The Noisecast Bids Farewell To Steve Jobs, May He Rest In Peace

*SPECIAL PODCAST, THE NOISECAST DISCUSSES STEVE JOBS WITH LIBERAL DOSES OF WHIMSY:

We’ve just received news that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc., and inspirational leader to no small number of people both in the tech sphere and the world, has passed away today, October 5th, 2011. The front page of Apple’s website is currently a fitting memorial for the man, confirming he’s passed away. According to Apple.com:

“Apple has lost a visionary and a creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We here at the Noisecast are no stranger to the influence of Mr. Jobs. We’d like to take this opportunity to bid farewell to a man who changed the world of technology in an irreversible way. We’ll be updating this page as our writers become available to add their thoughts as they compose them. We invite you to do the same in the comments, if you feel so inclined. Please, however, be respectful. Any insults, rude, or disrespectful remarks will be promptly removed without discretion. This is a somber occasion, no matter what side of the fanboy aisle you fall on.

Eric

Steve Jobs is a man whose influence stretched into every aspect of the technology world. Decades ago, computers were thought of as complicated machines, akin to cranes, airplanes, or looms, that only specialized experts would know how to use, much less own. Steve Jobs, a comparatively poor college dropout founded Apple Computer and was essential in convincing the world that not only were computers for everyone, but that they could and should be foundational to our lives.

Your life, and mine, have been irreversibly changed due in no small part to the efforts of this man. Through his business prowess, his unyielding resolve to finish the job and to do it well, and his foresight into how people would use computers, our world has been forever changed for the better. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you come down on, you and I both owe the man and his family our thanks and blessings. Godspeed, Steve.

Steven

I have a sick feeling inside me right now. It’s not that I feel like throwing up and it isn’t sorrow that I feel. I feel empty, as if a part of me was carved out of my soul. Yes, Steve Jobs had that impact on me, he did on all of us. Apple, its products and its services may be the closest connection we ever had to Steve Jobs, but that MacBook your are reading this on or that iPhone you clicked a link to get to this article all are Steve. Apple may have been the underdog we always loved or always loved to hate, but everything Apple, and when I mean everything, I mean everything, was an embodiment of Steve Jobs. His energy, his charisma, his lifelong expectations of perfection from his products but also his peers, and his position as a leader and as a visionary all helped shape not only the tech landscape, but the world of today.

Steve Jobs lived and died pursuing his dreams, and in that pursuit he changed the world. Life was not kind to Steve as it threw many obstacles in his way. From industry betrayals to outright software theft, from seeing a company and idea he created tank to being kicked out of that same home, Steve kept coming back swinging. He was a man who learned from his mistakes but never lost focus as what his idea of the future was to be like. Many may have shared Steve’s ideas but only Steve had the courage and the perseverance to put those ideas onto paper, and eventually into your hands.

Other tech companies help change the industry. Steve Jobs helped change society. There are few people in this world who can even claim that Steve Jobs hasn’t impacted their life in some way or another. Steve is at a better place right now, he is at peace. I truly believe that when he looks down at the world right now he will smile, seeing how much his contributions have impacted and benefited society. I will always remember Steve Jobs and I believe you will too. Every stroke on your iPad, every animation in your OS X dock, every black turtle neck you see and every digital music file you download has a part of Steve in it. Steve Jobs may not have been immortal but his legacy and impact on the world will be. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. You will be truly missed.

Ron

I’m speechless. I owe so much of my technological and personal life to his dreams. I found inspiration in his vision and drive in his ambition. His, and his company’s, creations have brought countless hours of joy to my life and for that, I am forever in his debt.

The world has lost a truly brilliant innovator. His passions, have influenced all of us, and it is heartbreaking to see him go. May his vision, ambition, and spirit live on throughout the company he created.

My condolences and best wishes go out to Steve’s family and friends.

Farewell Steve Jobs, take peace in the fact that you’ve changed the world for the better.

You will be missed.

Chris

I’m slightly surprised I’m writing this right now. Just last night I commented that no one could sell a product like Steve Jobs. His enthusiasm was what we all missed yesterday. Steve Jobs loved, and believed in, his products like no one else did. His heart sold products. I first used his computers when I was a child, playing Reader Rabbit. I’ve used them learning, for teaching others, and for fun.

He sold us products that made us smarter, more productive and -most importantly- made us smile. We danced with our iPods, pretending we were silhouettes. We Tweeted, Liked and Checked-In on iPhones – and the phones it inspired.

Alberto

It is with a deep sadness that we report the passing of Apple co-founder Mr. Steven P. Jobs. Jobs’ legacy will forever live as his impact in not just in the tech industry but in pop culture he has transformed the way we think about tech in our lives. My thoughts are with Jobs’ friends, family, and the many fans he’s amassed over his many fruitful years.

Agrippa

I don’t believe in mourning death. I have no interest in something so pointless. There’s life, and the memory or meme of your existence and how far it spreads, how long it persists. That is the basis of true immortality. Many men outlive their legend, a lucky few have their legends outlive them, but Steve Jobs is no legend. He’s a phenomenon. He’s a force of nature, a divine wind that blows everything aside with its relentless will, a demanding memory that persists even without your bidding. I speak about him in present tense because men like him don’t die. The flesh expires, but the spirit was always the greater part of him, and still is. Every device, though not shaped by his own hands, still possesses his indelible imprint. He isn’t always right, but he possesses a persistence of vision. We fail to see his road because we’re blinded by him.

I don’t mean to imbue him with religious significance, but he is a symbol. He’s an ethos. With a handful of phenomenal men of the same generation, he has managed to change the course of history. Without him at the helm, Apple will still be Apple, but…

A world without Steve Jobs would still be what it is, but less magical. Thank you for helping us to believe in magic. Understand that even those of us who criticized or challenged you, only did so because you made yourself the standard by which the wise among us measure ourselves. You are constant, relentless, speak quietly, but act loudly. You’ve given all of us, even your enemies, what we need. You’ve given us a standard. You were never man. You were a state of mind. It took your lifetime, and your masterpiece to make us understand this.

Michael

Without Steve, there would be no smartphone. Like it or not, the iPhone was the very first smartphone. It showed the entire world what a phone could do. It opened the door for Android and WP7 so that they could all work together to connect the world in ways only dreamed of in science fiction.

The tablet would still be a computing punchline. They would be obese, clunky machines with unresponsive screens and broken software. Steve showed the world that a tablet didn’t have to be a joke. It could be something wonderful and fun to use. You can now use a tablet to create, edit, consume, and enjoy all manner of media.

Computer-animated films? No matter how many companies try (sorry, Dreamworks) they will never be able to tell a story the way that Pixar does. We can all thank Steve for that as well. Before Pixar and Toy Story, computer animation was for special effects. Steve and Pixar said “Not only can we make an entire movie with computer animation, but we’ll make an amazing one that will be loved for generations.”

It’s even very likely that there would be no personal computer at all. Before the original Apple computer that “The Steves” built and sold, computers were unwieldy beasts that were as much of an investment as a car. It was something you had for typing reports and doing work. Apple made computers for people, and everyone else followed them.

Steve Jobs gave the world so many great things during his time. He didn’t just open doors, he built them with his own hands and then opened the door for everyone else. He had a dedication that most people can only dream of. I guarantee you that if he hadn’t been in the last few hours of his life yesterday, he would have been on that stage.

Ben

I’m not sure how to feel right now. It’s weird to mourn a person that I’ve never met, but I can’t help but feel a profound emptiness over the passing of Steve Jobs. I may not have known him personally, but he still touched my life in a meaningful way. I would say I admired that man, but that would be something of a misnomer. It’s not an issue of past tense. Alive or dead, I still hold an incredible admiration for him and the incredible life he led. Whether or not you like Apple or not, you cannot deny the influence that Steve Jobs had. It’s hard to name another single person that shaped the world of technology the way he did.

He may be gone, but his legacy will live on. And not just in the metaphorical sense, but on the desks and in the pockets of millions of people. He will not be forgotten, and I, for one, will miss him.

Source: Apple