How Steve Jobs Influenced Our Culture

Photo Credit: acaben

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, Inc., surprised industry insiders when he resigned last month as Apple's CEO. His departure has led many to reflect on the influence that his innovations like the iPod and iPad have had on our culture and the role that Jobs has played in changing the manner in which we live.

USA Today comments:

"Steve Jobs' decision to step down as Apple's CEO has spurred a wave of tributes that border on eulogy. But maybe such a dramatic reaction is understandable considering that what Jobs created with Apple wasn't simply technological change, but often a cultural revolution.

"The difference between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, two giant innovators, is that Jobs had an aesthetic sense with which he created objects of desire," says Paul Saffo, a longtime Silicon Valley technology forecaster. "Whether it was the first Macintosh or the latest iPad, every Apple hit promised, and delivered, a life-changing experience."

What makes Jobs even more remarkable is that he used his fiery, uncompromising vision to revolutionize not just tech toys, but also the way we assess animation, advertising and even the in-store experience.

"You'd have to go back to the 1940s and Walt Disney to find a CEO who's had as big an impact on culture as Jobs," says Peter Sealey, former chief marketing officer of Columbia Pictures and an adviser to tech firms. "Maybe it's a stretch to compare him with (Leonardo) Da Vinci, but he was just that good."

Quite simply, Steve Jobs dreamed of a future in which technology played a role that none of could have imagined. How we use our phones, how we obtain and listen to music, the role that computers play in our lives and how we gather and share information has all been formed by Steve Jobs. His influence cannot be underestimated. His creativity demonstrated what is possible when people invent new ways of doing things in order to bring a different reality into view.  He didn't just change technology...he changed how we live.

To read the complete USA Today article please click here.