Today, technology fans around the globe are remembering a true visionary. Steve Jobs was not only a creative genius, he changed our lives. He gave us a life where we’re not tied to our homes and our desktops. We have the freedom to move about while still doing what we love best, talking to our friends, being with family, and listening to great music.
It’s a dream of many, to leave this world having left an indelible mark. Steve Jobs did just that. Most people are enjoying his technology in their daily lives, whether they’re listening to an iPod, conducting business on their iPhones, or doing all their computing from an iPad. I woke up at 7AM today, and in these hours I’ve been awake, either my iPhone or iPad has been constantly at my side.
Tim Cook, Jobs’ replacement as CEO at Apple, published an open letter on Apple’s website remembering his former boss. It’s quite a different letter than the last one he published, one apologizing for the mistakes of the new Maps app.
It’s not a time for sadness. It should be a time for celebration. Jobs once gave a stunning commencement address telling the three main stories of his life. One was of his humble beginnings as an adoptee and college dropout, another is of the loves of his life, his family and Apple, and the other is of accepting that everything will at one point come to an end, including everyone’s time on earth. He encouraged those graduates to embrace all that life has to offer and find what they love to do.
Jobs did just that. As a college dropout he found what he loved to do. Although a founder of Apple, he was fired at one point, and it taught him something. It taught him what he loves to do. He still loved technology and started other companies, NeXt and Pixar. NeXt ended up merging with Apple as Jobs made his way back to one of the big loves of his life, and most of the best computer-animated movies are put out by Pixar.
While some will choose to remember Steve Jobs by visiting his wax figure in Hong Kong, perhaps the best way to remember him is to just go on with our daily lives, the ones we enjoy because of him. Listen to your favorite music on your iPod, talk with all the important people in your life on your iPhone, and spend your whole day on your iPad.
That’s Steve Jobs’s legacy. He gave us the lives we enjoy.
