Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Tribute To Steve Jobs -- A Visionary Non Conformist.

I would think that Steve Jobs was Bill Gates + Michelangelo. An unparalleled combination of Tech Genius, Artistic Aesthetics and of course marketing. There are men who build and shape the world and there are ones who inherit it. And the ones who inherit it must be grateful to the ones who build and shape it. Steve Jobs was one of the rare ones who shape this world and for his legacy, we, inheritors must be grateful to him. A man who chased his dreams all life-long paying no heed to the established creeds and notions and making this world a better place in the process. In his remarkable journey, he dropped out of college, studied Calligraphy, became a Buddhist, experimented with LSD and developed a fetish for turtle necks and beltless jeans ! The ultimate non-conformist. The ultimate Rebel. The ultimate Inspiration. Today iPhone, iPad and iPod or Macbook might be household names and might look obvious to us, on a second thought, compared to their competition, these products are anything but obvious. As the user trend shows, these products are light years and Aeons ahead of their peers. What Steve revolutionized was probably that he combined ultra high technology with simple personal electronics products and managing a remarkable aesthetics – The Trinity no one else could master like he did. And not to mention, the simplicity of user friendly controls. Remember the finger slide to browse photo album on iPhone and the pinch on screen to zoom in or zoom out ! And while the current view on Steve Jobs’ legacy is eclipsed with iPhones et al, one must not forget another of his Titan --the Pixar studios who gave us masterpieces like Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Steve was the man in 80s who many saw as the face of “Us Versus IBM- The Corporation” battle as many observers pointed out. This gelled with his Rebel and Non-Conformist aura. Steve Jobs changed our world for the better. And did it repeatedly – Mac, Pixar, iPod, iPhone and then iPad. I don’t own any of his devices as I am probably not a gadget lover (And of course because non conformity of Mac Book and iPhone doesn’t come cheap !!) but I think the way these things have changed our lives, for better, I am indeed grateful to Jobs and lucky that I could live in Apple’s Times. Foot Note: In the office elevator, a young woman was listening to some music through her iPhone. Most likely oblivious to the fact that the creator of this device has just passed away. Jobs may not be around, but his legacy on our lives would always be. God, thank you for giving us Steve Jobs. Even if only for 56 years.