Requiscat in pacem, Steve Jobs

The word most often associated with Steve Jobs appears to be "visionary."  Almost every article about the man includes the word in the first paragraph.  It's not just hyperbole in Jobs' case.  He holds 317 patents--and most of them are for cool products.

What I most appreciate about the man is the sense of style and taste he brought to technology.  I'm a Mac convert, not so much because the product is stable, although it is, and not so much because it does more than a PC, which it does not.

I like my MacBook Pro because it feels good in my hands when I carry it.  Its' one-piece aluminum construction is strong and sleek, its' design simple and elegant.  Steve Jobs did that.  Says the New York Times:

He put much stock in the notion of “taste,” a word he used frequently. It was a sensibility that shone in products that looked like works of art and delighted users. Great products, he said, were a triumph of taste, of “trying to expose yourself to the best things humans have done and then trying to bring those things into what you are doing.”

That quality may very well be irreplaceable.  Apple's released its new iPhone two days ago, mostly to yawns from the technology press.  It's too soon to say, of course, but Apple has some huge shoes to fill if it's to continue at its current level of excellence, which includes not only performance but appearance.

Visionary, creative genius, inventor and innovator, redefiner and titan of his industry--the Berkeley hippie did well!  Said Bill Gates, "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come."

 

Comments

[Hypatia]

One is sorry that he died relatively young.
He was a great salesman. I hope he gave more to charity and philanthropic efforts in his will than he did in life. Or perhaps his family will make up for what he never did. I also understand Apple isn't exactly your dream employer.

I well remember seeing those people lined up for hours to pay top dollar for the first iPhone. P.T. Barnum would have nodded approvingly.

[John Petty]

Nope, not perfect, but he did make the only laptop I've ever had that works reliably--oops, except for that one Toshiba; that was a pretty good one.