By Steve Klein, IT manager
Though I consider myself a Microsoft person at heart, my job also requires me to support a large number of iMacs, MacBook Pros and a Mac server. On top of those you can throw in a handful of BYOD iPads and iPhones. That means I have respect for both platforms—and need to keep up to date on both. And that led me to dig a little deeper into the life and mind of Steve Jobs …
Some time ago I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I won’t add to the mound of reviews—for that you can look at the 2,300+ on Amazon. Suffice to say I enjoyed the book. I was already familiar with his time at Apple, NeXT and Pixar, but less so with his personal life.
Face it: the guy had a flair for showmanship. And this really came out when he was on stage. No one who saw him introduce a new Apple product will ever forget his trademark black turtleneck and understated yet powerful way of presentation.
I recently came across a website offering all of Steve Jobs’ appearances at The Wall Street Journal’s “D: All Things Digital” conferences. Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher held unscripted conversations with Steve Jobs at the D a total of six times from 2003 to 2010. Links to the video and audio podcasts are available at http://allthingsd.com/20120530/steve-jobs-at-d-podcasts/. If you don’t go through all the appearances, make sure you play the one from 6/1/10 when Steve Jobs and Bill Gates appeared on stage together. It’s one of the very few times that happened that the public could watch. Even though they couldn’t help but take jabs at each other, the respect and admiration each had for the other is certainly evident.
And rightly so. They’re two giants in an industry that’s changed the world and the way we live, work and communicate. Remarkable men. And with my job, I thank them both daily. Curse them both on occasion, too.