It was weird. I don't know him, have never known him. But it felt like someone close had departed and i felt more affected than I really should be.
I read further down the New York Times article and it began to make sense. Steve Jobs vision from 30 years ago, now realised, is part of my everyday life. To be honest, the fact is, the results of his vision are ingrained in me. I spend at least 10 hours a day on a Steve Jobs heavily influenced product - iPhone plugged in on the way to work combined with reading the BBC/NYTimes app. At work, I'm on a MacBook all day (which I just moved over from a PC, and it's the best change that's happened - productivity-wise).
This paragraph from the NYTimes article sums it up perfectly:
“Funny how much emotion you can feel about a stranger,” wrote Susan Orlean, the author. “And yet every phone call I make, every time I’m on a computer, he’s part of it.”
He will always be known for taking risks, not backing down, and realising that in the most innovative yet consumer centric way. Are you kidding? That is an understatement.
Thank you Steve for changing this industry, and challenging the competition.
