In Memory of Steve Jobs: Creator, Innovator, Human Being

On Wed., Oct. 5, the world lost one of its greatest contributors to innovation, creativity, and technological advancement. Steven Jobs, co-founder and chief executive of Apple, Inc. passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jobs was an inventor and entrepreneur, and the mastermind behind many innovative devices such as the iPod, the iPod Touch, the iPad, the iPhone, and the MacBook. Jobs' creations have transformed our culture and our lifestyles and have been a major player in this global game we call the technological revolution. But his legacy amounts to much more than touch-sensitive gizmos.

What Jobs was able to do with his life was truly amazing: he married technology with taste, flair, and creativity. Take the first iPod, for example, the first MP3 player to gain worldwide popularity and attain its own personality. It was incredibly advanced at its time of debut, yet it was elegant, user-friendly and fun.

Many of Jobs' inventions have had the same appealing qualities. He created products that served a purpose beyond mere functionality. His creations tickled our personal fancies, charmed our senses while also fulfilling our needs for data, information, and connectivity at the swipe of a fingertip. Jobs made technology fun, and catered to fun by means of technology.

Like his many brainchildren, the man himself was a hybrid of technological savvy and creative quirk, and had a keen eye for elegance across fields. Jobs was actually a college dropout. He attended Reed College in Portland, Ore. for one semester before dropping out of classes officially. For some time after, though, he walked in on classes and audited them. He attributes the typefaces and proportionally spaced fonts of the first Mac to knowledge gained in a calligraphy class that he dropped in on.

Jobs' unique work and commitment to the field of technology have caused many to refer to him as a visionary, a genius, and an extraordinary human being. Apple made a statement shortly after his death, stating, "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve." (Source: Apple, Inc.)

Jobs' life and legacy continue to be celebrated by his fans worldwide. Apple shops everywhere serve as sites for his memorial. Those touched by his life and his loss have turned these storefronts into tributes, writing their farewells on Post-it notes and sticking them on the shop glass, leaving apples along with flowers, and holding candelabra memorials with candles on their iPhones and iPads. Even after having passed, Jobs continues to inspire millions.