Jobs Satisfaction
Early Wednesday morning I wrote an item pointing to a column about Steve Jobs that recently ran in Redmond magazine. I intended it for the Friday newsletter -- this newsletter. Hours after I filed, the bad news broke.
I don't have mixed feelings about Steve Jobs passing. It was a sad day for tech, and as someone who turns 51 in December, it was a bit of a wake up call.
I do have mixed feeling about holding the item 'til today. It would have been strange to talk about Mr. Jobs in the present tense, as I did, and basically beg for a miracle. But perhaps it would have also been prescient.
So to be totally transparent, what follows is a rewrite of the original item (taking into account the recent bad news):
Even though this is a Microsoft-oriented newsletter, I spend more than my fair share talking about rivals such as Apple and Google. Let's face it, Microsoft's strategy is highly influenced by these types of forces.
So the fact that Steve Jobs has now passed, is a big deal that will impact the future of Microsoft and Apple greatly.
Jobs leaving was a pretty big deal. I started covering computers June 24, 1984 during which Apple was a major force. I even had an editor at Fortune magazine the year before I interned that pulled $10,000 out his pocket to purchase a Lisa for editing. This guy was on the cutting edge!
So I recently sat down and penned a column about the esteemed Mr. Jobs, lamenting his loss at the helm of Apple and hoping that he beats this illness. Unfortunately he didn't.
Jobs was not perfect and I am probably not smart enough to have worked for him. But the proof of his brainpower is in the product pudding. And my kids forcing me to buy them every new Apple gadget that comes out was proof that he did a great job. My bank account just wished he wasn't so great.
Honest Steve Jobs thoughts and memories welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/07/2011 at 1:18 PM