Thank you, Mr. Jobs

You'd be hard pressed to pick up a magazine or newspaper without some nod to Steve Jobs and his influence this week.  While others debate his place in history and try to rank his importance,  I was just a fan.  An apple was my first computer and from that purchase, I was a convert.  For folks who care about design, he just made things better.  And like most New Yorkers, my iPhone isn't often far away.  His ability to make technology Simple and Intuitive while wrapping it up in a deceivingly cool design made people like me sign up and pay.

Saturday, I popped into this Apple Store in the Meatpacking District and touched at the personal notes left by others.   I wonder if there has ever been a CEO who was as loved as he was.  He made things personal and we, apple fans, loved him for it.  When Sam Walmart died, was it the same way?  Or the founder of McDonald's?  I know no one will be crying over the death of Wells Fargo's CEO (well, at least not the general public).  

Stories have been coming out over his obsession with keeping Apple designs truly steam lined. I wish everyone edited their home as well as he edited his projects to be the simplest design that worked incredibility hard.  With that as a design motto, we'd all live better.  

But it was his business sense that made sense to me as well.  In an era of focus groups and lack of vision from companies, his NY Times Obituary summed up his leadership, "Mr. Jobs' own research and intuition, not focus groups, were his guide.  When asked what market research went into the iPad, Mr. Jobs replied: None, It's not the consumers' job to know what they want."  

He summed up his life creed to the Stanford 2005 class, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."  

Will do, Mr. Jobs and thank you. 

Live large, 

Frances