Irenic Road

Steven P. Jobs, 1955-2011

Today Apple made its most shocking announcement ever, and it wasn’t about a product: Steve Jobs, founder and CEO, died today. Though his declining health was known (and in retrospect his resignation as CEO about two months should’ve suggested the end was near) the secrecy surrounding the details fit Jobs and his company exactly. Apple used secrecy to build buzz and anticipation, and this announcement has the same amplifying effect on my negative emotions. It’s pathetic how many people are so materialistic and shallow that Apple’s products apparently inspire religious fervor in them. Yet even I feel some loss now, pushing me ever so slightly toward buying the new iPhone out of sympathy and respect. Apple and Jobs defined the industry I work in, and facing design problems I’ve often thought, “How would Jobs/Apple do this?” For this reason, his death has touched me more than any other public figure. The closest second is Pope John Paul II. (He died while I was visiting Rome and I was subsequently swept up with the funeral.) Jobs designed machines for people, not the other way around, and that’s his greatest legacy.

Here’s an interesting take on the “Jobs and Religion” theme: Death of a Human Tech God? I’m sure there will be many insightful obituaries in the coming days.