The inevitable...
Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 10:01AM The Internet is awash with many, many tributes, following on from the passing of Steve Jobs, so I'll keep this short.
His obviously deteriorating condition at WWDC and his recent resignation as CEO could only mean one thing, it was just a matter of time.
The outpouring of emotion following his departure as CEO felt misplaced and awkward.
The outpouring of emotion following his departure from this life feels compassionate, heartfelt and human.
I never met Steve face to face, although I have been privileged to be in the same room with him on a couple of occasions, albeit from a distance.
But he was the single biggest influence on my working life in the past six years.
Without Steve Jobs and Apple, I'd still be locked into my corporate job, despising every second, driving myself deeper and deeper into a dark place.
That all changed when I discovered Apple and found I had a talent for sharing and teaching people about the Mac through my ScreenCasts.
I made the jump from my corporate existence, by finding a niche and working hard to produce quality content and build a company. But it's more than that. I discovered a job I'm passionate about and can't wait to start each day, made many true friends and travel the world.
Each day is a blessing.
Without Apple, this would never have happened.
Everything I have today resulted from stumbling across a video of the keynote presentation from Macworld in 2005, and watching Steve introduce the Mac mini.
That was the catalyst.
So yes, thanks for all the tech Steve, but thanks for enabling me to turn my life around.
You will truly be missed.
Reader Comments (17)
A touching story Don, and a sentiment shared by us all... RIP Steve - God's "one more thing"
Sad day Don. Keep up the good work.
Apple Macintosh, changing the world a person at a time.
Very sad news of Steve's passing and your post is a real tribute. The technology Steve created has touched our lives in such a deep way, we sometimes forget just how much Steve Jobs had brought to us. I had the joy to be hired by Apple over the Christmas period to entertain at a couple of parties for them in London and Paris, drawing on the iPad. That was a highlight for me and all because Steve Jobs had created such a fantastic company. He will be greatly missed.
Well said Don - a true inspiration for many indeed.
Elegantly put Don.
I share the same sentiment working as a creative, Steve Jobs literally did change my life, his description of being at the crossroads of science and the liberal arts summarises Apple culture so well.
Steve will be sorely missed indeed, a legend even before he died.
Thank you Don. I'm blown away by how personal this loss is for us all. Obama noted in a FB post that most of us would find out about Steve's passing on a device he had invented. That was certainly true for us. And no question on the impact that the products of his vision have had on my life and work, the things I've been able to do and create now, the possibilities, the doors these "tools" have opened, well beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you again for sharing these thoughts and feelings. My heart is heavy, feeling like I've lost a close family member, even though we never met. I take great comfort in the outpouring from this online community. Missing you and Barb and sending much love from us both.
Don, Steve had drive verve and passion. He taught us a new world of experiences. He made great things and we admired him. Ditto you brother
Regards Marcus
That's really beautiful and it echo's a sentiment shared by many of us who's lives have been massively influenced by Steve, myself included.
My first Apple product was an Apple ][+ which I received in 1980. I stayed up the entire day and well into the night pouring over the manuals and learning all the particulars of Applesoft. I taught myself BASIC and 6502 Assembly (by reading SofTalk magazine articles). I've only ever owned Apple computers ever since. I still have an Apple ][+, ][e, ][gs, and a Mac SE (with all the engineers - and Steve Jobs - signatures engraved inside the case). They all still function. I've got many friends now, the result of belonging to various Apple, then Mac, user groups over the years. That one Apple ][+ in 1980 changed the course of my life forever and for the better. For me, it feels as if there is something missing as I work on my iMac this morning. Steve will be missed, but he was wildly successful and he accomplished what he wanted most - he changed the world and made it a better place.
Well said Don. Steve changed it for a lot of us out there who discovered his beloved Apple products. Here is to the Crazy One!
Thanks Don for sharing this. Steve's impact on the World will live on through each of the lives he touched with his vision.
Don, a nice tribute and a great testament to the man and his passion.
A future without Steve Jobs in it will feel emptier.
A life without Steve Jobs in it would have been emptier.
Your words, Don, echo my own thoughts.
The best part from this: Steve shared his visions. We benefited. We shall continue to benefit. Students, teachers, the IT world, hobbyists, everyone....That's a legacy to be proud of.
Very very sad - although we knew it was coming. RIP Steve.
Look after your bodies all you guys out there. Without health nothing matters.
Wonderful Don!
Keep up the great work!
And Steve - R.I.P.
Don
Your blog post is a touching tribute to Steve Jobs. Today has been a sad day and one that has caused me to reflect on Steve Jobs Stanford commencement quoted so often, "have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.". Don you have followed and achieved that as reflected in your post.
Back in the late 1990's early 2000 I did that too, I ran my own business for 4 years something I had always wanted to do. Sadly a year after being purchased by our parent company they went into administration and took us with them. But I did it and will never regret that I tried.
Maybe it is time for all of us to reflect on Steve's words and remember that "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.".
The loss of Steve Jobs was sadly expected but still came as a shock today. Your words Don have really made me think particularly as I know from past email exchanges with you I do a similar role to what you did in the corporate word. Perhaps it is time to live my life and not someone else's.
John
Very well said, Don. In my case my first computer was an Apple ][+, which I thought was a brilliant design, and I was a big fan of Jobs and Woz. This turned into a career, as I started doing PC support when PCs were Apple ][s and CP/M machines. I used Macs from the beginning, had a Lisa on my desk for a while. In the 1990s, I bailed out for a while. With Jobs forced out and Woz not doing much, I no longer had a rooting interest in the company, and I was tired of searching for Mac-specific peripherals and software. When Jobs came back, I started to pay attention again, and OS X made me try Macs again., starting with a laptop running Jaguar. I was dissatisfied with Windows, and the idea of a Unix based OS really interested me. By the time Apple made the switch to Intel, I was fully back in - I could run Windows in a VM if need be, and could get the same memory and peripherals as for PCs. Jobs' second act at Apple has improved by computing experience immeasurably. With all of his accomplishments - Apple ][. Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, I think that OS X has been the one that has had the most impact on me, I think that it is head and shoulders above other operating systems.
This is a sad day, but Steve's live had much to celebrate, and I do not think we will see another like him. Despite Apple being in very capable hands, I do not think that his input can ever be replaced.