Twenty Somethings Remember: Steve Jobs

Yesterday, we (twenty somethings) lost the man who was constantly changing our lives for the better…

Steve Jobs

Without Steve Jobs, our lives would have been much different… Even if you hate Mac computers and despise every single Apple product there is (because you love your boring, slow PC and your boring (but fast) Android phone) – Steve Jobs has revolutionized your life in MANY ways.

1. The Movies. First, let’s go way back to 1995. The year that Toy Story was introduced to the world. Without Steve Jobs, this game changing Disney classic would have never been possible. Why, you ask? Well, who was the man behind Pixar? Yes, that’s right – STEVE JOBS. The legend behind iTunes, iMacs, and iPhones also created Pixar. Jobs was CEO of Pixar until Disney acquired them in 2006 thanks to Disney CEO, Bob Iger (a fellow Ithaca College alum who graduated with the same degree me as in TV – and yes, I will be just as successful as him). So you might hate Mac computers, but did you hate Toy Story? NO. You f*cking loved it.

2. The American Dream. Jobs was not just “a creative mind.” He pretty much started out with nothing and is an inspiration to us confused, rejection-filled twenty somethings.  After dropping out of some random college in Oregon, he had no money and did the whole “couch surf until I’m rich” thing. Eventually, he created Apple with these two other guys… and then got FIRED. According to wikipedia, he thinks that being fired from his own company was the best thing that could have happened to him. Interesting. If he didn’t get fired, there would be no Pixar – which would be bad for everyone – and Macs would be immensely different. The other company Jobs started after losing his job (NeXT Computer) was later bought by Apple – and led Jobs to his CEO of Apple position.

3. The Music. As a standard “Mac person,” I love NEW, exciting, different things. So when the iPods were first announced, I was in love. I went from using a walkman to a discman to some random MP3 player that didn’t quite make the cut. I made CDs by the hour filled of random songs. I swear – the iPod was made for me. As soon as it came out, my dad got the big white classic iPod. We listened to it in the car and sometimes I got to take it with me to the gym. It wasn’t until the first “iPod Nano” came out that I had my first mini pink iPod all to myself. However, it wasn’t long until the iPod was filled with Napster, Limewire, and Kazaa downloaded songs… and I wasn’t about to leave ANY songs in my library off the iPod… so I was forced to move on to bigger and better things – AKA the iPod classic.

It’s hard to say how many of these I’ve been through so far. As a music downloading fiend (not so much anymore), I have thousands of songs on my computer and the library is always growing – so I need the iPod with the most space (even though I will probably never fill it). The many times my iPod has given me a sad face, a corrupt message, a black screen,  a blank screen, etc – I have immediately gone to the Apple store and have always received awesome service which led to a fixed or new iPod. I cannot be with the iPod. If I have no iPod that means NO gym, which is NOT okay. It means no long car rides. It means a boring train, bus, or flight. I am actually lost without it – and when you create multiple items that people can’t live without you are simply a legend.

4. The Computer. Steve Jobs provided us with one thing that changed at least my life for the better. The Macintosh computer. When I was a kid, I remember seeing those old Apple commercials with the huge computer and rainbow apple symbol. I never thought that one day they would be what they are now, but I always thought Macs were cool because, well, different is cool. When I was getting ready to embark on my journey to college, I needed to of course get my very own laptop. Ithaca College’s prestigious and awesome (and I’m not just saying that because I went there) Park School of Communications required all students to get MacBook Pros. Growing up in a PC world, I had never had a Mac to myself. The only times I had actually touched a Mac were in Television Production class in high school – and in the beautiful Apple store at the mall to play with PhotoBooth. I got my new laptop (with a student discount) right before my high school graduation – and ever since, it was love… until an 8 pound free weight fell on the laptop giving it only a few months to live. After it died, I HAD to get a new laptop if I wanted to graduate… so it was off to the Apple store. Of course, Macs are not the cheapest things out there – and many of you argue that they are overpriced for that they are, but there are PCs out there for similar prices, if not more. When buying a computer, it only matters what YOU want. I went with the MacBook, because I couldn’t afford another MacBook Pro at the time, and put a lot of memory on it. I’ve had it ever since and when I have enough money, I will buy the iMac because that thing is the most amazing computer out there. Hands down. I HATE (absolutely HATE) using a PC. Simply because – once you go Mac, you never go back.

5. The Programs. If it wasn’t for Steve Jobs, my college experience would have been extremely different. Would I have enjoyed TV class in high school enough to want to major in it in college? I have no idea. Without the Mac, there would be no Final Cut Pro… And most of the professional creative editing/graphic design software is made for Macs. Why is Final Cut only for Macs? Why do you think? Sure, there’s “Adobe Premiere” which you can use on a PC, but that is a replica of Final Cut in boring form – and it came after.In addition to creative software, there would be no iTunes. We would be relying on Billboard for the top songs rather than on iTunes. We might even still be buying CDs. And we would be using Limewire and other illegal programs to download and store our music. Basically, if it wasn’t for Steve Jobs, we would all be screwed. He created jobs. He created college majors. He created fields to enter.

6. The Phone. I have only had my iPhone for a few months now, but I seriously have no idea how I lived without it. I barely go on Facebook on the computer anymore – because it is so easy to access on my phone. Same with my email. Same with basically everything. Without the iPhone, would there be words with friends? Would there be apps? Would there be the companies that create the apps?

Steve Jobs actually changed the world. For the better. Thank you for one of my favorite childhood movies, the small thing that holds all my music and helps me run at the gym, the computer that moves at lightning speed, the software that helped me decide what I want to major in at college, and the phone that never leaves my side. RIP.