Where .... where do I begin?
I went to bed at 11pm last night, checked my Facebook and Twitter feeds, had a final read on MacRumors, then put my head down for the night. I awoke this morning to a barrage of texts, I didn't need a newsfeed to tell me the news; Steve had passed away.
In my personal life I'm known as the "Apple Guy", I guess to those around us who're not huge fans of the company, that's what we're all referred to at some point. Many people have told me when they heard the news, they immediately thought of me, and the amount of texts on my phone this morning when I awoke at 6:40am is testament to that.
Getting ready for work was a blur, I wanted to sit and read the website reports and the comments of our American cousins who'd heard the news hours earlier, but that had to wait until tonight. I left for work, subdued and saddened, yet I found myself being asked "Why" by many other friends and work colleagues.
"Why are you mourning a man who you paid money to for shiny toys"?
"Why are you upset about someone who made computers"?
"You didn't know him, you only bought his company's stuff".
It struck me today that only those from the Apple family understand the Apple family. To the outside, we're a "cult" or "religion", but it's nothing as creepy as that, not in the slightest. I'm upset about Steve because first and foremost, it's a human tragedy. Yes, people die all over the world every day so what makes Steve so important, but different people at different times in different peoples lives mean many different things. There is no order of importance, no need to prioritise.
Steve made Apple's products feel personal. When Steve came on stage at Macworld, WWDC, All Things D, and other product unveilings, it felt like you were seeing a relative who had moved far away for the first time in a long time. It's hard to put into words, some people I know have gone as far to suggest Steve pulled "the best sales pitch ever" on all of us, which you know might well be true, but given the philosophy of Apple and it's products, I don't believe is entirely true. He made things personal, his enthusiasm for his products and company was unrivalled, and I guess we all bought into that energy, that vision, that ideal.
It's important to remember that Steve, while the vision behind the insanely great products Apple released, is not the only reason they exist. Steve assembled a phenomenal team of talented people who have set the roadmap for the company for at least the next five years.
And finally, and most importantly, we have to think of Steve's family. His wife Laurene and his three children who survive him, my heart and prayers go out to them at what is a difficult time. I also pray for the day a cure for this horrible, disgusting disease is found. Many of us here, myself included, have lost a relative long before their time to this horrendous illness.
May you rest in peace Steve ... I thank you for giving us great products, I thank you for showing me your amazing company that I now love with a passion, and I thank you most of all for just being you.
This video I put together simply shows still images of Steve from the early days of Apple through each of the major product launches he overseen. It's simply titled, "Thank you".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pa7EqgNAsc