In Memory of Steve Jobs

I remember getting my first mac as a young professional, back in 1996.  I had moved from the corporate side of marketing, to the agency side as an Account Coordinator.  And my new, plush cubicle came equipped with a Macintosh.  I was hooked from the first time I turned it on and saw that little square smiley face.

I had never been a huge computer wiz.  My older brother, Eric, on the other hand, lived for computers.  He got his first Commodore 64 at 14 and began programming almost immediately.  I could never figure the damn things out.  But I "got" the Mac.  And it "got" me.  It was easy to use, it could do things I dreamed up in my head - layouts, designs, fonts, graphics, that were visually appealing.  It made me feel so much more computer literate.  Of course, back in the mid 90s, telling people you worked on a Mac did not make you appear computer-literate.  In fact, back then, the standard response was "oh, you must work in advertising or something."  I heard a lot of "you have to work on a Mac, huh?"

Eric teased me constantly about it, and we'd have wars during family gatherings.  Each of us setting up camp on our respective sides of the computer world.  My father in the middle, keeping the peace.  "Right," he'd say to my brother, "if you want the latest software and games, ya gotta go with a PC." I'd roll my eyes, and just as quickly he'd add, turning to me, "but Apple has done a brilliant job marketing themselves.  They're pretty cool computers."

Eric was a computer programmer by trade.  A die-hard PC user.  Until one day about two years ago.  My dad called me and broke the news: "Did you hear? Your brother just bought a MacBook Air."
Huh?  I called him immediately.  Are you kidding me?  Mister PC?  With a Mac?  I never thought I'd see the day.  I promptly checked the skies for flying pigs, perked my ears to hear the fat lady singing.

But I digress. If Steve Jobs could convert my brother, well then, he could change the world.  And change it he did.  He changed the way we work, the way we listen to music, communicate, organize and function.  He changed the way we live.

I write this on my latest MacBook Pro, looking at notes I jotted on my iPhone 3Gs.  Suffice it to say, I am still a huge fan of Apple.

I was so sad to hear the news of his passing last night.  He was a true visionary, and he will be sorely missed.

Have a Mac/Apple/Steve Jobs memory of your own?  I'd love to hear it...

iPhones and Margaritas

The first iPhone came out four years ago.

Hard to believe it's only been four years.

And I, a proud iPhone owner, ever since.

A gift from my parents for my 35th birthday.

Since then, I've replaced it once (after it took a swim in the toilet) and upgraded it once (to the 3GS). I've been holding onto this one until the new 5 comes out, and don't mind saying that I've done a swell job of keeping it away from water (especially after ingesting multiple margaritas) and in it's protective case.

The case is something, isn't it? The new iPhones are so much slimmer than the first ones were four years ago. Artistic and futuristic in design - slim, shiny, with rounded corners. Fits into the back pocket of your jeans just perfectly (hence the drop into the toilet). Then you go and put a clunky, plastic cover on it to keep it pristine. To protect it from falls on the concrete, scratches from the car keys in your purse (mind you, they have not come out with a fully waterproof option. Yet. ). But I digress...

The iPhone/Toilet Fiasco, as I affectionately refer to it, went something like this:

I have had a few (3) margaritas. I'm free to admit that, as a card-carrying member of the 21+ set. It's a Saturday night. I'm not driving. Anyway, my new iPhone is resting comfortably in the back pocket of my Lucky brand jeans. I run to the bathroom to, well, to return some of the margaritas, and..."Ker-Plunk" - my phone drops into the toilet before I even have a chance to sit down.

I scream.

Being a brand new device, I was not yet aware that kitty litter might be my saving grace (and even if I'd had this tidbit of knowledge, I don't own a cat...). Fast forward to the following morning...

Head down, tail between my legs, I sulk into the Apple store and, surrounded by co-eds, wait my turn. My Genius comes over and asks me how he can help me. I hold out my phone, and as he is about to take it from me, I mumble something about dropping it into the toilet. He withdraws his hand like it has just been lit on fire.

"Umm..okay," he says to me, "Was there...anything...in the toilet? When you, uhh...dropped it?

"NO." This very enthusiastically. Proud, almost. Whew! I think.

The throng of college students turns and looks, horrifically, in my direction. Genius takes the phone gingerly between his thumb and forefinger, holding it out in front of him like a piece of moldy cheese (I did say, "no" there was nothing in the toilet, didn't I?)

He asks me to have a seat on the stool and wait just a moment while he tests the phone.

A few moments later he is back. Takes the stool next to mine, scoots it closer. Takes my hands in his. "It doesn't look good."

I am reminded of a scene from E.R. We lost the patient (in this case, my iPhone), and had it quickly replaced (as is possible with electronic devices).

But I digress...

It's been four years since the first iPhone. Much has changed since then. Not just for Apple, but for me, as well. (But I will not digress again.) I'm still loyal to the brand. Without my iPhone I would be lost (quite literally sometimes, without mapquest). More than a phone, it's my address book, my connection to my friends, and most importantly, my kids. It's my photo album, music player, video maker and player, my social media touchpoint (I post and tweet almost exclusively from it), my calorie counter, my shopping list keeper...I could go on (I won't).

If it would only clean the house. But maybe there's an app for that.