My personal view is that Steve Jobs' greatest legacy to the world is not the technology he oversaw the birth of, because although it had an impact on millions of people, that impact in itself was not so important. Had there been no Apple, there would still have been personal computers, and digital music players and so on. I think his greatest achievement, and the one that set him apart, was that the aesthetic was central to everything he set out to do, and achieve. His relationship with Jony Ive was critical because he teamed up with an artist who could express that aesthetic in physical form, and what characterised Steve's second period at Apple was the sheer beauty of the products produced.
Oscar Wilde famously defined a cynic as "Someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing", so by that definition Steve was the antithesis of a cynic because he understood, deeply and fundamentally, the value of the aesthetic, the true meaning of that much diluted word 'quality'. I think this is why he elicited such a strong affection from so many people, he introduced those high qualities into people's lives. Smuggled them in almost! Think back to the impact the original iMac had. Into a sea of bland, beige utilitarianism burst that beautiful Bondi blue curvaceous thing, transforming the look, not just of computers, but consumer electronics generally. Within a couple of years things like steam irons and coffee makers were being made using the same smooth lines and bold colour, a mould had been broken and in a small but nonetheless significant way the world as better off for it.
It was more than just the look though, the aesthetic is not just about the form but the marriage of form with function. I remember the instructions that came in the box with that first iMac. It was a poster size sheet which when folded out revealed three instructions. I can't remember the exact words but it was something like 1) plug in. 2) switch on. 3) surf the net. Brilliant. A touch of humour in the mix as well. I also remember the first time I picked up an iPod. The first impression was how beautifully it sat in the hand, it just felt right. The second was how, within two minutes, without instructions, I could fully operate it. Form and function in symbiotic tandem. A work of genius.
Even in his first time at Apple, when the computers just looked like they did, there was always the operating system. It's often been said that the Mac was 'intuitive' to use and that is true. The learning curve was shallow because the operating requirements of the machine had been interpreted into a human form. To work it there wasn't much to learn because you knew it already.
So this is what he gave us. Not just devices that did things, but a piece of true quality in our lives and in our consciousnesses. That is an incredible, and valuable gift. At the Stanford speech mentioned in the article one part stood out for me. He was saying how he was drifting through college, yet to find a direction in life. One day, on a whim almost, he attended a class on calligraphy and it deeply affected him. The minimalist perfection of each character struck a chord, and really you could say the Apple story started right there. That serendipitous moment underpinned everything he subsequently achieved, it's why the font on the menu bar as I write this was chosen so carefully and is just right. It is an example of the 'butterfly effect'. Had he not wandered into that class that day, the world we live in today would be subtly different, just a bit less than it is. That is an extraordinary achievement for one man, and why his loss means so much.
For his sister to convey, "His tone was tenderly apologetic at the end. He felt terrible that he would have to leave us,'' speaks volumes to me how much his very essence was embodied in all that he envisioned for every project he oversaw.
He has nothing to feel terrible about. The world is a far better place having his presence make such a lasting change to the evolution of society.
Well said, and may I add to your first sentence "... all that he envisioned for every project he oversaw and more so, envisioned for everyone he came in contact with, indeed-the world."
It's times like these that we see the true character of people. Because a true 'close friend' would still value Steve's desire for privacy even after his death and said nothing. Same for his family.
And we can see the type of respect different media had for him, while they get their piece of him.
Look, either Steve's friends tell the truth or it will be made up. That's the world we live in. They didn't tell us anything we didn't really know already anyhow.
I posted this on my Google+ page a couple of days ago...
The first words I wrote in my 2005 Moleskine were, "Stay hungry, stay foolish" because they seemed so carefree, yet so profoundly sensible. It was a Steve Jobs re-quote from the back page of "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" - which was The Bible for the supposedly really cool guys of my generation - and those words made and still make life so much more of a pleasure for me... now bordering on being a great-grandfather, still basically broke but having no care about riches, and as always being in love with wonderful people who give without ever thinking of asking for anything in return. Steve Jobs of Apple, and David Ogilvy, the advertising copy-writing guru, were the two men whose "words of wisdom" excited me most about how to be creative, loving and happy... all in one package. I've shed enough tears this morning at the sad news... and it's now time to get on with the day - life goes on... but his words about life and death from his Stanford speech will always be a great comfort because of their reality to everyone's situation... especially to those we love.
Who we are, who we admire, who we view as heroes, says a lot about who we are as a society. I think it is kind of sad that Steve Jobs is considered such a hero. Has the technology he brought to us made our lives so much better? I don't think so. Yes, it is cool. Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue. Good for Steve. I just hope in those final moments he really had something that mattered to him beyond ego and wealth....it is a nice title for an article, but is it true?
Your opinion is noted. Lucky for us that most of society believes the opposite that you do. You are the type of person who likes to try to bring others down to make yourself feel better. You represent the bad side of humanity. You are the anti-hero. Jobs was everything that you are not, and so you lash out at him. Jobs focused on making the world a better place. He was not selfish and cared nothing about money. To me, and to many other people, he was a hero more than any other person in our generation. He gave me my tools that I use to feed my family and pay my mortgage. He game me ways to organize my life. He inspired me with his creations, and he was my role model of how one can follow a dream with little compromise.
What I'm most amazed about is how he did what he did while knowing his fate. It's one thing (an amazing thing) to do what he did in good health, but it's another to do it while knowing you're terminally ill. It really blows my mind. It humbles me to no end.
Just curious: since he died of a rare form of pancreatic cancer ( and we know most cancers are hereditary), ...
This is not true actually. Most cancers are caused by environmental toxins.
Several types have a hereditary predisposition involved but even then avoiding the actual toxic causes would still mean you had a very good chance of not getting the cancer. For instance you can have a hereditary predisposition to breast cancer, but if you don't drink or smoke cigarettes and keep your weight down you may never actually get that cancer.
My personal view is that Steve Jobs' greatest legacy to the world is not the technology he oversaw the birth of, because although it had an impact on millions of people, that impact in itself was not so important.
[...]
Had he not wandered into that class that day, the world we live in today would be subtly different, just a bit less than it is. That is an extraordinary achievement for one man, and why his loss means so much.
Second that, 100%. Aesthetics and human usefulness first, profits in business will follow. They even ran the business as a work of art, as evidenced by their website, their PR and ads, their stores and customer service.
There has never been a consumer-oriented company with this level of attention to useful aesthetic detail, ever. It's new and singular because he saw so deeply into things. This is what contrasts him with other great innovators of the recent past that many have mentioned.
Some of you may disagree, but I think he had a spiritual purity that he could apply to his work, and as we are beginning to learn, in his personal life as well.
Guessing that's why at his last appearance at the iOS5 event this past summer he heavily stressed thanking and praising "family" and all the families who have supported Apple. Steve Jobs, respect always.
My policy is to avoid engaging trolls for the simple reason that they want attention and they don't deserve it. Rarely do they add any real facts or interesting information to a conversation; it's mostly self-expression, and their opinion matters little to me. However, since self-expression is what the forums are all about, it's amusing to me that trolls would flaunt their ignorance, pettiness, or lack of intelligence in public like that. In particular, I find condescending trolls who sit and judge the "rest of us" the most ironic and preposterous.
To the trolls and haters, I say: there's nothing wrong with self-expression; just remember that what you say about others says less about others than it does about you.
I always admired Steve Jobs for how little I knew about his personal life. Despite having decades of professional life involving Apple's products, having turned down a couple of jobs there (dammit), and knowing a fair amount about Job's achievements, I've never once felt subjected to Too Much Information with regard to the man himself.
Before our media culture, celebrities were famous primarily for their accomplishments. Once it became possible for the face of a stranger to be as familiar to us as those of our parents, children, or lovers, it was inevitable that we'd all become grotesquely obsessed with thousands of people who have nothing to do with our lives other than profiting from our attention. The achievements of those few of these who can be said to have any are generally trivial: they are in essence famous for being famous, i.e., for their desperate, anything-goes narcissism.
I know almost nothing personal about Steve Jobs, and yet if I listed every famous name I know, I suspect his impact on my life and my world would be greater than all the others combined. No doubt there's a fair amount of tabloid fodder involved ? who among us who's tried to live authentically hasn't been involved in our share of train wrecks?
To adapt and paraphrase my grandmother's oft-repeated cliché, however often a person of worth's achievements may appear in the press, his or her person should be mentioned there only at birth and death.
Thank you, Mr. Jobs, for giving your gifts back to the world. I won't read your biography or the article above, or allow myself to know the personal details of your life or death. Why should I? You've already shared your vision with me. The rest is just talk.
Who we are, who we admire, who we view as heroes, says a lot about who we are as a society. I think it is kind of sad that Steve Jobs is considered such a hero. Has the technology he brought to us made our lives so much better? I don't think so. Yes, it is cool. Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue. Good for Steve. I just hope in those final moments he really had something that mattered to him beyond ego and wealth....it is a nice title for an article, but is it true?
Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue.
Why is this untrue? Steve Jobs wasn't the offspring of wealthy people whose name and money opened doors that were otherwise closed, as is so often the case anymore. He was adopted by working class parents. Imagine how far one could go if, say, your grandfather was a bank president and your mother was on the board of directors a big national organization like the United Way.
Sure, Jobs hardly accomplished what he did alone, but does anyone think that Steve Wozniak would have ever started a business and been able to push something like the Apple ][ onto the market by himself?
Why is this untrue? Steve Jobs wasn't the offspring of wealthy people whose name and money opened doors that were otherwise closed, as is so often the case anymore. He was adopted by working class parents. Imagine how far one could go if, say, your grandfather was a bank president and your mother was on the board of directors a big national organization like the United Way.
Sure, Jobs hardly accomplished what he did alone, but does anyone think that Steve Wozniak would have ever started a business and been able to push something like the Apple ][ onto the market by himself?
It's untrue because SJ was truly gifted- he possessed something that can't be taught, no matter how rich nor how smart even if your poor. It's the ability to actually bring it all together- the talent, the vision, the leadership, the integrity, the perseverance, and the passion. Very rarely does one have it all. SJ had it and we were all lucky to benefit from it. Did he have flaws? Yes and he acknowledged them which showed his strength. He will be greatly missed- a light that shined brightly in our mist.
Steve at least had the time to gather round him those that he cared about and those individuals had the chance to say what needed to be said and prepare for the worst.
There will be a lot of us reading this who have lost dear ones suddenly and who wish for just 5 minutes to say what was in our hearts but went unsaid.
Say it and do it now because tomorrow sometimes is too late.
It remains astonishing to me how a company and a leader of that entity can design and build something that people get so attached to. I am included in this ... as if the device has become part of us in some way. Perhaps it is. It's used to communicate and learn, two of the fundamental aspects of being human.
They become extensions of the human experience.
May Steve rest in peace of course, and he did have a positive impact on many ... but we are all a bunch of crazy monkeys for sure (typing away on our keyboards hoping to make it through the best we can).
Comments
Oscar Wilde famously defined a cynic as "Someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing", so by that definition Steve was the antithesis of a cynic because he understood, deeply and fundamentally, the value of the aesthetic, the true meaning of that much diluted word 'quality'. I think this is why he elicited such a strong affection from so many people, he introduced those high qualities into people's lives. Smuggled them in almost! Think back to the impact the original iMac had. Into a sea of bland, beige utilitarianism burst that beautiful Bondi blue curvaceous thing, transforming the look, not just of computers, but consumer electronics generally. Within a couple of years things like steam irons and coffee makers were being made using the same smooth lines and bold colour, a mould had been broken and in a small but nonetheless significant way the world as better off for it.
It was more than just the look though, the aesthetic is not just about the form but the marriage of form with function. I remember the instructions that came in the box with that first iMac. It was a poster size sheet which when folded out revealed three instructions. I can't remember the exact words but it was something like 1) plug in. 2) switch on. 3) surf the net. Brilliant. A touch of humour in the mix as well. I also remember the first time I picked up an iPod. The first impression was how beautifully it sat in the hand, it just felt right. The second was how, within two minutes, without instructions, I could fully operate it. Form and function in symbiotic tandem. A work of genius.
Even in his first time at Apple, when the computers just looked like they did, there was always the operating system. It's often been said that the Mac was 'intuitive' to use and that is true. The learning curve was shallow because the operating requirements of the machine had been interpreted into a human form. To work it there wasn't much to learn because you knew it already.
So this is what he gave us. Not just devices that did things, but a piece of true quality in our lives and in our consciousnesses. That is an incredible, and valuable gift. At the Stanford speech mentioned in the article one part stood out for me. He was saying how he was drifting through college, yet to find a direction in life. One day, on a whim almost, he attended a class on calligraphy and it deeply affected him. The minimalist perfection of each character struck a chord, and really you could say the Apple story started right there. That serendipitous moment underpinned everything he subsequently achieved, it's why the font on the menu bar as I write this was chosen so carefully and is just right. It is an example of the 'butterfly effect'. Had he not wandered into that class that day, the world we live in today would be subtly different, just a bit less than it is. That is an extraordinary achievement for one man, and why his loss means so much.
For his sister to convey, "His tone was tenderly apologetic at the end. He felt terrible that he would have to leave us,'' speaks volumes to me how much his very essence was embodied in all that he envisioned for every project he oversaw.
He has nothing to feel terrible about. The world is a far better place having his presence make such a lasting change to the evolution of society.
Well said, and may I add to your first sentence "... all that he envisioned for every project he oversaw and more so, envisioned for everyone he came in contact with, indeed-the world."
It's times like these that we see the true character of people. Because a true 'close friend' would still value Steve's desire for privacy even after his death and said nothing. Same for his family.
And we can see the type of respect different media had for him, while they get their piece of him.
Look, either Steve's friends tell the truth or it will be made up. That's the world we live in. They didn't tell us anything we didn't really know already anyhow.
The first words I wrote in my 2005 Moleskine were, "Stay hungry, stay foolish" because they seemed so carefree, yet so profoundly sensible. It was a Steve Jobs re-quote from the back page of "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" - which was The Bible for the supposedly really cool guys of my generation - and those words made and still make life so much more of a pleasure for me... now bordering on being a great-grandfather, still basically broke but having no care about riches, and as always being in love with wonderful people who give without ever thinking of asking for anything in return. Steve Jobs of Apple, and David Ogilvy, the advertising copy-writing guru, were the two men whose "words of wisdom" excited me most about how to be creative, loving and happy... all in one package. I've shed enough tears this morning at the sad news... and it's now time to get on with the day - life goes on... but his words about life and death from his Stanford speech will always be a great comfort because of their reality to everyone's situation... especially to those we love.
http://plusya.com/EdBuziak
Who we are, who we admire, who we view as heroes, says a lot about who we are as a society. I think it is kind of sad that Steve Jobs is considered such a hero. Has the technology he brought to us made our lives so much better? I don't think so. Yes, it is cool. Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue. Good for Steve. I just hope in those final moments he really had something that mattered to him beyond ego and wealth....it is a nice title for an article, but is it true?
Your opinion is noted. Lucky for us that most of society believes the opposite that you do. You are the type of person who likes to try to bring others down to make yourself feel better. You represent the bad side of humanity. You are the anti-hero. Jobs was everything that you are not, and so you lash out at him. Jobs focused on making the world a better place. He was not selfish and cared nothing about money. To me, and to many other people, he was a hero more than any other person in our generation. He gave me my tools that I use to feed my family and pay my mortgage. He game me ways to organize my life. He inspired me with his creations, and he was my role model of how one can follow a dream with little compromise.
Just curious: since he died of a rare form of pancreatic cancer ( and we know most cancers are hereditary), ...
This is not true actually. Most cancers are caused by environmental toxins.
Several types have a hereditary predisposition involved but even then avoiding the actual toxic causes would still mean you had a very good chance of not getting the cancer. For instance you can have a hereditary predisposition to breast cancer, but if you don't drink or smoke cigarettes and keep your weight down you may never actually get that cancer.
My personal view is that Steve Jobs' greatest legacy to the world is not the technology he oversaw the birth of, because although it had an impact on millions of people, that impact in itself was not so important.
[...]
Had he not wandered into that class that day, the world we live in today would be subtly different, just a bit less than it is. That is an extraordinary achievement for one man, and why his loss means so much.
Good read, thanks allblue
Good read, thanks allblue
Second that, 100%. Aesthetics and human usefulness first, profits in business will follow. They even ran the business as a work of art, as evidenced by their website, their PR and ads, their stores and customer service.
There has never been a consumer-oriented company with this level of attention to useful aesthetic detail, ever. It's new and singular because he saw so deeply into things. This is what contrasts him with other great innovators of the recent past that many have mentioned.
Some of you may disagree, but I think he had a spiritual purity that he could apply to his work, and as we are beginning to learn, in his personal life as well.
Best response to a troller.
Well played!
My policy is to avoid engaging trolls for the simple reason that they want attention and they don't deserve it. Rarely do they add any real facts or interesting information to a conversation; it's mostly self-expression, and their opinion matters little to me. However, since self-expression is what the forums are all about, it's amusing to me that trolls would flaunt their ignorance, pettiness, or lack of intelligence in public like that. In particular, I find condescending trolls who sit and judge the "rest of us" the most ironic and preposterous.
To the trolls and haters, I say: there's nothing wrong with self-expression; just remember that what you say about others says less about others than it does about you.
Before our media culture, celebrities were famous primarily for their accomplishments. Once it became possible for the face of a stranger to be as familiar to us as those of our parents, children, or lovers, it was inevitable that we'd all become grotesquely obsessed with thousands of people who have nothing to do with our lives other than profiting from our attention. The achievements of those few of these who can be said to have any are generally trivial: they are in essence famous for being famous, i.e., for their desperate, anything-goes narcissism.
I know almost nothing personal about Steve Jobs, and yet if I listed every famous name I know, I suspect his impact on my life and my world would be greater than all the others combined. No doubt there's a fair amount of tabloid fodder involved ? who among us who's tried to live authentically hasn't been involved in our share of train wrecks?
To adapt and paraphrase my grandmother's oft-repeated cliché, however often a person of worth's achievements may appear in the press, his or her person should be mentioned there only at birth and death.
Thank you, Mr. Jobs, for giving your gifts back to the world. I won't read your biography or the article above, or allow myself to know the personal details of your life or death. Why should I? You've already shared your vision with me. The rest is just talk.
if you were a true Christian you would forgive them not damn them..
Love and peace brother
No, I don't claim to be a Christian nor will I ever do so, so I can damn them as much as I want.
Who we are, who we admire, who we view as heroes, says a lot about who we are as a society. I think it is kind of sad that Steve Jobs is considered such a hero. Has the technology he brought to us made our lives so much better? I don't think so. Yes, it is cool. Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue. Good for Steve. I just hope in those final moments he really had something that mattered to him beyond ego and wealth....it is a nice title for an article, but is it true?
Great first post, jack*ss. I hope it's your last.
Steve represents the false belief that we Americans love to hold on to "anyone can be Steve Jobs if they just work hard enough." How sad and untrue.
Why is this untrue? Steve Jobs wasn't the offspring of wealthy people whose name and money opened doors that were otherwise closed, as is so often the case anymore. He was adopted by working class parents. Imagine how far one could go if, say, your grandfather was a bank president and your mother was on the board of directors a big national organization like the United Way.
Sure, Jobs hardly accomplished what he did alone, but does anyone think that Steve Wozniak would have ever started a business and been able to push something like the Apple ][ onto the market by himself?
...He was not selfish and cared nothing about money.
Hell yes he was and yes he did! Plenty of articles out there to tell you you're wrong.
Why is this untrue? Steve Jobs wasn't the offspring of wealthy people whose name and money opened doors that were otherwise closed, as is so often the case anymore. He was adopted by working class parents. Imagine how far one could go if, say, your grandfather was a bank president and your mother was on the board of directors a big national organization like the United Way.
Sure, Jobs hardly accomplished what he did alone, but does anyone think that Steve Wozniak would have ever started a business and been able to push something like the Apple ][ onto the market by himself?
It's untrue because SJ was truly gifted- he possessed something that can't be taught, no matter how rich nor how smart even if your poor. It's the ability to actually bring it all together- the talent, the vision, the leadership, the integrity, the perseverance, and the passion. Very rarely does one have it all. SJ had it and we were all lucky to benefit from it. Did he have flaws? Yes and he acknowledged them which showed his strength. He will be greatly missed- a light that shined brightly in our mist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rjRWJUEmJw
There will be a lot of us reading this who have lost dear ones suddenly and who wish for just 5 minutes to say what was in our hearts but went unsaid.
Say it and do it now because tomorrow sometimes is too late.
They become extensions of the human experience.
May Steve rest in peace of course, and he did have a positive impact on many ... but we are all a bunch of crazy monkeys for sure (typing away on our keyboards hoping to make it through the best we can).