Last night the news broke that Steve Jobs succumbed to pancreatic cancer and passed away at the age of 56. There is a certain irony to this minor obituary: my laptop is a PC that runs Windows Vista and my cell phone is still, quite literally, a cell phone. Nicole is the one with an iPhone.
But I don’t have to be the proud owner of a MacBook or an iPhone or an iPad to appreciate the creative, insightful and innovative genius that was Steve Jobs. He revolutionized the world of computers, communication and information technology in myriad ways that his arch rival – Bill Gates – never could and likely never will.
The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the tasting: Apple products are durable, reliable and virtually immune to the glitches and viruses that make daily life a living hell for those still chained to Microsoft. Yes, they are sometimes hellishly expensive. But then…you get what you pay for.
The world owes a debt of at least gratitude to a visionary who made it that much more an intimate place. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs: you left us on the same date that my beloved mother came into it. All the more reason for me to remember you.
And now we go back to January 24, 1984 when a boyish Steve Jobs introduced mankind to its future:
