If you read about the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and 19th centuries, you’ll read about how steam-powered machines, all-metal machine tools and advancing production techniques marked a dramatic shift in the lives of people.  When I was in school we learned about Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin and made possible the mass growing and harvesting of cotton, making it profitable as a crop and all that manufactured cotton can do for people.

Jump ahead two hundred years.  Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak release their first computer on April Fools Day in 1976 and Apple Computers was born.  35 years later Apple is one of if not THE biggest companies in America.  At times they have more money in the bank earning interest than the United State of America’s government.  The success of Apple Computer isn’t because they built computers.  Thousands of computer companies have come and gone since the first Apple computer, some were mom and pop shops building and selling their own models, some were once large and well-know names that you might say “oh yeah, I remember them, what ever happened to them?”  Apple is who they are today because of the vision on one man – Steve Jobs.  There are things about how Apple does things that some people don’t like, things like how when in the Apple world it is VERY hard to get apps from sources outside the regular Apple source.  Apple will argue it is for ensuring a consistent and secure customer experience, and it does that.  Others will say it limits what people can do with the product they own.  Regardless of what you might think, it’s hard to argue with Apple’s success, and THAT is directly related to the leadership of Steve Jobs.

We are fortunate to be living today in a time that will some day in history books be referred to as the computer (or digital) revolution, and no name will be referred to more as having a singular impact on how the average person created, learned or communicated in this new digital world than Steve Jobs.  Bill Gates will be remembered perhaps as the one man who made the personal computer popular and affordable for most people, but even Microsoft’s success can in part be attributed to Apple.  Would we even have Windows if Apple hadn’t built their Macintosh with the graphical user interface? 

When you think about the innovation that has driven the digital revolution of our time, you have to attribute that to Steve Jobs.  His vision and passion has made possible in computers, tablets and phones (and I don’t care WHO has built them) possible what was unthinkable even 15 years ago.

It’s a shame to lose someone so soon, but his imprint has been firmly left and hopefully we’ll continue to benefit from his vision for years to come.  I was in high school when my parents got our first VCR, and I’ve been blessed to move from the days when a simple/basic calculation that could only add, subtract, multiply and divide cost $100 to today where you can own a phone that you can carry with you anywhere, plays games, tells you where you are on the planet and how you find your destination, takes pictures, watch movies, listen to music, and much more for the same price.  And oh yeah, it does complex math as well.

Thank you Steve for making such a wonderful impact on all out lives.