Steve Jobs

I am not a fangirl, though some may think I am. I'm really not enough of a geek to be a fangirl. I also got on the bandwagon late. Very recently actually. I never owned a IIe. I didn't understand the difference between the GUI on the pretty beige boxes and Windows. And, the kicker for me, I don't have a single Apple sticker anywhere. Not on a vehicle. Not on an old notebook. Nowhere.

But I am a fan. I liked my iPod Video. I was enamored by my iPod Touch. I was proud to buy Alyson a Shuffle. I pursued the iPad at first sight. And I was up at 3am to order my Verizon iPhone 4. It was as natural as buying a gallon of milk to choose the AppleTV.

And just as naturally, our household leans toward Apple. Jeff was hesitant, but after taking literally 10 minutes to "setup" his iPhone, he's converted. It is safe to say that he spends more time interacting with his iPad than interacting with humans.

I say all of this not to support or refute the label "fangirl.". I say it to praise and honor the man we lost last night. I recognize that there are many many people responsible for bringing a product from vision to market. But there is no doubt that the vision must exist first.

An interface that doesn't require a representational shift. An interface that infants can intuitively operate. Products that operate with touch and strike to the heart of communication barriers. Devices that appeal to all ages and even pets.

This is why we are sad, even if we don't "mourn." It is sad to lose the man behind such revolutionary changes.