Only the Brave Leave a Lasting Impact

I grew up and remain a computer agnostic. I've built, bought, used and sold nearly 100 computers in my life, but there has always been something amazingly special and unique about Apple products. For me, they've always held a certain indescribable magic I couldn't and still can't ignore. The years when Steve Jobs was away from Apple, the company frequently lost its way because the magic that was Steve Jobs went with him as he built NeXT and Pixar.

But when he returned for what would be his final chapter, he led Apple and the industry with incredible vision. His genius revolutionized our perception of what our individual, and highly personal, relationship with technology could truly be. It started with the iMac with its little round mouse, then the iPod and iTunes and so many others. But what I'll remember more than anything was his fearlessness. His self-possessed certainty and conviction to push the industry in directions they either didn't see or weren't brave enough to go. To me, he's been far and away the most impactful CEO in any industry of the last 100 years.

Steve Jobs was a member of our IT Hall of Fame and he will be sorely missed. CompTIA member Aaron Woods, IT Hall of Fame member and director, NARS Relationship & Partner Programs, Xerox Corporation, summed up his thoughts, saying, “As a fellow member of the IT Hall of Fame, I mourn the loss of one of the well known and well liked pioneers and innovators of our industry. Most of the tributes I have read reflect on Steve Jobs’ contributions after his return to Apple in 1996. However, the importance of his pioneering efforts in creating and developing one of the first commercially available personal computers laid the foundation for our industry today.

“As a ‘pioneer’ in the industry myself, I was very fortunate to briefly meet Steve in 1983. The introduction was casual but impressive to say the least.  In those days of non-standard operating systems, external floppy drives and hard drives the size of a notebook; access to the pioneers of our industry was not difficult.

“The one thing I will always remember about my brief encounter was his passion for Apple and the products they were developing. His one comment to concerning servicing Apple products was that he wanted the company to make products that are reliable and easy to service. When the Macintosh was introduced in January 1984 it was an innovative design all in one box. True to the comments that Steve made to me, it was easy to service. I will always remember Steve Jobs for his creativity and the products he introduced that have enriched all of our lives.”

For more info on what solutions providers can learn from Steve Jobs and Apple, check out blog posts by Seth Robinson and Brian Sherman.

Rest in peace, Steve.  We are all the better for knowing you.