On the passing of Steve Jobs...

I was saddened today when I got in to my computer this evening, and saw the news that Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder and former CEO, has passed away. His rise and fall, and rise again in his personal history was truly phenomenal, which coincided with bursts of innovations in more industry than one. Most people feel a personal connection to Jobs since he had come to personified all the Apple products that he brought to users and consumers. From Apple II, to the Mac, iPod and iTune, iPhone, iPad, to Pixar, even the spartan concept of retail Apple store, his reach and influence has reached not only the computing industry, but music industry, telcos and communications industry, the entertainment industry, and breath fresh air to the retail space as well.

Although there were anecdotal stories of his mercurial temper and micromanagement style, his vision is equally remarkable. While he might not have been true pioneer in each of the industry, he was able to turn around existing industry norms and gadgets that users have come to know, and deliver something that is so new, easy to use, yet so very elegant in product design, that his products have all become must-haves. With his ability to integrate everything in his head, from the kind of user experience that he wanted, to product design (what features to be in, and what not), to execution and marketing, he's the one linchpin that holds everything together. Jobs was, in short, Apple.

I have been immensely moved by his 2005 Stanford commencement speech which is truly inspirational. (Actually, reading it in text feels even more powerful.) Jobs had defined a generation of pioneers and leaders that came out of Silicon Valley, along the tradition of the greats in the past, like David Packard and Bill Hewlett, the co-founders of HP.

To reminisce the passing of Jobs, I was watching some of the videos, including the 2007 on-stage interview of Steve Jobs and his contemporary Bill Gates. (I just wish that the female interviewer in that video had been ejected from stage. She's so clueless that she reflects so poorly on all female peers. Stupid woman.)

RIP, Steve.