If Steve left us....
What a terrible terrible loss for the world. Not being morbid.. but spent some time reflecting on how much I admire him this morning.. and if he were to leave us... how much of his legacy would carry on. His story would be taught in business schools for decades.
Outside the impact to AAPL.. the loss of such a visionary and such an innovative leader... really will come with a shock. It's one of those things that hearing it on the radio might cause me to wreck my car. Just imagining the mourning of fans and friends everywhere... it is going to be a big deal.
Here's to hoping he'll recover and return for many years to come! May those days be far far away!
Anyone else want to reflect on the shadow of inevitability?
Outside the impact to AAPL.. the loss of such a visionary and such an innovative leader... really will come with a shock. It's one of those things that hearing it on the radio might cause me to wreck my car. Just imagining the mourning of fans and friends everywhere... it is going to be a big deal.
Here's to hoping he'll recover and return for many years to come! May those days be far far away!
Anyone else want to reflect on the shadow of inevitability?
Comments
He's fine.
He's fine.
I wouldn't say he's "fine"... he has pancreatic cancer (perhaps in remission) and a liver transplant... both things that mean a person will never be "fine" for the rest of their life.
However, we've seen nothing to indicate that the cancer is active again, or that he's having rejection issues... His visit to the Cancer clinic could very well have been a routine check-up... he'll be getting those for the rest of his life now.
The fact that he took a leave is also indicative that he's not "fine"... of course, it could be that he's just been pushing too hard lately and needs to take a break to rest and recuperate.
Either way... he has a history of not admitting ailments until post-treatment... and that seems to fuel all the morbid speculation in the press.
I don't envy his lack of privacy... certainly not his health issues... but I also hope he's got many years ahead of him to continue to influence Apple (and I see no reason to think that the end is imminent). He's one of the very few "famous" people whom I would truly like to have a conversation with.
He's one of the very few "famous" people whom I would truly like to have a conversation with.
You know.. that's one of those things I was thinking as I typed.. but didn't want to say because I thought it would sound cheesy. Even though I doubt I'd have the chance.. he's one of probably only 5 people who are 'famous' who I'd ever want to talk to.
God.. this thread has depressed me now. Next time I'll just keep it to myself. -doh-
Instead of looking up at the current leaders for the future, look down to the next generation. They are the ones with the ideas, the energy and the drive to change things. The old people are the ones who have made their home and the young people are the ones who come along to move things forward. Social movement guides so much of the technology we rely on.
I think losing Steve will disrupt the perception people have of Apple because he is the face of the company. When you take that away, you just have a company like any other and for a people-focused business like Apple, losing a representative of the company's values will have an impact.
Technology will march on regardless though and most of the innovation comes from the hardware manufacturers. There would be no iPad or iPhone without ARM, LG, Sharp, Samsung, Toshiba, Qualcomm etc. While Apple tries to do the best with the available components, in the long term, it won't matter. When you get to the point where you have a desktop-class device in your pocket, that's it. Endgame.
Time has a way of working these things out. People come and go and everything adapts to the change. The people who have guided developments to this point have done their job. It's easy to think that if Lennon hadn't been shot, there would be more good music in the world but you can't really make that assumption. Similarly, we can't assume that there are other developments that need to be made that hinge on the individuals who have achieved success in the past.
Instead of looking up at the current leaders for the future, look down to the next generation. They are the ones with the ideas, the energy and the drive to change things. The old people are the ones who have made their home and the young people are the ones who come along to move things forward. Social movement guides so much of the technology we rely on.
I think losing Steve will disrupt the perception people have of Apple because he is the face of the company. When you take that away, you just have a company like any other and for a people-focused business like Apple, losing a representative of the company's values will have an impact.
Technology will march on regardless though and most of the innovation comes from the hardware manufacturers. There would be no iPad or iPhone without ARM, LG, Sharp, Samsung, Toshiba, Qualcomm etc. While Apple tries to do the best with the available components, in the long term, it won't matter. When you get to the point where you have a desktop-class device in your pocket, that's it. Endgame.
I think it will have a definite impact, but maybe not as big as it would have been a few years ago, in terms of how people perceive Apple. For the media and for those of us that have followed Apple for years as customers and fans, we will definitely feel like the face of the company is gone. But Apple has grown so much in recent years and have become so ubiquitous (I remember writing here around the time of the iPod launch that Apple and CE devices would make the Apple name ubiquitous and people thought I was nuts) that for the general population, Apple has moved beyond being one and the same as Steve.
But for tech enthusiasts, Apple fans and the media, losing him will forever change the face of Apple. That might ripple out to the general population.
.. he's one of probably only 5 people who are 'famous' who I'd ever want to talk to.
Dare I ask who the others are?
If I were to list 5 ... I'd have to go with:
Burt Rutan
Jimmy Buffett
Steve Jobs
Richard Branson
Paul Allen
(in order of preference)
Within the last two decades or so we have been on the wavefront of an emerging silicon technology megatrend which, together with all of its ancillary considerations (i.e, software, peripherals, network topologies, etc.), has approximated to some degree the wide open characteristics for development that any new frontier would naturally provide. It is within this amalgam of dynamic tension caused by competing views vying for survival and public adoption that a standard eventually coalesces and comes to be regarded as a de facto standard within an industry (and here - a society, or even perhaps a humanity, as well). Often times, the standard which emerges is not necessarily the best one that delivers the most “bang for the buck” for the consumer, because – in a simple way – the “bang” is often shared among many different beneficiaries (e.g., manufacturers, government, etc.) and is therefore blunted with respect to the final benefit due any one interest group. While it may be argued, successfully I might add, that this is a distorted view because it is perhaps too concise for brevity's sake, few would argue that “Windows” or “Detroit automotive technology” exists today because it was the best solution for the consumer and survived for the benefit of the people as a result of the economic evolutionary forces involved.
What is so compelling to me about Steve Jobs is that he has, in many cases, appeared to be the lone voice of dissent within the silicon technology business that coincided (or paralleled the consumer's best interest) for change that truly represented advances in the right direction that would benefit people (or at least Apple customers) – as opposed to merely benefit other perhaps equally legitimate interests (e.g., corporate profits, etc.). In doing so, Steve Jobs has undoubtedly felt many times to be isolated – or even ostracized – by the vanguard of silicon technologists – because he has always had (and served) a different vision than the rest. In so doing, he has had Apple taken away from him, he has been excoriated many times in the press by detractors both within the industry and without, he has been dismissed by pundits and ridiculed by many of his own contemporaries (e.g., Michael Dell's famous remark about shutting down Apple and returning what could be salvaged to the investors, etc.), and has endured many negative labels as a result of his steadfastness to his vision.
Although he was never asked by me (as I have never had the pleasure of a minute of his time nor am I ever likely to), Mr. Jobs has consistently (and even perhaps militantly) remained true to his vision despite the whole world telling him he was wrong, and in doing so, he has today delivered to me a compelling system of silicon technology that if it were taken away from me – quite frankly – I would feel significantly less empowered to do what I do everyday. I know on a level that I was never made privy to that I am the direct beneficiary of all the commiseration and hardship that Mr. Jobs has probably suffered all through the years in his quest to deliver the technology that I enjoy and depend upon every day.
I would not be surprised if all that stress somehow contributed to any health issues he might now endure as a result of having gone through it. I trust that what is happening now – the ultimate vindication of his vision through the constantly growing adoption by millions of people who are waking up to the same benefits I already know – and the sad demise and subsequent exposure of the shallow infrastructure of his constant detractors – will afford him ample satisfaction with the knowledge that his version of the big picture was right all along, and that the endless nights of turmoil he spent in helping bring about that vision (when opposed to forces committed to other designs - e.g., Balmer, Schmidt, Dell, etc.), was in the end worth it. I, for one, will be eternally grateful to the man and his “contrariness,” and the Draconian “you'll be fired for riding in the elevator with him” reputation such a commitment to his vision has unfortunately engendered. In truth, I will always be indebted to Mr. Jobs that he has stood on that wall and hung in there and demanded satisfaction for a quest that has not yet ceased to bring me continued benefit and enjoyment, and I am delighted (if I may use that term) that his success and ultimate vindication will only result in continued benefit to me and others in a position to receive it.
Thank you, Mr Jobs. Thank you very, very much indeed.