I never met Steve Jobs. But I walked by him once. Last September, while visiting my buddy who works at the Apple Campus, Steve Jobs happened to be walking to lunch with Johnny Ives. “Just be cool” my friend said. I wanted to say hello to Steve; or at least shake his hand. But I had promised not to do anything to put my friend’s job in jeopardy so I just stayed the course and kept a poker face. Do I have regrets of speaking to him? Maybe. But what would I have told him? Where do I start??

Back in in the mid 80s, my parents bought me my first computer. An Apple //e. That machine changed my life. I learned a lot from that early computer. Of course, I learned the typical stuff: how to program in BASIC, how to win at Kareteka, Microwave, Sneakers, Swashbuckler, Sea Dragon, and every Sierra Online game you can think of. I learned how to be humble, (after returning from a family vacation I found that my previous BBS system that I ran off of two floppy drives had been hacked and wiped away while I had been gone) and how to socialize with other computer users.

Later, when the Macintosh was released, I drove my 1977 Buick Electra from Irvine to Pasadena to buy a Macintosh Plus, courtesy of my dad who supported my goal of learning how to use MOTU’s Performer to write music. My first experience with the Macintosh provides an excellent example of how Steve and his team thought computers should interact with humans. When I setup the Mac Plus I couldn’t figure out how to format the cool new “floppy disks” (of course they weren’t floppy anymore). I was looking for a command line to type “Init Hello” but couldn’t find it. I searched and searched. Finally, I just inserted the disk and a pop up box came onto the screen asking me “Would you like to format this disk?” I couldn’t believe it! This computer was friendly and intelligent. It seemed to anticipate my needs! This was like nothing I had seen before. Certainly, no other computer company had built anything like this machine. I knew this computer would be (or at least should be) wildly successful. Of course, Apple came upon hard times. The Mac didn’t sell as well as Windows machines. I didn’t care. I loved this machine just like I loved my Mac SE, LE, Performa, Newton models, Powerbook 100 and 145, and the list goes on.

Steve Jobs knew he was the under dog back then and didn’t care. His vision for Apple and their products was to make them the best that they could be. There were no compromises. Sure, sometimes certain features were left out that the competition might have utilized. But it wasn’t always about how many bells and whistles the products flaunted; it was about the experience. This is why Apple customers are so passionate about Apple. This is why I see so many senior citizens purchasing iPads. Steve put the personal computer within the reach of everyone, and not just us computer geeks. He made Apple a part of our lives- our digital life. This was a new vision.

Tonight, I visited the Santa Monica Apple Store. Normally I am here on behalf of Computer Solutions Group, or to peruse the latest Apple gear for my own projects. I didn’t particularly need to buy anything this evening. I just felt like I had to go. I’m glad I did. It was the only place I could think of where I could pay my respects. I small memorial of flowers and candles had already been placed at the store.

There are many talented people who work at Apple. I am sure they will carry on Steve’s vision.  If I had indeed spoken to him last year when our paths literally crossed on the same sidewalk, I would have said thank you. Thank you Steve for giving me so much joy. Thank you for believing in your vision and designing products that push everyone else in the industry to the next level. Thank you for making the world a better place.

Candles and Flowers for Steve.

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