Remembering Steve Jobs

It is with a heavy heart that I remember Steve Jobs and the impact that his amazing products have had on my life.  I was getting ready for work this morning and couldn't help but notice that every room in my home houses some sort of Apple product in it, which is a testament Steve Job's incredible vision for making Apple the digital hub of people's lives. 

My first Apple computer was purchased in the late 90s and was a marvel to look at and compute on.  The true game changer for me came when Apple introduced a small device that could house an entire music library and still fit in your pocket; the first iPod.   As a Disc Jockey, working parties and weddings to supplement my income, the iPod was one of the greatest inventions ever introduced during my lifetime.  Apple later introduced the world to the iTunes store which again, revolutionized the struggling music industry. 

I suppose you could call me an 'Apple junkie' as their products have been completely integrated into my life and lifestyle.  Today's Showbiz Kids entry was written on an iPad.  I waited in line at the Apple store at West Town Mall with a few thousand other Apple junkies for last year's release of the iPhone 4.  My watch is an iPod Nano, which additionally also holds 8 GB of music.  My son falls asleep every night to Beatles' lullabies that play from an old iPod Touch.  We watch movies, listen to music, and view our family photos on Apple TV.  I run every morning with my iPhone's Nike GPS App which tracks every mile and posts my runs on the Nike+ site.  In fact, I have logged in 10,550 miles over a five-year period thanks to Apple. The picture above was taken on my iPhone through an app called Instagram. We have a MacBook Pro in our office, an old swivel base iMac in our bedroom and a Mac Mini in our bonus room.  Needless to say, we have all sorts of third party devices around the house to listen to our Apple products on and I have approximately 1 TB of my music library digitalized. 

These products were created by a true American inventor and innovator, Steve Jobs, who will go down in history as the Henry Ford of my generation.  And while he didn't invent  the cell phone, computer technology or digitized music, he invented devices that became cultural and economic phenomena, while becoming an icon, himself.

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." -Steve Jobs

Gone way too early at the age of 56, Steve Jobs changed the world that we live in and ultimately made it a better place.  For that, I along with millions of other people around this world, am truly thankful and grateful.  You will be missed, Steve, may you finally rest in peace….

-Will Fisher, The Showbiz Kids