The whole world stopped on Wednesday to remember an incredible individual — a man who became a cultural icon and innovator in the world of technology.
Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs passed away Wednesday after a much-publicized bout with cancer. He stepped down from the top position at the company in August.
He created the environment we grew up in. We learned how to use computers and floppy disks on the boxy Macintosh computers in elementary schools. It was on these computers we played beloved educational games like Oregon Trail and Math Blaster.
In the following years, Apple released the iMacs, the awesome desktop computers that were different colors, and the MacBook.
But Jobs’ legacy went much beyond computers. He revolutionized the way we listened to music by releasing multiple generations of iPods and the iPod Touch. Nor are his contributions to the mobile phone industry to be discounted. The iPhone turned its competition on its head — what we expected out of cell phones changed.
Gone were the days of a simple call and text phones. Now third-party developers could design apps for a number of different uses: games, restaurant finders and newspaper apps were a couple of the many categories that found a home in Apple’s app market.
The distaste for the high cost cannot outweigh the impact Steve Jobs and Apple have had on our society. While his products cost a pretty penny, you could always count on quality creations.
His latest invention, the iPad, set a new standard. So many computer companies have tried releasing tablet computers, but all of them to no avail. The iPad — partly because of the Apple name and partly because of Jobs’ customer intuition — created a market for tablet computers.
Apple products are sleek and reliable. The customer feels comfortable within the Apple system because the general functionality never changes as products are updated. An old user can easily learn the newest release.
But he also contributed to the movie industry. He founded Pixar Studios in his time away from Apple. Many of their movies, like the “Toy Story” franchise, meant so much to us as we grew up. It is not what Jobs is primarily known for, but Pixar Studios remains one of the favorite animation companies of our time.
Jobs will join the ranks of great CEOs and innovators that shaped our culture. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Walt Disney all fall into this category. We can add Jobs to the list. His presence transcended the technology business. Rather he defined a generation.
There is a strong likelihood you own an Apple product, whether it is an iPod, MacBook or some combination of the items released under the former Apple CEO. Jobs set a standard that many will strive to live up to for a long time.
So, here’s to you, Steve Jobs — a revolutionary, visionary and cultural icon.
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