October 6th, 2011 
joel 
Steve Jobs: 1955-2011
The national media was ready for this; Apple’s founder Steve Jobs didn’t have much time left so the news agencies prepared for it.
But the nation wasn’t.
When Apple’s website made this simple announcement Wednesday evening, it came as a world-wide shock:
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
The phenomenon of social media that has flourished under Jobs-inspired platforms like the iPhone and iPad came alive over the news. Techies and average Joes expressed their feeling of loss, posted and tweeted quotes from Jobs, changed their status and profile pictures.
It occurs to me that the loss of Steve Jobs has a huge impact on Generation X in the way losing John Lennon was to the baby boomers. Think about it.
Let’s say you are a 40-year-old, born in 1971:
- All throughout elementary school, you had an Apple II in your classroom
- Your high school had a lab full of Macs
- You were writing term papers on a color Mac in college
- You may have heard “You’ve Got Mail!” from that original America Online dial-up account on a Mac
- You bought your first iMac to surf the web before you were 30
- About seven years ago you dumped all of your CD’s into iTunes and started walking around with your iPod.
- You waited in line four years ago for the first iPhone
- Last night you commiserated with your high school classmates on Facebook using your iPad.
Steve Jobs: 1955-2011
By putting technology into everyday people’s hands that is so simple to use, Jobs rose to be a cultural Pied Piper. “What’s the next insanely great thing you thought of, Steve? We want it!”
For media folks, Apple is ubiquitous. From the video editing suite, to print and web layout, to viewer video from iPhones, and reporter’s copy on iPads, our industry’s productivity and quality have been revolutionized because of these products.
Some of us have never known a world that didn’t have Steve Jobs rolling out a new life-altering gadget on an 18-month product cycle.
So we mourn.
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Deep Background for December 6-12, 2009
I’ve doing a lot of reading about the state of wireless technology and the impact that the Apple iPhone has had on that space. The advent of the Steve Jobs’ brainchild was the first time subscribers switched carriers to signup for a particular phone brand.
The current Verizon Wireless campaign touting their 3G network vs. that of AT&T’s is a strong example of harsh yet smart comparative advertising. AT&T is answering with their own maps saying that they indeed have coverage available to 97% of Americans, although the fine print begins “3G not available in all areas.”
For me, as much as I desire an iPhone, there’s no way that I can leave Verizon and their free “in” calling, because so many in my sphere of influence are in the network. Also, with four phones on our family plan, I’m paying as much of a wireless bill as I wish to carry.
You can make a connection talking about any media related topic on this open forum. As always, a private message can be e-mailed to joel@nataliemedia.com or tweet @pressandtower.
Embrace the chaos!