Farewell, Steve Jobs

Sad news arrived in the tech world this evening. A titan of the industry, probably the single most influential and publicly recognizable figure in consumer electronics over the last decade has passed from this world. I speak of course of Steve Jobs.

His passing was not unanticipated. Jobs had battled with cancer for years, and his recent resignation as CEO of Apple was widely assumed to be the result of his failing health. Still, it was expected that he would have a role at Apple for at least a while longer. Jobs’s death leaves a hole in the company’s public face that will not be filled for a long time.

In a sad coincidence, Steve Jobs’s passing comes one day after the latest release of the iPhone, probably the most significant and industry-changing product overseen by the Apple co-founder during his tenure as CEO. The new product was the first major launch announced by Jobs’s hand-picked replacement, Tim Cook. Cook’s very next public communication following the iPhone announcement was his letter to Apple employees regarding the death of his predecessor.

Jobs’s career was a roller-coaster ride of innovation. His success lay in a combination of brilliant design and a willingness to take risks. Jobs developed products in anticipation of markets that would want them, rather than following into the existing markets. Not every innovation was a success, but the combination of new ideas revolutionized mobile computing over the last five years in ways no one could have anticipated. It was a fearless approach to business that shook the world.

I’ve personally owned only one Apple product, a third gen iPod. Just a few years ago, my view of this man would have been best defined by my Android-fanboy hatred of all things Apple. Steve Jobs represented the face of my arch-nemesis. But looking back there really is only one thing I can honestly say.

Thank you, Steve. Thank you for being the force of nature that drove our world to new heights, to a vision of technology that no one but you could see before its time. Though I’ve never used most of those products myself, I felt their impact constantly, as your competitors sought to keep pace with you.

You’ll be missed. Rest in peace.