Steve Jobs was seen in public this week, after another reported bout with the hospital.
People can say what they will about Apple & Mr Jobs’ famous “reality distortion field,” but the technology world – not to mention the fortunes of many creative people, not to mention many investors, not to mention Microsoft (which has built its business on imitating Apple since the 1980s) – would be really different today without Apple.
A lot of Apple-bashers don’t give Apple credit for the first mass market PC in the ’70s, first mass market GUI in the ’80s, the first mass market apps-driven smartphone in the ‘00s (that wasn’t rooted in the corporate enterprise), and now, the iDevice-Apps-Marketplace-OS ecosystem that virtually every consumer electronics and operating system company is now feverishly trying to emulate.
All the while, Apple’s focus has been on usability and making it “just work.” Think about it – Apple offers an exemplary out-of-box experience and backs it with great customer support (which has always exceeded my expectations as a user).
Mr. Jobs has been a major driving factor in making all of this became a reality. Maybe not “the only” but at least “a major” driving factor. He has given his best, so why can’t people grant him a little privacy? The Steve Jobs paparazzi should go get a life!