RiP

Today the tech-world has lost one of those rarest of things, a tech geek with name recognition. Steve Jobs and the company he founded with the lesser know Steve Wozniak is now a technology giant with operating profits and margins that most oil companies only dream of. It is all the more remarkable given Apple's turbulent history from early home computer pioneer to near death experience in the 80s (when Jobs was ousted) followed by one of the most successful corporate turnarounds in history. Jobs' return to Apple coincided with the release of the iconic iMac, soon to be followed by the iPod and of course now the ubiquitous iPhone.

In the early days Apple was pioneering as the nascent home computer market was finding it's way into the homes of the world. Arguably their most successful product, the iPod, was not a new innovation. Where Apple made up for this was in their execution. A lot of this is a tribute to Jobs' laser sharp focus on usability. The new Apple did not ship something half working and then worry about fixing it later in software. Nothing was shipped from Cupertino until Jobs was happy they had created a product that worked beautifully and would instantly promote the desire to own one when you played with it. The success of the Apple store is down to the fact that once you've touched and fondled their products parting with your cash seems like such a sensible idea.

I have many criticisms of Apple and the way they conduct business in their walled garden. For this reason I'm not a big user of their products or technology. However I happily concede that Apple under Jobs' leadership have done more for advancing the vision how technology can improve peoples personal world than most companies in the tech sector. A world without Jobs' vision and focus is certainly a poorer one and he deserves his place in the history books for what he achieved.