Steve, it was your eye

Steve, it was your eye that shaped the world.

It was your eye for design and presentation that set the standard for product beauty for all to emulate. It was your eye that set the standard for user interface. It was your eye for fonts, and graphics and computer animation that set the standard in these areas as well. My God. What an eye you had. And what an eye you taught us all to have.

There isn’t a graphic designer in the world who doesn’t reference Apple. There isn’t a marketing executive that doesn’t use Apple as the benchmark for simplicity and packaging excellence. And there isn’t a CEO in the world that doesn’t wish for the innovative prowess that you infused into Apple.

But I’m not writing about your loss as a dispassionate commentator.  For me it’s personal. You see, I grew up on your products. I wrote my first lines of code on an Apple II. I bristled when you were pushed out of Apple. I rejoiced when you returned. (I especially rejoiced after buying the stock a while back. Thanks for that too.)

I feel your presence all around me. My company runs on all Apple products. My home network is Apple top to bottom. My family owns numerous iPads, iPods, iMacs, Apple TVs, Mac Minis and more. I spent 2+ years up to my eyes in Final Cut Pro editing my first film. And the list goes on and on. And I am hardly unique. There are millions more just like me all over the world who put your genius to work (and play) every day.

Just a short while ago I wrote about the pain and suffering your family must be facing in light of your illness. And now they must cope with your untimely loss. What can I possibly say except to wish them that they somehow find support in the global outpouring of love and support that you have inspired.

And yes, you were right when you said in 2003 that death is what gives life meaning. But this dose of meaning we could all have done without for a while longer.