I hadn’t planned on writing anything marking the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ passing. Then I saw the video on Apple’s homepage.
In it, Jobs quotes Wayne Gretzky:
I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is been.
To drive that point home, the video highlights three products that Jobs brought to the market: the iMac G3, the iPod and the iPhone.
The video includes black and white photography of Jobs with the products, with audio of him introducing them between rounds of applause. The lines from the keynotes should be familiar to Apple nerds. The video clearly paints the picture of Jobs being the man — the force — behind these revolutionary devices.
To show Jobs’ human side, the video includes a photo and audio from the original iPhone introduction when Jobs prank called a Starbucks and ordered 4,000 lattes to go, then plays a clip of Jobs talking about Apple’s love of the arts and humanities, married to technology.
After the video, the website transitions to a letter from Apple CEO Tim Cook. In it, Cook writes:
One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.
No one can replace Steve Jobs, and this video reminds us of that, but I have no doubt Apple will continue to thrive in the coming years. It’s a unique company, thanks almost entirely to its unique founder.