On the evening of Oct. 5, news broke that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs lost his battle to pancreatic cancer and passed away. The news shook the world and sent a ripple throughout the internet community; not only had the world lost a wonderful business man, it also lost a visionary genius who transformed many things in everyday life that have grown to be overlooked.
Although he is mainly known as “the Apple Guy,”Jobs completely revolutionized the way we do the things we do. He took computers, which used to be an item or hobby, and revamped them into something personal and easy for everyone to use. He took cell phones and made them something used for entertainment, business and productivity, rather than simply calls. Music became fun to discover and share; iPods made it convenient to carry a variety of music around in just one’s pocket. Coming out of the gate, the iPad was criticized for simply being an enlarged version of an iPod or iPhone; however, it modernized everyday functions of computers and the way we can communicate. Jobs bought the animation company Pixar, helped to keep it going and modify it, and later sold it to Disney, rekindling the world’s love for a quality animated film.
It is widely known that Jobs was a technological genius, but he was more than that. He was an incredible public speaker, especially when introducing the latest Apple product. He never aimed to make himself sound good or excessively intelligent; Jobs spoke in a way in which everyone could understand the point he was trying to make.
He was a very gifted motivational speaker; his most noted speech was his Stanford University Commencement Speech, which he delivered in 2007. The speech was told in three parts, with each part focusing on one main idea or story. In his third part, which focused on death, he told the graduates, ”Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” This quote is not only fantastic advice, but it sums up Jobs’s life and successes. Many initially branded him as a failure, between dropping out of college, business troubles and being fired from his own company. However, Jobs did not listen to what others said or thought about him; he fought to achieve the dream he had and be what he wanted, rather than what others wanted him to be.
The world lost more than “the Apple Guy.” They lost a man who has rightfully been compared to revolutionaries such as Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein. They lost a man who defied the odds and overcame obstacles, whether in his career goals or his health. They lost a man who achieved great successes in his lifetime, but continued to stay humble. Most importantly, they lost a man who never quit and was never afraid to dream.
