mobile musings from a fellow developer

The Loss of One of Our Greatest Visionaries

I am so incredibly sad to hear about Steve Jobs’ death. Even though I did not know him personally, it almost feels as though a close family member has died. My life and career have been greatly enriched by his immense vision and inspiration. In fact, his contributions to the world have directly impacted my life in more ways than any music, book, or film has, which is probably why this loss means more to me than the passing of other legendary figures.

I grew up just a few miles away from Cupertino at a time when Apple was first emerging onto the scene. My first computer was an Apple IIe. My introductions to programming and digital design were on that Apple IIe. Since then, Apple products have always been my primary computers. Over the years, I’ve purchased countless desktop Macs, MacBook Pros, iPods, and iOS mobile devices.

As a loyal Apple consumer and an iOS app developer, my personal and professional worlds have been forever changed by the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. If the influence of Steve Jobs and Apple never existed, would I have become a software developer? Maybe not. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that. It’s quite an accomplishment when you can change one person’s life for the better. It’s nothing short of revolutionary when you can change the lives of millions around the world. And that’s the legacy of Steve Jobs.

President Obama summed it up perfectly when he said: “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

I’m glad that I was able to see him speak at the past two WWDC keynotes before his passing. I’m sure everyone at Apple and his family are devastated by the loss (and my heart goes out to them), but I believe that Steve’s vision will live on to not only inspire the Apple team, but may it also continue to inspire the dreamer in all of us for years to come.

Thank you, Steve! Rest in peace…