This is one of my all-time favorite ads. This version is narrated by Steve Jobs himself. It never aired with his voiceover, however. Pity.
Steve Jobs died yesterday and although I never met him, I’m sincerely bummed.
Sad because Jobs represented what is great about America and what is needed most in our country today. He was a visionary who was always looking for better, simpler, more elegant ways to improve life.
He was Einstein, Edison and Lincoln wrapped into one. He imagined better ways, invented better ways, and emancipated us from complex technologies and endless keystrokes.
He made technology serve us and not vice versa.
In the early days of Apple, the company proclaimed itself as making “computers for the rest of us.”
“Us” were the people who wanted the magic of technology without knowing or caring how the trick was done.
“Us” were the ones who appreciated simplicity, beauty and elegance in design.
In those early days, “us” was a small minority who paid a premium price for what we perceived to be a premium product. Today, “us” is a growing population who are controlling, coordinating and enhancing their digital lives with all the i-wonders that Jobs and his Apple geniuses created.
Jobs had his name on 313 Apple patents. He built a company that has the #1 or #2 market cap in America (depending on the day). A company that is one of the most admired in the world.
Steve Jobs embodied what is great about American business. He created better things and was rewarded. He was never satisfied, and so he drove harder. He led by example, and inspired others to follow. He preached, and found converts who became evangelists and spread the word.
What other American business leader comes close to doing what Steve Jobs did?
No one. Today’s American business leaders seem more concerned with slashing expenses to achieve profitability instead of creating better products for a better world.
After 56 years, Jobs is no more. His legacy with live on in his products, the incredible team he assembled and the spirit he instilled.
The country, the world, needs many more like him. Rest in peace, Steve, it was a hell of a ride and I am thankful to have been a passenger.
“Almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” — Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011