Get Well, Steve Jobs

January 15, 2009

Love Apple or hate them, admire Steve Jobs or revile him, there’s no denying the unquantifiable impact he’s had on technology. From the original Apple II that opened computing to the consumer once and for all; to the GUI and the mouse of the Macintosh; to the iMac – the computer that pushed beige boxes into the dustbin of history (and countless colorless consumer products in general); to the iPod and the iPhone, two devices that have changed mobile media and pocket computing forever; Steve Jobs has probably done more to push technology forward than any other single person in history. He not only makes his own company better, he makes his competitors better.

Unparalleled tech visionary, marketing genius, and renowned megalomanic, Steve Jobs is an epic business and design force – and his loss would leave a void not soon to be filled. And his abdication (willing or unwilling) of the tech world to the Michael Dells and Steve Ballmers of the world would be a tragedy for us all. Steve Jobs’ “ferocious attention to detail” and legendary stubbornness is both blessing and curse. The results include beautifully-designed, wonderfully intuitive products like the iPhone. As well as the sometimes-baffling obsession with consistency. Seriously, Steve, lose the one-button mouse. The Mighty Mouse is an odd way to comply with the wants of the people without fully complying. (Though anyone who has used the one-button (or now no-button) trackpads on Apple laptops knows how superior that approach is to the six trackpad buttons I’ve seen on some of my previous PC laptops.) But I digress…

I (and many others) would argue that Steve’s hardheadedness sometimes holds Apple back as much as it pushes them forward. But personally, seeing how Apple would fare without it is not an experiment I want to see performed anytime soon.

Get well, Steve. Please. We hope to see you back at Apple in the summer, unveiling ever-more-amazing new products with your unparalleled showman’s touch.

Posted in Apple