Steve Jobs
Being an "iPhoner" like many of you out there.....I was very saddened when I heard of Steve Jobs' passing this week. I wanted to write a post to talk about why I was so sad about about how Apple and he touched my life.
This morning however, I was going to the Apple website to learn more about the newest iPhone (the 4GS) when I got this greeting on the homepage....
When I clicked this image, I was taken to a screen and shown this message....
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Here in black and white was an invitation for me to share my thoughts about this wonderful man, and so the following text is the email that I sent.....
"Subject: My friend Apple...
Dear Apple and friends,
My name is Jessica Lopez. I'm 26 years old from Columbia, SC. I own the iPhone 3GS, as do my husband and my mother. I purchased them each the iPhone 3GS last Christmas and they are avid users like myself.
My first encounter with Steve Jobs and Apple was back in 2007 when the original iPhone came out. I was a senior in college at the time taking classes for my BA in Education. I had always loved technology....gadgets, gizmos, computers, etc., but the iPhone was something that was so futuristic I was almost a bit nervous about getting one. Would I be able to understand how to operate it? Surely something with that much technology and capability crammed inside it would be difficult to understand how to use.....
But my mother saw the commercial for it and said, "I bet you want one of those..." to which I told her, "I don't know.....I don't think I need something that does all that..." At this point, I honestly didn't know too much about the iPhone but later that day I sat down and pulled up Steve Jobs' keynote address about the iPhone on the Apple website. I was instantly taken with Steve's charismatic personality and his enthusiasm to share this great new piece of technology, that today has truly changed the world.
As I watched Steve talk about the iPhone, all the things it could do, and the technology behind it, I felt like I was just hanging out with Steve and that he was talking to me as a friend, not a consumer. He never talked about the iPhone with cockiness. There was no air of "look how great I am" to the way he spoke. Instead of his keynote address coming off as "Look what we made....aren't I amazing....blah blah blah," it just felt like you were listening to a regular guy, and basically all he was doing was sharing some exciting news with you. It was like he was saying "Hey! Look at this! Isn't this neat.....I'm so glad I could tell you about it." I don't know what was more fun for me.....watching the keynote address and getting excited myself about the iPhone, or watching Steve be like a kid on Christmas sharing his excitement about sharing this new creation with the world.
Well, needless to say I saved up that summer and was in line when the first iPhone came out. I stood in line for over 4 hours and paid $600 for the original iPhone and it was worth every penny and every bit of stiffness from standing in line.
A few years later, I upgraded to the 3GS and have loved it so much. I was married last May to my husband Vinnie and for our first Christmas as husband and wife, I bought him a 3GS, to which he is now addicted. We are truly an iPhone family :)
I plan to upgrade to the iPhone 5 when it comes out.....but it won't be the same without Steve. Every keynote address he has done for the new versions of the iPhone, the software updates, the iPad and so on, I have watched. Each time I sat down with a snack and something to drink to hang out with my friend, Apple....Steve Jobs.
You will be missed Mr. Jobs....you were a brilliant man and your spirit and enthusiasm will live on in this world.....my iPhone and I will make sure of it.
With love from,
Jessica Lopez and family"
I encourage my fellow "iPhoners" to speak your piece about what Apple and Steve Jobs means to you.
