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I remember learning this Lingo program in grade school, and I remember using one of Steve Job’s creations – the Apple IIe ─ to do it. Yep, instructing a “turtle” to draw a square on the screen started it all for me. (There was the game “Oregon Trail,” but that is another story for another post.)
I can honestly say Steve Jobs is a major reason ─ if not the reason ─ I do what I do today. Not only was Jobs a main contributor in making personal computing mainstream, but he also played a key role in developing technology that betters society and our daily lives. Jobs had the vision and technical know-how to turn the backroom lab magic of engineering wizards into tools that help us all work more productively and, yes, play harder.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say Jobs was the perfect “marketer” ─ if ever there were one. He knew just which features would resonate with audiences, how much technical “geekiness” users could consume and, boy, did he know how to sell. He knew how to relate technology to our everyday lives and, in doing so, made us “have to have” the latest Apple gadget.
Listening to Jobs speak was always something to look forward to and follow closely. In fact, his keynotes were one of just a handful that I actually anticipated watching. In my own job, creating this excitement and passion in users is at the center of what I do, and I aspire to be as effective as Jobs was.
True, not every project or idea Jobs touched was successful, but through successes and failures, he remained true to his commitment to create products that better people’s lives, not just create products for innovation’s sake.
As those of us who are standing in line today for the iPhone 4S, let’s not forget that great products are fueled by great passion. As Jobs put it:
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
