It's Hard to Imagine...

... the world without Steve Jobs. Hardy Fox of The Residents posted an interesting tribute to Jobs today as well. I'm a Mac fan and part of the reason has been it's simplicity and humor like the early error codes.

But Jobs was more than just Apple; he was a college drop-out, studied Buddism and caligraphy and was fired from his own company. Jobs quoted Picasso's famous line, "good artist's copy, great artist's steal" and did what music labels wouldn't - a store with digital downlods. ITunes first used soft DRM that anyone could get rid of by re-ripping them, which lasted for a few years. In 2007, he finally convinced labels to allow their music to be downloaded without any DRM. He proved passion could be successful.

Jobs focused on the user's experience. However that came with the price of Apple tightly integrating their hardware with software. But you know what? I'd rather own a 10 year old Mac and stay dumb than deal with the conflicting, fractured world offered by MS, Android, Google, Blackberry and others. The Mac OS sells for less than $29 (not really even that), plus it doesn't need constant upgrades or hunts for additional software.

His goal was to make things that were a joy to use. He believed culture was important and that good design was more than how it looked. He will be missed. I hope Apple can continue his legacy, such as staying away from the business world (lawsuits).