I used to be concerned that the world would never recognize the true genius of a madman. Everytime Steve Jobs laid out an innovative, ground-breaking vision, the critics always pointed out the flaws and the senselessness. And nearly everytime, they have been proven wrong. One button mouse? Expensive price tag? SCSI? RISC? FireWire? CHRP? AAC+? NeXt-based? QuickTime? Exotic design? Think Different? Cupertino? Safari? USB instead of serial? Clone killing? Non-computer hardware development? Intel-based? Airport? Pure cgi feature movies? GUI? TrueType? Dogcow? Axing Newton? OpenDoc? Proprietary?
The splash image on Apple's website today
I was usually more of a fan of Steve Wozniak than of Jobs. The Woz was the kind of philanthropic billionaire I wanted to be more like. Jobs was an asshole determined to change the world. Woz was a kid who just wanted to make the world a better place. Apple is a touchstone example of why the world needs both.
Jobs is truly a living legend. One of the few greats that outlived the criticism. Most geniuses aren’t appreciated long after the funeral. Steve Jobs is Dead. Long Live Steve Jobs
The greatest contribution of Steve Jobs is his life story. He is a real-life manifestation of karma, justice, patience & vision. He got fired from a company he helped found, and her wasted no time creating new giants in different industries. And then he eventually merged all three. And created a fourth. His iCulture didn’t just change how we used computers. It changed a global lifestyle.
Steve Jobs taught me to look for opportunity when others see defeat. If the Apple Board didn’t fuck Jobs over on his birthday, we would not have Toy Story. Or (ironically) OSX. And without baby Lisa, there would not have been a Macintosh. His tragedies and missteps went on to fuel innovations that shaped generations. 1984. Think Different. iDance. I am a Mac.
Man I have watched Steve Jobs go from one of the most hated man in the game, to the most respected. Now he will be the most missed. What’s next for Apple? For us?
Tim Cook will ensure that Apple will ride the iBandwagon til the wheels fall off. What Motorola did with the Razr. Or what Intel did with Pentium. Steve reminded us that only innovation fuels dominance. Not the other way around. Apple will be techier, but will it be better?
I wonder if they will do a sequel to Pirates of Silicon Valley. Look at how much has changed with Apple & Steve vs Microsoft & Bill, since the end credits of that movie. While we all take the success of Apple for granted today, I remember when Apple fans were a small cult of nerds who liked having a computer that didn’t crash or get viruses.