For some inexplicable reason, the death of Steve Jobs has deeply touched me. I felt as if I had personally lost someone dear. It wouldn't be a big exaggeration to say that this death was probably the first death of a public figure that influenced me so deep. So this post is an attempt to understand why.
I bought my first Apple product in 2006. It was a 30GB iPod (for those who forgot, back then it only played music :) ). I use it up until now and don't see myself changing it in a near future. I was fortunate enough to buy it in an Apple store, and as it is always with Apple, the excitement started there. I remember to this very day that it was like entering a museum of modern art. Everyone who has ever experienced this would understand what I'm talking about. The design in its best - in every little detail. The message that by buying at this place you join a circle of chosen people. The desire to linger there despite the fact that I knew exactly what it is I want to buy. To act as if I'm still not sure - just to breath the atmosphere of this place. Then, the package. Several years passed until I have disposed of the bag the iPod was sold in. The fabric, the logo, the "unlike-anything-else"-ness of this made me want to repeat the moment of opening the package. And finally, the iPod itself. As few buttons as possible - just like in the first Macintosh mouse. Actually, the first impression is that it doesn't have buttons at all! A case that looks as a single body, as if it was molded as a whole, without any trace of assembly. Several years later I discovered that it is possible to open it - it was in a desperate attempt to save it after it has fallen in a stream (together with myself). I remember it continuing to play music for some 30 seconds, being immersed in the water completely.
If I need to summarize what attracts me the most, it is the proof that perfection can actually work. My whole professional life tries to teach me the opposite - that it doesn't pay off to strive for perfection. That perfection is nice only in the theoretical computer science. That we are in the industry and shipping product on time with reasonable (or sometimes not) amount of bugs is more important than the internal architecture, the beauty of the interfaces, the robustness of the infrastructure. Well, I'm glad that there is at least one example that shows that it is not true. That it is important to make your product perfect. Because then your end-users will really love it! Not just use it because it's not as bad as competitors' but because it's really good. Because it's a pleasure to use it. I once listened to Joel Spolsky joking that the front of an IBM laptop is uglier than the back of a Mac. Well, he is right. I'm sure the reason Mac doesn't have the standard VGA connector is that the VGA connector simply looks ugly! No way this thing could have found a way into the beautiful Mac!
I'm typing this on my iPad which I own for less than two months. Perhaps this explains my passion. I must admit that there's something in this iPad which is so compelling that I'm using it for typing despite the fact that a keyboard would surely be more convenient and the editing would probably be easier on a normal screen. The reason probably is that it resembles a toy much more than a computer. We all prefer to have fun than to work. Or at least make sure our work looks like we are having fun. I have recently read in a newspaper article that Apple products don't require their users to learn to use them. It was used as an argument that Apple products promote stupidity. Well, for me, I think it's brilliant! No one comes up with an argument that a fridge is a bad product because it doesn't require one to learn it, right? When learning to drive a car the most difficult part is to learn to cope with the other drivers, not mastering the wheel. Thank goodness we don't have to "learn" how to use different models of elevators. It's about time computers turn into a commodity as well. Apple has done just this. Ever since I have an Internet connection at home, I'm wondering how people who are not programmers manage to keep it working. Well, my mother has me. What the rest of the people do? A friend of mine has told me that they plan to buy an iPad for her 90-year old grandmother. Doesn't it speak for itself?
And this is the second reason I love Apple products. Simplicity! Don't get me wrong, inside it's a state-of-the-art electronics. But for the user "the mouse should have only one button, to prevent confusion". In order to connect to my Exchange account, my iPad only asked me for my e-mail address and my password. My calendar and e-mail are now synchronized. I still didn't figure out how to do it properly on Ubuntu, so I'm using iPad to read and write my business e-mails.
And the overall process of buying and installing the applications? Isn't it brilliant? Both the simplicity of the process and the prices of the software! Meanwhile the most "expensive" application I bought costed $5, but I'm sure that at the moment I find myself writing documents on iPad, I will gladly pay $10 for the relevant application. I sometimes find it difficult restraining myself from actually buying it "just for the fun of it".
Do I know all the above sounds one-sided? I do. Do I realize I have been "charmed" by the cleverly organized marketing strategy? Yes I do. Don't I realized I'm being used for the benefit of a single company? I do and I gladly submit myself. But! As long as I truly enjoy every time I take their product(s) in my hands. I once used to be a big fan of Nokia phones. Their idea of a single big button that "does the job" every time you need it was brilliant. But as years passed and models replaced one another, buttons multiplied. The "magic" button became just the "left button". Before I finally gave up and bought an iPhone, the last model I owned made me regret the moment I bought it every time I took it out of my pocket. I hear the next ones will have Windows inside. I'm glad I won't have to endure that.
Why am I saying this? Because there's no guarantee Apple will remain Apple after Steve Jobs has left this world. Especially in the case of Apple. I really hope I'm wrong, but I don't think there are too many people in this world who can do wonders that Steve Jobs has done. May his memory inspire the young entrepreneurs to come and prevent them from turning into regular "businessmen".
I bought my first Apple product in 2006. It was a 30GB iPod (for those who forgot, back then it only played music :) ). I use it up until now and don't see myself changing it in a near future. I was fortunate enough to buy it in an Apple store, and as it is always with Apple, the excitement started there. I remember to this very day that it was like entering a museum of modern art. Everyone who has ever experienced this would understand what I'm talking about. The design in its best - in every little detail. The message that by buying at this place you join a circle of chosen people. The desire to linger there despite the fact that I knew exactly what it is I want to buy. To act as if I'm still not sure - just to breath the atmosphere of this place. Then, the package. Several years passed until I have disposed of the bag the iPod was sold in. The fabric, the logo, the "unlike-anything-else"-ness of this made me want to repeat the moment of opening the package. And finally, the iPod itself. As few buttons as possible - just like in the first Macintosh mouse. Actually, the first impression is that it doesn't have buttons at all! A case that looks as a single body, as if it was molded as a whole, without any trace of assembly. Several years later I discovered that it is possible to open it - it was in a desperate attempt to save it after it has fallen in a stream (together with myself). I remember it continuing to play music for some 30 seconds, being immersed in the water completely.
If I need to summarize what attracts me the most, it is the proof that perfection can actually work. My whole professional life tries to teach me the opposite - that it doesn't pay off to strive for perfection. That perfection is nice only in the theoretical computer science. That we are in the industry and shipping product on time with reasonable (or sometimes not) amount of bugs is more important than the internal architecture, the beauty of the interfaces, the robustness of the infrastructure. Well, I'm glad that there is at least one example that shows that it is not true. That it is important to make your product perfect. Because then your end-users will really love it! Not just use it because it's not as bad as competitors' but because it's really good. Because it's a pleasure to use it. I once listened to Joel Spolsky joking that the front of an IBM laptop is uglier than the back of a Mac. Well, he is right. I'm sure the reason Mac doesn't have the standard VGA connector is that the VGA connector simply looks ugly! No way this thing could have found a way into the beautiful Mac!
I'm typing this on my iPad which I own for less than two months. Perhaps this explains my passion. I must admit that there's something in this iPad which is so compelling that I'm using it for typing despite the fact that a keyboard would surely be more convenient and the editing would probably be easier on a normal screen. The reason probably is that it resembles a toy much more than a computer. We all prefer to have fun than to work. Or at least make sure our work looks like we are having fun. I have recently read in a newspaper article that Apple products don't require their users to learn to use them. It was used as an argument that Apple products promote stupidity. Well, for me, I think it's brilliant! No one comes up with an argument that a fridge is a bad product because it doesn't require one to learn it, right? When learning to drive a car the most difficult part is to learn to cope with the other drivers, not mastering the wheel. Thank goodness we don't have to "learn" how to use different models of elevators. It's about time computers turn into a commodity as well. Apple has done just this. Ever since I have an Internet connection at home, I'm wondering how people who are not programmers manage to keep it working. Well, my mother has me. What the rest of the people do? A friend of mine has told me that they plan to buy an iPad for her 90-year old grandmother. Doesn't it speak for itself?
And this is the second reason I love Apple products. Simplicity! Don't get me wrong, inside it's a state-of-the-art electronics. But for the user "the mouse should have only one button, to prevent confusion". In order to connect to my Exchange account, my iPad only asked me for my e-mail address and my password. My calendar and e-mail are now synchronized. I still didn't figure out how to do it properly on Ubuntu, so I'm using iPad to read and write my business e-mails.
And the overall process of buying and installing the applications? Isn't it brilliant? Both the simplicity of the process and the prices of the software! Meanwhile the most "expensive" application I bought costed $5, but I'm sure that at the moment I find myself writing documents on iPad, I will gladly pay $10 for the relevant application. I sometimes find it difficult restraining myself from actually buying it "just for the fun of it".
Do I know all the above sounds one-sided? I do. Do I realize I have been "charmed" by the cleverly organized marketing strategy? Yes I do. Don't I realized I'm being used for the benefit of a single company? I do and I gladly submit myself. But! As long as I truly enjoy every time I take their product(s) in my hands. I once used to be a big fan of Nokia phones. Their idea of a single big button that "does the job" every time you need it was brilliant. But as years passed and models replaced one another, buttons multiplied. The "magic" button became just the "left button". Before I finally gave up and bought an iPhone, the last model I owned made me regret the moment I bought it every time I took it out of my pocket. I hear the next ones will have Windows inside. I'm glad I won't have to endure that.
Why am I saying this? Because there's no guarantee Apple will remain Apple after Steve Jobs has left this world. Especially in the case of Apple. I really hope I'm wrong, but I don't think there are too many people in this world who can do wonders that Steve Jobs has done. May his memory inspire the young entrepreneurs to come and prevent them from turning into regular "businessmen".
