When Steve Jobs began hacking together bits and pieces in his mother’s garage with Steve Wozniak, they may have dreamed of great success, but there is no way that they could have imagined the full impact they would have on technology.
Keep in mind that I am a PC guy. I have never owned an Apple in my life, never listened to an iPod, never surfed on iPad, never called on an iPhone. Personally, I prefer the more open architecture of Android, and think that (for what I do) PCs have always overshadowed Apples. (actually, I prefer Linux to Windows, but now we are really getting far off base). In fact, looking at Apple products, I would have to say they do far better on devices than they do with computer. I think their marketing department is the best thing about their company, and that a great number of people who buy the devices do so because they want to be part of the “in” crowd.
However, I have to admit that without Apple, without the vision of Steve Jobs, the face of computers and technology would be far, far different… simply put, the world was made a better place by Steve Jobs.
I could say that I prefer my Android phone over an iPhone, but had there not been an iPhone there would be no Android. I could say that I prefer many tablets over the iPad, but if there had been no iPad, there wouldn’t be a tablet market as we know it. I could say that, for all its problems, I prefer Windows to Mac, but Windows followed Mac into the arena of graphical interfaces.
Steve saw what nobody else saw. He saw the potential of the little bits and pieces sitting around him. His goal, from the beginning and right through to the end, was to make technology available to the public in a simple and easy way that they could understand and integrate into their everyday lives. Whatever aspects of Apple I don’t like, I have to admit that he did exactly that… and while there are devices that I think may do a better job, they all followed Steve Jobs to the market place.
Steve Jobs had a dream, and he followed it… and his dream led us all into a much brighter tomorrow.
