Ten years ago, it was the iPod; four years ago, it was the iPhone; two years ago, it was the iPad—and every one of these products was immensely successful. There is probably no other company that has achieved so much success with every product it has introduced (except for the Apple TV. Well, they said it themselves: “It’s a hobby.”). The mastermind behind these groundbreaking innovations was Steve Jobs. Today, that brilliant mind passed away at the age of 56. He built a truly unique company that is richer than most countries in the EU and North America.
At 7:54 PM today, my friend texted me, “Yo, Steve Jobs died?” I laughed, thinking it was another hoax or a hack, and responded, “Noooo lol.” The thought wouldn’t leave my mind, and I felt compelled to do a quick search on Google for Steve Jobs. To my astonishment, the news was real, and it was everywhere. Wikipedia had already switched to using past tense, and Apple.com had changed its homepage to pay respects to Jobs. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past few years and had been very secretive about the status of his health. He had recently stepped down as CEO to join the board of directors as Chairman due to deteriorating health conditions. This, however, feels too soon and unexpected.
I am not an Apple fanboy, but the fact is, without Apple (and more importantly, Steve Jobs), most of us might still be walking around with suitcase-sized laptops, bulky Walkmans, and impractical home computers that, if owned, would take up the entire basement. Apple did not invent their product line—they simply reinvented what was already in the market. Portable music players, smartphones, and tablets all existed long before Apple created theirs. They reimagined the existing technology and took a giant leap forward. Companies that were once at the top were brought to their knees (cough Nokia), overtaking several rival companies (cough Microsoft)—all this happened in less than a decade. Pretty impressive for a company that didn’t focus on what their consumers wanted but instead anticipated what their consumers would need (reminds me of a mother).
Apple stocks may take a steep dive tomorrow, but they will likely level out in a few days. Even though I have no experience in stocks, I’m fairly certain that the death of Steve Jobs isn’t going to send Apple back to the 90s. The recent iPhone announcement may have disappointed a few million people, but that’s okay—the iPhone 4S will still sell well, and I know it for certain.
So long, Steve Jobs. Thank you, and you will be remembered for decades to come.
