Steve Jobs- Bringing Information to Life

So, Steve Jobs passed away a few weeks ago and many in the world of technology still are mourning the loss of a person that has been referred to as an icon, genius, pioneer and legend. I have decided to hold off my criticism or admiration for him until now, so as to not let emotions get in the way.

While many will be talking for years and even decades to come about a man that ran Apple with an iron fist or a man that changed 6 different industries in a matter of 15 years or a man that was as much artist as he was business man, I will remember Steve Jobs for doing something much more personal, Bringing Information to Life.

Let me explain. I think the beauty of what Steve Jobs has lead Apple to do over the last 15 years wasn't so much that they created incredible devices to consume information/media on. What I think is the genius behind what they have done is that they have made that information or media come to life in a way that I personally have never seen before. Whether it be the GUI with the Mac or iTunes or iPods or iPhones or the wonderful iPad, each device reimagined how people would consume information and allowed it to come to life.

Where this has really hit home with me is in my personal life. One of my little girls has both Down Syndrome and severe Autism. She can not really communicate with the outside world or should I say has not been able to communicate with the outside world. About a year ago we start working with her on an iPad and trying to get her to understand how to use it and communicate with it to let us know what she needs or wants. It has been a slow process, but we are starting to see hope where we once saw dispair. We are starting to see smiles where we once saw tears. And we are starting to see life where we once saw cold blank stares. The iPad has started to bring the information and words and knowledge that lives in my little girls brain to life in ways that we never imagined possible.

We may never know in our lifetime why the brains of children with severe forms of Autism lock up and trap them in a prison of their own mind. But my wife and I will always remember Steve Jobs as a visionary leader of a company of people that helped bring information to life in very personal and important ways.