A life cut far too short. At 56, he probably should have been in his prime.
Well done on a successful life, Mr. Jobs. Rest in peace.
Word of the Day: Jobs
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