Not only did he skate to where the puck was going to be, he reshaped the rink, redefined the arena… and replaced the puck with the Mighty Mouse.
The debate will rage for a long time over what piece of technology best encapsulates Steve Jobs’ influence on our world: The iPhone? iPod? iMac? iPad? OS X and Aqua? But I’m going to argue for something a lot more low-tech: the turtleneck.
That, to me, captures the excitement Jobs both conveyed and sparked in others over his vision. It wasn’t just another gadget or a feature or an online service; it was his ability to say This can help you change things.
I don’t share the whole of that vision, but I’ve shared his excitement many, many times. (It takes no effort at all to conjure the memory of watching the simulcast from the Stevenote that announced iTunes and the larger digital hub vision… and my breathless call home to share the news with Alex.) And in the face of an often-jaded Silicon Valley, Jobs could consistently elicit gasps.
Every indication suggests Steve Jobs is now on a very difficult road. I wish him well. And I thank him for those moments of astonishment and wonder.
More Noise to Signal cartoons here
