Farewell Steve Jobs

I feel compelled to write something on the passing away of Steve Jobs, a genius and a visionary. I am sure that reams and reams will be written about him by people who are much more erudite, and infinitely more knowledgeable. I can only try and write from a common man's perspective of how his life and his work touched me and my family.

From the moment that we got our first iPod to now, where almost every member of my family owns an Apple device, we are forever indebted to him for making technology not only so accessible but also so integral through its simplicity. His user interfaces are such that it makes even a child look like an IT prodigy. Just a few weeks ago I wrote in my blog that since I started reading on the iPad, I have given up reading physical books. I do not know when last I actually played a CD to listen to music - it is the iPhone or the iPod that has completely taken over.

I wish I could say that my wife never leaves home without her iPhone, but that would be lying - she never leaves a room without it in her hand!

I was made aware of his death by her, and ironically she read about it on a device that he created - the iPhone. On hearing the news I felt as if I had been punched in my stomach - it was almost as if someone I knew intimately had died. I did not want to accept it, and kept telling myself that it must be a rumour. The sense of loss, on getting to know that the news was real, was overwhelming. It is a loss not just for myself, but for the whole world. I had not realised how much, over the last few years, I have eagerly anticipated Apple's product launches and how much they meant. 

To me, this heralded the untimely demise of an icon, and someone, I just knew, who still had so much to offer humanity. I can only imagine what wonders he would have brought out, if he had been given more years. It was not just the technology, but his marketing genius, and his obsessive pursuit for perfection in all of his creations that defined him and the Company he built. From Computers to Music and Entertainment his magic touch turned everything to gold. 

I saw the tributes that have been loaded on You Tube, and especially poignant was the one by CNN, which put up a montage of Apple's product launches - from the Macintosh to the iPad 2 and iCloud. What struck me was the physical transformation in Mr. Jobs over the years. Towards the end he was a physical shadow of himself, and I guess the end was inevitable.

In this day, when all you read about are financial meltdowns, natural disasters, violence and death, he brought a ray of sunshine and beauty, and made this world a better and more connected place.

Last night I watched his commencement speech at Stanford College in 2005 again, where he spoke about facing death, and listening to him just a few days after his passing away, made me wonder whether he did live the last few years of his life as he had preached.

And so passes a Colossus of Modern Industry, gone but not to be soon forgotten. God Speed Steve Jobs!