Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A True iCon

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of  the heart, you'll know when you find it."

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." These famous quotes are by none other than the great Tzar of Technology - Steven Paul Jobs or otherwise popularly known as Steve Jobs of Apple. I read his book - iCon. I got hooked reading about this man, whom people worship and look up to as their idol. The name is revered worldwide.

An adopted child, a college drop-out, with a burning passion, to create something different right from early years seemed to be setting a stage for achieving something great. Working out of a garage with his friend Steve Wozniak they created the first Macintosh. Subsequently Apple went on to create the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad as we all know. His work in three different genres - computers, music, and movie animation speaks for the genius Steve Jobs was.  This man had that Midas touch. He was the driving force with his intuition of futuristic outlook and made Apple the most successful company that it is now. His motto was to build a great product which had to be great looking, smart and at the same time be user-friendly. You just have to listen to his talks and you will be mesmerised. His Aura and charisma became an inspiration for millions across the world.

At home, my husband and kids are technology enthusiasts. I am still in the old, traditional mode and often get teased by them. The first Computer that we bought was in the year 1996. I remember when I came back from my mom's home after my first baby, this was the surprise that my husband had in store for me. When he explained its working it all turned out to be Greek and Latin to me. I was too wary of even touching it leave alone using it, considering the cost!

As the kids grew older, discussions centered around the latest technology, to which I was a mute spectator. And when the discussion turned to Apple products there was always that dreamy look of wanting one, but the price being a restraint. The first Apple product that came home was the iPod in 2007 when my husband had gone to the U.S. Children just couldn't wait to lay their hands on it. And it was time for celebration when it made a grand entry. All of them were totally mesmerised with it. Since I love music, I too enjoyed listening  to music on it. This was our first experience of using an Apple product. This was followed by the mini iPod. I remember there were extra stickers of Apple when we bought the iPod and the children stuck it right on top of our Samsung T.V. When some guests visited us they saw the Apple logo and asked us when we had bought an Apple T.V? Steve Jobs would have had a fit of rage at the very idea of T.V, as he thought television made people dumb.

A few months back my husband decided to buy a new laptop. We went to the Electronics store and were looking at different models. The sales person there routinely pitched in monotonously about the features of various models. But I could see my husband eyeing the far end of the counter and yes I should have guessed it was the Apple counter! Apple have their own trained salespeople I guess. When that guy started explaining the features, I was stuck by the difference. Here was a guy who was not just doing his job, but he actually loved it. The passion, the awe and the reverence with which he explained the working of the MacBook, I was wonderstruck. He was totally an Apple fan. This I have noticed is not restricted to one store - you just check out any store, the Apple counter salespeople are different. So our love affair with Apple continues with another addition to the Apple family - the MacBook Air.

So even if you are not so much into technology, I would still recommend that you read the book and listen to Steve Jobs and you will know why he is truly The iCon and motivated me to write a blog post.


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