Venice, California –
April 1, 2014
Because I owe my latest low cost yet stylish look to Steve
Jobs, you may have the impression that I am enamored with Steve Jobs. Well, it’s not a man crush but I have to say
in all my years I have never seen a single individual have such a profound
effect upon people’s daily lives. Steve Jobs
ranks right up there with Thomas Edison and Walt Disney as innovators whose
products forever altered the landscape of America and how we live our lives. A guy who started his company in his parents
garage which, seven years later when Apple went public was valued at $1.5
Billion and at the time of his death was the world’s most valuable
company. Quite a run! I have been an
admirer of Steve Jobs’ products but it wasn’t until after his death, when I
read Walter Issacson’s compelling and unvarnished biography of Steve Jobs that
I began to grasp what he accomplished. This journey of mine helped to drive that home
as I realized how many times a day I turned to Apple products and how much they
altered the road tripping experience for the better.
I wasn’t conscious of Jobs and his career for many
years. My first exposure to Apple was
way back in 1984 when my son David got a MacIntosh computer in high school. He told me, “Dad, you gotta try this thing. It’s so much easier to use than what you are
doing.” I had started as a DOS guy at
work, struggling with “alt S 4” type of stuff.
I had a little cardboard cheat sheet that sat above my keyboard to remind
me how to start a paragraph, or start a new page – so confusing. By the time David showed me the Mac I was already
into Microsoft and PC’s. Apple, I
figured, wasn’t that much better. “I’ll
stick with what I have.”
Years later, my daughter Kat started to convert me to Apple
products when she majored in art during college. She said all design work in the industry was
done with Macs. By that time Jobs had
revolutionized the music business with the iPod. I had purchased a Rio MP3
player a year or two before and was blown away by what Apple had come up
with. Like many people I was stealing
music off the Internet with Napster. I
wasn’t about to pay for music. Using an
iPod was so easy and the iTunes Store so foolproof, I gladly converted even
though it cost me $ .99 a song. Of
course, I was also impressed how Apple had just beaten the snot out of both
little Rio and also giant Sony in capturing the portable music market. (Got a Walkman in a drawer somewhere?)
So, when my PC gave up the ghost – which they did about ever
three years, I listened to Kat and I bought my first Apple desktop. I liked it – a lot. In rapid succession I ended up with every one
of Apple’s products. I wasn’t a complete
push over. When my kids gave me an iPad
for Christmas, I thought there is no way I am going to use this. I already have an Apple desktop and a laptop
and an iPod. Besides, I will never read
a book with this thing. I love the feel
and permanence of books. Well, by
mid-January my conversion to this magic tablet was complete. Like so many other converts I immediately
appreciated the amazing convenience -- carrying your complete library around
with you, ordering a recommended book on the spot, being able to read not just
books but newspaper and magazines, listening to music while you did it and
checking your email when you wanted, instantly looking up words when you didn’t
understand the meaning (Rather than skipping them!) and researching topics that
were mentioned instantly. It totally
changed my reading habits and enhanced the pleasure I derived from reading.
I could not describe the total impact of Jobs’ work better
than former Time, Inc. executive, Walter Isaacson. Although Jobs had many foibles as a human being,
a father and a manager the impact Jobs had on society is unquestioned. To quote Isaacson, “Some leaders push innovations
by being good at the big picture. Others do so by mastering details. Jobs did
both, relentlessly. He revolutionized six industries: personal computers,
animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing and digital publishing. You
might add a seventh: retailing, which Jobs did not quite revolutionize but did
reimagine.”
I even think Isaacson sold the guy a little short. Job’s
products have a ripple effect that eventually changes other industries,
businesses and aspects of society. In
addition, to what Isaacson mentioned you have to say Jobs has an impact on
design (who else could see that white earphones would have iconic breakthrough
impact?), marketing (His 1984 Super Bowl Commercial defined Super Bowl
advertising for the last two decades), Product Integration (creating
a “walled garden” of hardware, software and services that provides superior
experience for users. For example, iTunes, where users first buy songs, movies,
books on tape or apps and then are able to upload them to a variety of Apple
products.) He also invented entirely new
industries. The App Industry for one. Apps provide Apple products with an infinite
number of uses and also provide an instant marketplace where any entrepreneur
can present and prosper from a novel idea.
Mobile Computing, for another, turned the phone into an entirely new
invention. And for another, the value of
tablets wasn’t truly grasped until the iPad.
I noticed the ripple effect on my current favorite
leisure activities – Road Tripping. Driving along for the last 2,000 miles that
Jobs also had a profound impact on Road Tripping. Apple products are as important as tires when
road tripping. Apple has reduced many of
the principle obstacles of road tripping.
1.
I am always in touch.
Being able to keep you in touch with your family is reason enough to think of
the guy as a genius. Prior to the iPhone
how in the world did you keep in touch?
You didn’t. Maybe you would call
when you stopped for lunch or gas – at some phone booth, with a handful of
quarters or reversing the charges. Now,
touching base is a cinch. If you don’t
want to talk – text away. Yes, I confess
to texting while driving. I can confess
to this sin without guilt only because I am convinced that this problem will be
solved by technology. If Jobs was alive
I sense he would have already solved it!
2.
I never get lost. The maps app is sheer
genius. Now, I know that Apple was
criticized when the new version came out but I have had no problem at all. The talking map (is that Siri?) telling you
to turn means you don’t have to glance at anything. The best thing is if you miss a turn it
doesn’t tell you to make some crazy U-turn or reprimand you like the talking
navigation devices.
3.
I can immediately find services I need. You don’t even need to Google. Type Walmart into maps and it will find the
closest one to you.
4.
I can listen to my entire library of favorite
music you own. I
so remember road tripping with my 8 track tape deck. I got very tired of The Righteous Brothers
Greatest Hits.
5.
I can also listen to my favorite radio station
anywhere in the country. KXT is
Dallas is a great independent radio station.
Download the App and you’ll agree.
6.
I can listen to books on tape effortlessly. On this trip I listened to the biography of
Walt Disney. That and all my use of
Apple products made me want to listen to the Jobs book I had already read. Downloaded it while driving along.
7.
I can find out what the weather is in the city
where I am headed.
8.
I can learn not simply where the next gas
station is but who has the cheapest gas.
9.
I can see how the stock market is doing.
10. I
can negotiate a hotel room in the next town (a service I don’t need) or
11. I
can find a suitable RV Park for your trailer (This one still needs a little
work.)
Eleven dramatic improvements in road tripping
and that is just in the first 2,000 miles.
I am certain there are other uses, which I haven’t gotten to yet but
suffice to say one man’s inventions have had taken a lot of the guesswork out
of Road Tripping. No more fear of
getting lost. No more listening to
dreadful AM stations in the middle of nowhere.
No more getting sick of the same CD’s.
I was aware of all this but didn’t have a full appreciation until I
started to write about my trip and how many times I reached for an Apple
Product.
So, in addition to inspiring my fashion
statement, Jobs and his products have redesigned Road Tripping.
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