iThankU

I open my eyes, get up, turn on Kaiser — my MacBook Pro — (if it’s shut down, that is), and log on to the web. Yes, like most of you, I start my day (right) by getting a feel of the zeitgeist.

Then I brush my teeth and take a shower. Breakfast optional.

I hadn’t realized it before but this Steve Jobs contraption is the first thing I interact with every day, and today was no different. I woke up, put on my slippers, and sauntered to my computer table. But I wasn’t prepared at all to read the news headline on my feed (“posted 3 minutes ago”): Steve Jobs is dead.

I don’t know much about Steve Jobs outside his being former Apple CEO. And yet his passing seems to have affected me in a rather personal way. That a stranger’s death can have this much of an impact is but a testament to how he’s truly permeated our lives. Yes, he gave the world beautiful, user-friendly, and functional technology. But what sets him apart is that his wares are so intuitive and personal they feel like a natural extension of our body/being. It seems without them we are limitedly human. So I guess we, Apple users, are as much connected to him as we are to his creations. He’s no stranger to us, this Steve Jobs.

This entry is, of course, among the numerous tributes to this visionary. Thank you, Steve Jobs, for making all of this possible. That’s quite generic (and vague) but, really, thank you. Your products have made both my personal and professional life more seamless over the past few years.

• You have no idea how much time I’ve saved by being able to export files to PDF in one click. I would recommend getting a Mac for this built-in feature alone. Seriously, you’re the best.

• No, actually, I would recommend a Mac because it just works. Whenever people ask me why they should switch to a Mac, that’s what I say. I don’t know how you do (did?) it, but your computers have given me and my friends fewer headaches.
  
  Your products are not flawless but they at least satisfy the basics. Where there’s available connection, computers are supposed to connect to the Web just so. Likewise, computers should be designed to pair up with a printer or an LCD projector with no fuss. Thank you for making these basic things possible. You’ve proven that technology need not be complicated and that simplicity is beauty.

• Thank you for keeping me virus-free for two years now.

• Thank you for designing a computer for people with “creative” needs. It is much, much easier (not to mention, more fun) to create a video or design a book on a Mac than it is on other computers.

• Naturally, I wanted an iPod Mini when it was all the rage in 2004. In fact, it was the first item I’d planned to buy with my first paycheck. I wanted access to my music collection anywhere and anytime, but especially during long bus rides. However, your iPods were still expensive at the time so I willingly settled for a Creative Zen Micro. I loved it but it gave up on me after a year and a half. So I saved up for an iPod Classic. It’s been four years and the music still plays on.

• I grew up in the 90s so I had a Sony walkman, such an awesome gadget. Then I upgraded to a discman, which was also lovely. But I can’t picture myself jogging with either of them in hand. So thank you, Steve Jobs, for the iPod Shuffle. I found myself staring at it this afternoon, amazed that I could store a hundred songs in this little thing and even clip it on my clothes.

• Thank you in advance for creating the iPhone, which I know I will love.

We have no doubt your legacy will live on and that Apple will continue to churn out one amazing product after another. But it will never be the same without you, the founder.

iThankU, Steve Jobs.