Steve Jobs and Hindsight

As everyone knows by now, Steve Jobs died last week -- the outpouring of emotion for him was both wonderful ... and a bit much. Let's be clear - what Jobs did at Apple did indeed transform the world. Or, rather, part of the world.

When we talk about how many people found out about his passing on a device he created, we are of course talking about an iPhone or an iPad, or a different device that was inspired both those revolutionary products. We may even be talking about a Macintosh computer, which of course similarly inspired Windows based products.

But ... the world? These are toys for rich people, or at least people in the middle class and above. There are plenty of other, valid, concerns with where the devices are made, the landfills they take up, etc. -- again, that's all relevant though not really where I'm coming from.

The man was amazing - I truly was surprised by my own sadness at learning of his death. We all have stories about keeping the packaging of our iPods in a closet, for no good reason except that we didn't want to throw something so nice away. I travel with an iPhone and an iPod, and use a Mac at home. But let's keep it in perspective, okay? I could do all of this with other, less fun, less productive devices. And the world, at least as far as things that matter, hasn't really changed all that much. Or at least not nearly enough.

While we're at it, in the last five to ten years, and certainly over the last week, I've thought a lot about this book, one I read when it came out and that has almost immediately since lost all its relevance. It's called: Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders  and it's essentially about what Apple could have been ... but failed at.

For those with short memories or (grrr) youth, it's easy to forget that just 10-12 years ago, Apple looked like a company on the wane, one that had missed plenty of opportunities and let Microsoft steal its thunder. There is a great story in there about the "portable laptop" Apple made, that they loaded so many functions and features onto that it was something like 35 pounds, and nicknamed "The Luggable."

Then came Steve Jobs' return and the company honestly never looked back.

It's probably still an interesting read - with 20/20 hindsight, of course. But it's also a good reminder that we should never rush to judgment. There's always time to recover from our mistakes (or at least, more time than it can often seem).