Tuesday, November 1, 2011

STEVE JOBS' TRIBUTE


STEVE JOBS

© 2011 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOB SKIDMORE

CORRESPONDENT

I’ve been writing articles under THE GADGETEER byline for over thirty years. In that time, I’ve seen many entrepreneurs come and go. Steve Jobs, however, was a one-of-a-kind, a designer, marketer, businessman and most of all, a visionary extraordinaire who saw a need before we even knew it was one. It is therefore fitting and proper that I dedicate this month’s column to Steve Jobs who inspired the world and me with his technology.

Since the sixties when America launched the space program many have continued to say, “what a waste of time and money”. Over the past fifty years we’ve reaped the benefits of this challenge with advances in many areas of our daily lives, not to mention the careers that were created from numerous spin-offs.

Steve Jobs, the visionary, carried the torch. His technological designs opened the doors for others to become motivated and create many of the advanced gadgetry that we’ve all become accustomed to enjoy in our daily lives. He was never afraid of competition. He thrived on it! To this end Steve was not satisfied to be the sole visionary at Apple, but rather, to create an atmosphere to encourage inquiring minds to think out-of-the box.

He quietly established an executive training program known as Apple University at his company. His goal was to get Apple executives to think like him. This foresight on his part will keep Apple a leader in the technology we all have come to expect, long after his departure. Steve may be gone in mind, but he will always be with us in spirit.

He was once asked about how much market research went into the iPad, Steve said "None. It's not the customers' jobs to know what they want." But while Apple may not have done any market research, it did plenty of advertising. They produced some of the most creative ads. Who can forget the “I’m a PC and I’m a MAC” campaign, or the third-quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl ad that started it all? His creativity was not limited to products.

Sony Pictures is so impressed with his life and contributions that they plan to produce a film of his life story. It’s a pity that Steve’s not here to enjoy all the well deserved kudos.

Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Mal, a Hong Kong design student, came up with the creative design above incorporating Steve Jobs’ silhouette into the existing bite of the Apple logo. What a tribute befitting the cofounder of Apple. Let’s hope it becomes Apple’s new symbol. You may not be an Apple user, but one thing’s certain, Steve’s affected all our lives in some way forever and that’s something reflected in this quote: “To stand in the shadows is to be seen, To stand full-square in the Sun is to be judged”, author unknown.

This says it all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwtzLFKytCU

Steve Jobs, RIP!

(STEVE JOBS, a biography, written by Walter Isaacson, is now published and available at book stores and on-line. Also available, mid November 2011, I, STEVE JOBS, IN MY OWN WORDS, a collection of Jobs-Isms, edited by George Beahm, published by Agate B2 Books.)

Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally supplies products at no cost and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.

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