Steve jobs passed away earlier this month, the day following the presentation of the Iphone 4S. The gadgets fanatic that I am couldn't go by without paying a tribute to one of the greatest minds since Isaac Newton or Thomas Edison. Because yes, Steve's name could be cited along theirs.
Like many guys of my generation, my story with Apple and Steve begun with the Ipod in the 2000's, when I started listening to music. I was just amazed at how a gadget with so few buttons had so many features. I've always been wondering how it was possible for the player to work, until I got one into my hands.
From conception to presentation, every product that Steve and his team designed had that touch that made Apple the recognized quality brand it is now. In a decade, they succeeded in introducing and changing the way people behaved more than once, and not just in one technology domain, which is just exceptional. The world made giant steps in software, computers design, music consumption or mobility, following what Apple had conceived.
As Apple's famous advertising campaign induced, Steve Jobs like all engineers at Apple, was thinking differently, which wasn't just a marketing thing, but a true lifetime motto as proved by Apple strategy for decades. And that's how every big step had been performed through humanity history, when one person decided to do something other people never thought of, or never had the courage to do.
From education to lifetime choices, Steve's way was atypical. Unlike Bill Gates, he didn't attend one of the top colleges in USA (he attended Reed College), but just like him, he dropped out of college to follow his passion.
It would be too simple to resume his success to those similarities though. We could just say that like every genius, Steve was sort of guided by an invisible force that led him to follow his own path. It's just like he knew exactly where he would stand decades after starting Apple computer Inc. This month, the world has lost a great man. Through his intelligence, Steve earned to live forever among us.
Walter Isaacson, one of his long-time friend wrote a biography that will relate you the whole story, which is available since few days at major retailers. For my part, I'll end up with a quote from president Barack Obama that summarizes who Steve was:
"...brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it."
Rest in peace Steve. Thank you.
Image source: Jonathan Mak
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