What has Steve Jobs done for us?

The digital and social media world has gone into mourning following today’s announcement that Apple founder Steve Jobs has died. But is it justified?

Twitter has crashed – twice, obituaries abound on digital and social media, and everyone from Barrack Obama and Bill Gates to the humblest tech geek has delivered their thoughts on the passing of Steve Jobs.

Visionary… inspiration… genius… the gushing words are being uttered, written, posted and tweeted with reckless abandon. John Birmingham, normally a respected cynic, delivers a rousing tribute to the Apple co-founder’s passing, albeit one tempered by an acknowledgement that Jobs headed a ‘secretive and ruthless company [that] employs thousands of indentured servants in dictatorships like China’.

Like any good religion, the cult of Steve is only going to grow stronger in the wake of its protagonist’s death. But the man himself became fabulously rich by exploiting the modern world’s love of gadgetry and using ruthless marketing techniques to virtually bleed us white (and making us pay extra for the colour preference). And what has he ever given us in return?

The graphical user interface
Well, yes. The first Macintosh in 1984 built on its predecessor’s (called ‘the Lisa’ – for trivia buffs) use of icons, windows and mouse-controlled curser. So he did give us that, that’s true.

And great family entertainment
All right, we’ll grant you that Jobs’ purchase of Pixar in 1986 paved the way for great computer-generated classics like Toy Story I, II & 3, Finding Nemo and Up. In the process, Pixar became the corporate poster child for an organisation where creativity and originality was prized above the bottom line (which was actually strengthened by employing people with creativity and originality).

So the graphical user interface and great family entertainment are two things Jobs has done…

And the iMac
Well, yes, obviously the iMac. Jobs had previously been kicked out of his company and the iMac was the first step in putting Apple back on top on his triumphant return. The bubble design looked cool and it paved the way for the explosion of the Internet and everything that’s followed since.

But apart from the graphical user interface, great family entertainment and the iMac…

The iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad
Yes… all right, fair enough. None of these devices were new, but they were the first in their respective fields to truly grip the imagination and be world-dominatingly successful.

And making people who buy MacBooks and more feel like they’re cool
Oh, yes! True! That is a remarkable achievement.

Having a nifty turn of inspiring phrase
Fair enough. Can’t argue with that. Some of things Jobs has said are genuinely inspirational because you get the sense that he’s actually lived his own words. Perhaps the best examples are:

• ‘Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’

• ‘I want to put a ding in the universe.’

• ‘Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice… have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.’

But apart from the graphical user interface, great family entertainment, the iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, making Apple users feel like they’re cool and having a nifty turn of inspiring phrase, what has Steve Jobs done for us?

With apologies to Monty Python.