For a few days now, one of the biggest news stories on the face of the earth and, perhaps, in the whole Universe, is the resignation of Steve Jobs as Apple's CEO. The ailing 56-year old Jobs is no longer the Captain of the "Mothership". He has relinquished the helm to the Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook. While Jobs has been elected as Chairman of the Board, he will no longer be walking the hallowed grounds of the Apple Campus at One Infinite Loop like a thunderous force that sweeps everyone in its way off his or her feet to the stratosphere of innovation - if he/she was worthy (translation: an authentic geek who can decipher the "Jobs code of visionary creativity") - or to the pits of destruction - if he/she was only a "common intellectual"! Acknowledged by many as brutal but inspirational (a combination of adjectives that could only be used when "Steve Jobs" is in the same sentence... and the owner of the name doesn't mind either), Jobs revolutionized personal computing to a whole new world of digital technology. And then he lured us all to this new world with his incredible charisma, fiery passion for innovation and admirably brilliant mind. Weaker mortals as most of us are, we, of course, succumbed to the skillfull seduction! And we got transformed... and irreversibly, too! Such is the power and influence of Jobs in this century. And why not, when he is such a visionary leader... at least, in this techie world of ours.
Of course, this news troubled me... for the past four years of re-inventing a lab course in my University to a platform for Innovation (oh, please! Of course, not in the Apple scale! I'm not even worthy to tie Jobs's shoe laces!), I have used the "Jobs model" as the definition of innovation. While I'm sure Apple will continue to be the seat of innovation in the technology world, I don't feel prepared to use it as a model for innovation without the Steve Jobs by-line in its technology preachings. Then again, his legacy is too potent and permanent to not stay influential for as long as we enjoy hanging out in this "digital world"... and maybe even beyond it.
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I took the photo during my most recent visit to the "Mothership" on July
2010... to check out the cool sleekness of the iPad, of course, and hear members of the Mothership's Corps of Engineers themselves explain its geekiness merits... like I needed any of that to decide to get the toy! =) iPad was not available in Manila yet that time, and I heard that it won't be until several more months. For an innovation follower, "several months" was too long, and it's but natural that I followed "the apple" that leads to the Mothership... and dressed carefully for the occasion, too! ;) The result? Techieness overdose - ahem, I totally, shamelessly flipped! =)
