Steve Jobs, giver of joy

My very first Mac, I used to carry it on my back in its made for purpose pack

As an Apple Mac user – I bought my first Mac in the early 1980’s – I followed the Steve Jobs’ story in a detached sort of way. I was having far too much fun on the computers to want to know the how and why. I was never an Apple fanatic, just an absorbed and enthusiastic user.

Being an Apple follower has meant a lot of mirth, ridicule and disbelief from those who used PCs. However, Apple has won through, as most of us knew it would but have quietly got on with our easy to operate devices. And that’s the key. They are friendly, yes they may be expensive, yes they may be idiosyncratic, but they are joyful!

As an example of just how easy they are to operate I trialled Macs with students with severe learning difficulties. They had no difficulty using them – it took 10 minutes for them to use the Write program successfully, another five to use the Paint program. It was a huge success.

I haven’t bothered to read anything about Steve’s passing until today when I read Steve Jobs’ sister’s eulogy to her brother. I was moved to tears. The past thirty plus years have been a hugely joyful experience using my Macs. Thank you Steve is all I can think to say.

Here’s the link to the eulogy.

Val Reynolds, Editor