Thoughts on the vision of Steve Jobs and Apple

I wasn’t a fan of Apple products – at least not when I was a geeky-teenager growing up in the 1980s. I loved my IBM Turbo XT clone, which had no hard drive by the way and instead used two 5.25” floppy drives. Part of what I enjoyed about that computer was the feeling that you had to really KNOW about basic commands and programming to use it well. It felt like I was part of an exclusive club, where only those who were willing to study and put in the time to learn a PC computer could become members.

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The Microsoft DOS and Basic books that accompanied the machine were large, intimidating volumes, and bound in three-ring binders which subliminally said: “Get to work and study me just like you’re in school!”

When the Macintosh was first released, I scoffed at its simplicity, but also felt a bit threatened that my exclusivity in my PC club would be coming to an end. I was a teenager and wanted to retain my sense of being a unique individual by having my non-user-friendly machine.

But we know the rest of the story of course. The Mac’s graphical user interface would become the single most important and visionary element in computing design that would then open the doors for mass computer use by nearly everyone.

Steve Job’s vision and strategy with Apple products in the early days were in stark contrast with many other products in the industry. While others would add and tout features for the sake of having features and one-upping others, Jobs remained focus on the overall user experience. That was risky in a world where having “more features” would often be rewarded with more consumer spending.

But when you think of the user-experience focus of Apple and Jobs, it’s no wonder that artists and creative professionals have remained Apple loyalists over the years. Apple had its dark times as well, and one could argue that it was the loyalists that may have kept the company afloat. Apple was about helping artists and creative professionals have the tools that could better enable their creativity – in as simple and elegant of a way as possible. Creative pros appreciated that and rewarded Apple with their loyalty.

Steve Jobs and Apple continued to live by this mantra, and the iPod and related “iProducts” are examples of brilliance of design in form and function. They are products for everyone.

I’m no longer threatened by the idea of simplicity, and in fact now embrace it in many areas of my life. I don’t have the time or patience these days in my adulthood to be studious and deep dive into learning about the myriad functions of some of my still-too-complex electronic gadgets. I don’t know about what every function of my digital camera will do. I also don’t know what every button on my numerous remote controls will do.  But I know when it comes to my Apple products that I own, they are perfect and very easy to use and understand.

The influence and vision that Steve Jobs had will continue to be felt for years to come. Whether it’s our digital home of the future, or wherever we one day hold or transfer our content, you can bet that the designers will continue to take clues from Apple’s influence.

Thank you Steve Jobs, for everything you have done. It took me a while to understand that you weren’t trying to eliminate my individuality during my arrogant teen years.

And isn’t it amazing to think that the focus on simplicity and having good user experiences were really the keys to enabling us to retain and express our individuality through it all?