Wed 24 Aug
2011
I did not start out as much of a tech nerd when I was a kid, so by the time I developed my fondness for computers, Steve Jobs had already left Apple for the first time. He was running NeXT then, but effectively he was in the wilderness and it seemed like his best days were behind him — or at least he would never get a second chance. So tales of his vision, his sheer force of will, his reality distortion field, were like modern fables; things from the past that we’d probably never see again. Like the Beatles getting back together or J.D. Salinger publishing another book.
That’s basically what happened, though; Jobs came back, of course, in 1996, and before too long he was in charge of Apple again, and we got that magical second act in one of the great lives. We don’t get that very often, but this time we did and, well, it was something amazing to live through. I feel very lucky. Thank you, Steve.
well said khoi. steve changed generations, not just by the tools he created, but with the thought and design that went into them. his vision will be missed and well remembered. here’s to hoping he regains his health and gets some much needed time with his loved ones…
Nice post. I remember those early days back at SDG when we use to talk about Apple, marvel at the stories about Mr Jobs before he left Apple and how messed up the company became after he was forced out, and how great it was when he returned to the helm of the mothership. :) I went out to dinner with Glenn tonight in SF on the eve of Steve’ resignation, which was fitting since we met through VMUG so many years ago. We talked about some of Steve’s great moments and wished you were with us for a little Apple geeking. :)
My dad, a university professor, always had an Apple laptop of some type which, although I didn’t get to use for the same reasons you mention, Khoi, did lead to him bringing home a NeXT when I was in high school. I even owned a NeXT at the end of college.
In one sense, it’s fair to say I owe my entire career to Steve’s vision.
Lord knows Jobs is brilliant in any number of ways, but as a designer what I most respect/admire/thank him for is his complete devotion to the personal vision - no focus groups, no timing the market, no compromises.
For that, and for giving the world beautiful and beautifully functional products, thank you Steve Jobs!
Thanks to Steve for being a milestone as a CEO for making the masses realize what they have always needed, the importance of design. By combining aesthetics and science, he raises the bar of expectation for a product.
Bravo! Thanks to Steve. Thanks to Khoi for a perfect post.
Nicely said Khoi! We need more experiences like that in all of our careers. Few are rewarded in such a way. Let’s not forget the challenges Steve still faces and pray for him as much as we appreciate the tools he’s built.
The Beatles broke up, and never gave the dream concert; and a lot of the other spirits of the ‘60s never made it back for the much-desired second act. Jobs did it, and proved to us old Boomers that there was something real in the vision.
Every designer has to give Jobs a little love. He gave a face to the power of good design that mainstream culture could identify. Good design has rocketed into nearly every tech company’s collective unconscious in the past decade and it can almost solely be credited to Apple. That is an almost un-matchable feat.
He, and his amazing team, made our lives as designers just a little bit easier.
Here’s the thing: while Steve was “in the wilderness” at NeXT he:
- helped lead a major creative force in mainstream movies
- created a computing platform used to:
+ develop the WWW (in a deep sense; T B-L based HTTP in part on Objective-C message passing)
+ develop Quake, the videogame that defined what most games would be from 1996 through the present.
He never really left; we just stopped paying attention because he was acting at one level of indirection.
I find it amazing that you actually have a category for a Brand like Apple. I think people see Apple as being more of a religion than a corporate company these days. I have had some bad experience recently with their after care service with my Mac, makes you think that they are only interested in selling to you.