I don't think it's sunk in yet. I haven't really thought about it much and if I have, I don't seem to focus on it for long. I was much more upset by his resignation a few months ago, I definitely thought that was the day I didn't think I would ever see in the near future. But this, this somehow, doesn't seem as sudden. It seems as though I've been building myself up for this for the past four years, around the time all the rumours started, around the time he started to lose a lot of weight.
First Apple product was a first generation iPod nano, received Christmas 2005 as, well, if you haven't guessed, a gift. Since then I've been a major Apple fan. I now have a 2008 iPod Classic and a late 2007 iMac. If I had more money and used them more, I'd probably have an iPhone - but the click wheel iPod seems to be suffice to me and probably will be in the future.
But no, I was hopeful that this wouldn't happen - he had lung transplants, said many times he was fine, and I did believe in it - but
Sorry, it's just sunk in.
RiP Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011
Indeed, 'visionary' is absolutely the right word. He saved a sinking ship, and managed to steer it not just back to safety, but to lead the world with such clarity and confidence that even today, many are still struggling to keep up with their achievements. He was undoubtedly one of the finest technological minds of the last quarter-century, and certainly one of the greatest business persons of the century.Gavin Scott wrote:There's simply no getting past the fact that Steve Jobs was a visionary, and delivered technology that has shaped the world. Its a hell of a legacy to leave.
Just as extraordinary as the man himself are the vast torrents of tributes pouring in from around the world, from heads of state to rivals in business to ordinary Joes in the street.
But as Inspector Sands quite rightly points out, Steve Jobs wasn't some benevolent angel - some of the comments I've seen on Twitter and elsewhere have had me wretching with the blind sentimentality of it all: "Steve Jobs had such a pure morality, he was a perfect role model for me and my children"; "He was such a kind and giving man with a dream that he shared with everyone" - and I fear that in the melancholy haze of his passing, many are in danger of brushing over the details of his life with some very broad strokes.
As the Inspector says, when Jobs returned to Apple, the company was in dire straits and haemorrhaging cash, so he took tight control over all outgoings and as part of the effort to stabilise the company, he shut down Apple's philanthropic activities. But they were never resumed, and while other multinational corporations were donating money, sponsoring charities, supporting staff in charitable events and, in some cases, contractually obligating staff to participate in philanthropic work under the company banner, Apple did none of these things, even as it piled up tens of billions of dollars in cash.
Indeed, I believe that Tim Cook has only recently reinstated the first phases of Apple's philanthropic efforts, since becoming CEO.
There's an awful lot of credit to be given to Steve Jobs. He changed the face of information technology, directly and indirectly, and he built an incredible empire that will stand as the proud legacy of an extraordinary life. Let's remember his efforts and praise his work and give him the credit that he's rightly due - but no more than that. At the end of it all, he was a businessman who made an enormous pile of cash, not a saint, not an angel.
But hats off to the man for making his mark on the world, in style.
And flags are flying at half-mast across all Microsoft buildings, campuses and annexes across the world.Mattarz wrote:Apple Store logos are, apparently, being kept dark today, which I think is quite a good tribute.
It's a wonderful thing when rivalries are set aside without hesitation, even if only briefly, so that an important moment can be shared and observed with dignity and respect.
Incredibly shocked. For me, and many others, Steve WAS Apple itself. It's hard to imagine him not having influence on the future direction of the company but - love him or hate him - he has made a significant impact on the technological world. Also, I don't think it's too much of a cliche to say that those who join Apple share a similar vision so in many ways he leaves behind a great legacy but has inspired so many more to carry on the work he so clearly cared about.
BBC LDN sums it up very well - he wasn't a god or a saint but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was at the front of many technological advances and he was incredibly talented; always going that little bit further to surprise and delight - even his competitors.
BBC LDN sums it up very well - he wasn't a god or a saint but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was at the front of many technological advances and he was incredibly talented; always going that little bit further to surprise and delight - even his competitors.
Good Lord!
I've already said my peace of Steve Jobs' passing, but as for Apple devices...Mattarz wrote:Very sad news that Steve Jobs has passed away.
What was the first Apple product you owned?
iPod Nano (3G)
iPad 2 (something I recently seem to have, by some bizarre happening, gone and purchased)
I've never owned an Apple product. I use iTunes sporadically, mostly for its radio tuner, and have used Macs when needed (uni, Nuts magazine...) but I've never been an Apple fanboi.
However, without Apple, would I have an Android tablet? Would there be Samsung Galaxy Tabs or HTC Desires?
Possibly; but at this moment in history, probably not just yet.
As a human, he had his faults. Who doesn't. But as a member of the human race, he will stand out for all time.
However, without Apple, would I have an Android tablet? Would there be Samsung Galaxy Tabs or HTC Desires?
Possibly; but at this moment in history, probably not just yet.
As a human, he had his faults. Who doesn't. But as a member of the human race, he will stand out for all time.
I am confused when people talk about how he didn't INVENT anything, but that's never what it was claimed he did (except listing his name on patents). The important thing is that he said NO to things until they were ready or made sense.
Anyone can say yes to a product and rush it to market, but how many of those have a narrative and finesse that Apple's stuff has? As Topolosky's podcast put it a few months back, iPhone 1 took the touch response and NAILED it, first time. Four years ago. Sure, it used every trick in the book to fool the user into thinking they were manipulating what was on the screen, but I tried a Desire S from 2011 the other month, and it STILL doesn't compare. That's impressive, frankly. To me, it's never been about what Apple makes, but the distance that they push things to effect a user experience. I know some people on here think Apple is a cult of personality, but until I started looking at their products I've never come across computer gear that's been a positive joy to use.
Anyone can say yes to a product and rush it to market, but how many of those have a narrative and finesse that Apple's stuff has? As Topolosky's podcast put it a few months back, iPhone 1 took the touch response and NAILED it, first time. Four years ago. Sure, it used every trick in the book to fool the user into thinking they were manipulating what was on the screen, but I tried a Desire S from 2011 the other month, and it STILL doesn't compare. That's impressive, frankly. To me, it's never been about what Apple makes, but the distance that they push things to effect a user experience. I know some people on here think Apple is a cult of personality, but until I started looking at their products I've never come across computer gear that's been a positive joy to use.
Knight knight
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madmusician
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Mon 11 Dec, 2006 19.11
- Location: Worcester, UK
I quite agree, Sput. It is the perception of speed and of solidity that I love about the iPhone. There's something about the UI, about the animations that I can't quite put my finger on, but I do think that it is a fantastic user experience, and that is something that Apple are so, so good at.Sput wrote:I am confused when people talk about how he didn't INVENT anything, but that's never what it was claimed he did (except listing his name on patents). The important thing is that he said NO to things until they were ready or made sense.
Anyone can say yes to a product and rush it to market, but how many of those have a narrative and finesse that Apple's stuff has? As Topolosky's podcast put it a few months back, iPhone 1 took the touch response and NAILED it, first time. Four years ago. Sure, it used every trick in the book to fool the user into thinking they were manipulating what was on the screen, but I tried a Desire S from 2011 the other month, and it STILL doesn't compare. That's impressive, frankly. To me, it's never been about what Apple makes, but the distance that they push things to effect a user experience. I know some people on here think Apple is a cult of personality, but until I started looking at their products I've never come across computer gear that's been a positive joy to use.
As for Jobs, well it is undoubtedly sad, and he shaped the future of technology. In my mind there is no doubt about that.
As for Apple products, I got an iPod Video for Christmas in 2005, and then bought an iPhone 4 last year. This then encouraged me to buy a MacBook Pro, which I did a couple of months ago, replacing my dying Windows laptop. Yes, there is a premium attached, and I can see why some think of Apple as some kind of cult, but since getting my iPhone and MacBook, there is just a simplicity to the user experience that I just didn't find with Windows. The likes of multi-touch trackpad gestures, fast boot-up and shut-down and integration with peripherals are fantastic. It is true - by and large it does just work. This was reinforced to me when I set up a Windows laptop and desktop for my family a couple of weeks later. Yes, Windows 7 is very good, IMO, but in terms of setting it up, ploughing through set-up menus and the amount of fiddling that needs to be done, there was absolutely no comparison.
It will be interesting to see the direction that Apple take in the future (although I am sure that there are some Jobs ideas still in the pipeline), but Jobs has taken the company and really made it in his own image. His achievements are fantastic - a true visionary and one of the great technologists of our times, I think
With Steve Jobs' passing, the industry has lost a great man - when he returned to Apple in the mid-90's it was an IT company with a geeky image which hadn't quite made it out of the 80's, didn't have a clear direction of how to move forward, and it's future was very uncertain.
If he didn't return when he did it is highly likely that it would have gone to the wall, but at the very least it would never have been transformed into the cool brand with the diverse product range which it has today.
Personally I don't get what makes Apple so appealing. Sure, their products are sexy to look at and certain bits of functionality (the touchscreen on the iphone for instance) are industry leading, but to me it's all too expensive for what it is and far too limited. I also don't get why Microsoft is painted as some sort of evil controlling influence on the IT industry because they want to bundle a web browser and a media player with their operating system whilst Apple enjoy some butter-wouldn't-melt image when arguably they are much worse - they produce an operating system which is technically compatible with PC-class machines but they won't sell it to me unless it's bundled with their own hardware, they produce an MP3 player which won't work unless I install custom software to drive it and they sell a phone where I can't (officially) run any third party app which they haven't approved (by 'approved' read: haven't been paid to put it on their app store). I've never owned a single Apple product, I don't feel that my life is incomplete because of that fact, and I can't see why that situation would ever change.
But nevertheless, millions and millions of people think differently. And you can't help but be impressed by what he has built up.
If he didn't return when he did it is highly likely that it would have gone to the wall, but at the very least it would never have been transformed into the cool brand with the diverse product range which it has today.
Personally I don't get what makes Apple so appealing. Sure, their products are sexy to look at and certain bits of functionality (the touchscreen on the iphone for instance) are industry leading, but to me it's all too expensive for what it is and far too limited. I also don't get why Microsoft is painted as some sort of evil controlling influence on the IT industry because they want to bundle a web browser and a media player with their operating system whilst Apple enjoy some butter-wouldn't-melt image when arguably they are much worse - they produce an operating system which is technically compatible with PC-class machines but they won't sell it to me unless it's bundled with their own hardware, they produce an MP3 player which won't work unless I install custom software to drive it and they sell a phone where I can't (officially) run any third party app which they haven't approved (by 'approved' read: haven't been paid to put it on their app store). I've never owned a single Apple product, I don't feel that my life is incomplete because of that fact, and I can't see why that situation would ever change.
But nevertheless, millions and millions of people think differently. And you can't help but be impressed by what he has built up.
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Inspector Sands
- Posts: 368
- Joined: Wed 25 Aug, 2004 00.37
- Location: London
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/opini ... uture.html? is an interesting opinion piece about Jobs and Apple, especially the bits about 1984.
I know it's still very soon after his death but those eulogising him need to remember that he was just a very successful businessman. His main aim was to make money out of his customers, and squeezed them for every penny. Apple could make their phones in the US in a factory with better labour laws, give jobs to their fellow countrymen, pay some tax to an indebted government and help lower the China/US trade gap (which it contributes to quite significantly apparently). Apparently it could do all that and still make a healthy overhead on each unit sold.
When the iPhone 4 aerial debacle was unfurling there was a phrase being used a lot online to disillusioned Apple fans.... 'remember, Steve Jobs is not your friend, Apple is not your friend'
I know it's still very soon after his death but those eulogising him need to remember that he was just a very successful businessman. His main aim was to make money out of his customers, and squeezed them for every penny. Apple could make their phones in the US in a factory with better labour laws, give jobs to their fellow countrymen, pay some tax to an indebted government and help lower the China/US trade gap (which it contributes to quite significantly apparently). Apparently it could do all that and still make a healthy overhead on each unit sold.
When the iPhone 4 aerial debacle was unfurling there was a phrase being used a lot online to disillusioned Apple fans.... 'remember, Steve Jobs is not your friend, Apple is not your friend'