If you can't read all of this right now, definitely spend time to read parts of it at later times, most of you will probably agree with what I write in this long post, haha.
Let me first start off by noting that I'm an avid user of a variety of technological products from a range of different technology companies/innovators -- I enjoy PC desktop/laptop software OS from Microsoft, and think that their standardization of computers are absolutely perfect for the business side of things. I love Google's internet services such as Chrome, G-Mail, Google Search, etc.
But I really love what Steve Jobs has done and where he's steered technology. Remember before Apple was a significant player in the technological realm? Technology, more or less, seemed boring -- it seemed uninteresting, now Apple is at the forefront of technology, it's all you hear about nowadays... I truly believe we're in a technological era.
Now, I'll be the first to admit it, aesthetically speaking (not technically) I wasn't a huge fan of Apple's product designs back in the 80's or early 90's, but as soon as they started to merge into more funky/unique product designs, they caught my attention. By the time that they adopted the sleek, futuristic, black/white, aluminum product theme to their entire product portfolio, I was definitely pleased.
I feel like Steve Jobs - despite the fact that he didn't have a significant educational background (or even technical background for that matter) created something that we all subconsciously expected/hoped for technology to be in the future. Remember when you would watch movies and you would see people using fictional technology that was so sleek, so intuitive, so futuristic and thought to yourself "maybe in 100 years?" -- Well I feel like Steve Jobs has brought that type of imagination to reality today.
I love Microsoft and even Samsung (especially their smart TVs) - but I feel that Google, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Motorola etc. make products that don't have personality to them.. they're simply practical products meant for using -- while Apple on the hand makes products that are both practical as well as personal - you can both use and appreciate your product. I think this is a big reason why people are so keen to protect their Apple products - they're functional, but also beautiful and literally trigger a part of the brain that enjoys aesthetics - best of both worlds.
I feel like every Apple product is a mini-robot/computer in a long, extensive line of products all designed by Apple, Inc. that each have a distinct personality to it -- it's hard to explain, faceless computer robots that each have their own personality and advantages (functionally speaking). The closest robot/futuristic theme I can compare to Apple is the design/theme of the game "Portal".
Everything from the iPod classic, to iMac G4's, to Mac minis, to Macbooks, iPads, iPod nanos, iPod shuffles, iPod Minis, iPhones, Mac pros - all have personality to them.. even their peripherals have so much sleekness and aesthetic to them, it's hard to wrap your mind around (like their thin keyed keyboards, aesthetically focused external hard drive boxes, to their super creative Magic Mouse (touch-sensitive mouse), touch pads that allow you to scroll across desktop pages, scroll, and, switch between tabbed web browser pages),
For example, I feel like the Macbook Air has a distinct personality and functionality from the Macbook Pro. I feel that the iPod nano has a distinct personality from the iPod mini which has a distinct personality and feel from the iPod classic, iPod shuffle, etc.
Everything about Apple captures that subconscious feeling we probably had about futuristic technology before Apple exploded as a company - sleek, futuristic, mysterious, high-tech products that are absolutely gorgeous to look at - it really makes technology so much more interesting. Apple really pays attention to detail - everything from their clean cut, but symbolically powerful logo (no letters) to their Apple store designs (large glass boxes with white walls, and wooden tables, white floors), to their corporate culture (wear t-shirt, jeans, and no shoes/socks to work!) to their creative renaming of boring tech jargon that makes your eyes glaze over like "tech support" and rename it to something interesting like "Genius Bar" - they've perfectly integrated high-technology with aesthetic beauty, intuitiveness (at the consumer level), and counter-culture rooted creativity - this is why I love Apple so much.. the company appeals to everyone from little kids in 1st grade.. to high school/college students, to middle aged adults and tech-geeks, to older grandparents who never thought they'd even bother relearning everything about technology until Apple came along an introduced, simplistic, intuitive, but very productive interfaces for consumers (but built in, advanced capabilities for more advanced computers users).
Even though Steve Jobs wasn't able to technically build computers, he knew enough about them, and he was a master visionary - the perfect example of a leader. Like Henry Ford to the car, or Thomas Edison to the light/motion picture, and phonograph - they didn't know how to build these products (with the exception of Edison) - but they knew how to find smart people who could and created corporate empires that are just statues in our global society. I truly believe Steve Jobs did this x 100.
Steve had the brain of a businessman but the heart of an artist: it was evident in the way he structured his corporate empire. This man had everything planned down to a science - everything from the unique people he placed on his board (Military contract executives, consumer discretionary executives, vice presidents, media conglomerate executives: which all helped solidify connections in these respective industries) to the way he marketed his products at shows and conferences (made it seem like a magical, but equally important and groundbreaking experience), to the brilliant and talented people he hired at the executive level: people he's worked a really long time with, trusted, loved, was tough on, but ultimately believed in (marketing, design, software, internet services, operations, hardware), to the way he was able to "dumb down" technology to the consumer level while simultaneously making consumers feel involved in technology. Software interfaces, product names, product launch timing, business partnerships/developer relationships (App store), acquisitions of creative companies like Pixar and NeXT along with an extensive list of small, but promising companies that you've never heard of - Steve Jobs built Apple so perfectly.
Now that Steve has passed, I'm uneasy about how the company could end up, but I'm overwhelmingly satisfied with how far the company has gone, and the creative/high-tech dent they've left in technology. I feel like, in a sense, Steve Jobs prevented technology from becoming too "dorky", "boring", "square" and "exclusive" as it could have been if companies like Samsung and Microsoft continued to lead the industry.. but instead turned it around and made technology "global", "inclusive", "relevant", "aesthetic", "beautiful", "artful", "business curious/friendly", "different", "creative" and "magical".
Thank you , Steve.
Let me first start off by noting that I'm an avid user of a variety of technological products from a range of different technology companies/innovators -- I enjoy PC desktop/laptop software OS from Microsoft, and think that their standardization of computers are absolutely perfect for the business side of things. I love Google's internet services such as Chrome, G-Mail, Google Search, etc.
But I really love what Steve Jobs has done and where he's steered technology. Remember before Apple was a significant player in the technological realm? Technology, more or less, seemed boring -- it seemed uninteresting, now Apple is at the forefront of technology, it's all you hear about nowadays... I truly believe we're in a technological era.
Now, I'll be the first to admit it, aesthetically speaking (not technically) I wasn't a huge fan of Apple's product designs back in the 80's or early 90's, but as soon as they started to merge into more funky/unique product designs, they caught my attention. By the time that they adopted the sleek, futuristic, black/white, aluminum product theme to their entire product portfolio, I was definitely pleased.
I feel like Steve Jobs - despite the fact that he didn't have a significant educational background (or even technical background for that matter) created something that we all subconsciously expected/hoped for technology to be in the future. Remember when you would watch movies and you would see people using fictional technology that was so sleek, so intuitive, so futuristic and thought to yourself "maybe in 100 years?" -- Well I feel like Steve Jobs has brought that type of imagination to reality today.
I love Microsoft and even Samsung (especially their smart TVs) - but I feel that Google, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Motorola etc. make products that don't have personality to them.. they're simply practical products meant for using -- while Apple on the hand makes products that are both practical as well as personal - you can both use and appreciate your product. I think this is a big reason why people are so keen to protect their Apple products - they're functional, but also beautiful and literally trigger a part of the brain that enjoys aesthetics - best of both worlds.
I feel like every Apple product is a mini-robot/computer in a long, extensive line of products all designed by Apple, Inc. that each have a distinct personality to it -- it's hard to explain, faceless computer robots that each have their own personality and advantages (functionally speaking). The closest robot/futuristic theme I can compare to Apple is the design/theme of the game "Portal".
Everything from the iPod classic, to iMac G4's, to Mac minis, to Macbooks, iPads, iPod nanos, iPod shuffles, iPod Minis, iPhones, Mac pros - all have personality to them.. even their peripherals have so much sleekness and aesthetic to them, it's hard to wrap your mind around (like their thin keyed keyboards, aesthetically focused external hard drive boxes, to their super creative Magic Mouse (touch-sensitive mouse), touch pads that allow you to scroll across desktop pages, scroll, and, switch between tabbed web browser pages),
For example, I feel like the Macbook Air has a distinct personality and functionality from the Macbook Pro. I feel that the iPod nano has a distinct personality from the iPod mini which has a distinct personality and feel from the iPod classic, iPod shuffle, etc.
Everything about Apple captures that subconscious feeling we probably had about futuristic technology before Apple exploded as a company - sleek, futuristic, mysterious, high-tech products that are absolutely gorgeous to look at - it really makes technology so much more interesting. Apple really pays attention to detail - everything from their clean cut, but symbolically powerful logo (no letters) to their Apple store designs (large glass boxes with white walls, and wooden tables, white floors), to their corporate culture (wear t-shirt, jeans, and no shoes/socks to work!) to their creative renaming of boring tech jargon that makes your eyes glaze over like "tech support" and rename it to something interesting like "Genius Bar" - they've perfectly integrated high-technology with aesthetic beauty, intuitiveness (at the consumer level), and counter-culture rooted creativity - this is why I love Apple so much.. the company appeals to everyone from little kids in 1st grade.. to high school/college students, to middle aged adults and tech-geeks, to older grandparents who never thought they'd even bother relearning everything about technology until Apple came along an introduced, simplistic, intuitive, but very productive interfaces for consumers (but built in, advanced capabilities for more advanced computers users).
Even though Steve Jobs wasn't able to technically build computers, he knew enough about them, and he was a master visionary - the perfect example of a leader. Like Henry Ford to the car, or Thomas Edison to the light/motion picture, and phonograph - they didn't know how to build these products (with the exception of Edison) - but they knew how to find smart people who could and created corporate empires that are just statues in our global society. I truly believe Steve Jobs did this x 100.
Steve had the brain of a businessman but the heart of an artist: it was evident in the way he structured his corporate empire. This man had everything planned down to a science - everything from the unique people he placed on his board (Military contract executives, consumer discretionary executives, vice presidents, media conglomerate executives: which all helped solidify connections in these respective industries) to the way he marketed his products at shows and conferences (made it seem like a magical, but equally important and groundbreaking experience), to the brilliant and talented people he hired at the executive level: people he's worked a really long time with, trusted, loved, was tough on, but ultimately believed in (marketing, design, software, internet services, operations, hardware), to the way he was able to "dumb down" technology to the consumer level while simultaneously making consumers feel involved in technology. Software interfaces, product names, product launch timing, business partnerships/developer relationships (App store), acquisitions of creative companies like Pixar and NeXT along with an extensive list of small, but promising companies that you've never heard of - Steve Jobs built Apple so perfectly.
Now that Steve has passed, I'm uneasy about how the company could end up, but I'm overwhelmingly satisfied with how far the company has gone, and the creative/high-tech dent they've left in technology. I feel like, in a sense, Steve Jobs prevented technology from becoming too "dorky", "boring", "square" and "exclusive" as it could have been if companies like Samsung and Microsoft continued to lead the industry.. but instead turned it around and made technology "global", "inclusive", "relevant", "aesthetic", "beautiful", "artful", "business curious/friendly", "different", "creative" and "magical".
Thank you , Steve.
