Ok, I realize this is a different post than usual. But with the sad passing of Steve Jobs today, I decided to open this up as a collection of favorite Apple or Mac moments.
As some of you know I have been a big Apple fan for many, many years. I fondly recall my first Macintosh II, it may have been a IIx, back in 1988 – 1989. I know Steve Jobs was not at Apple in 1988, but his vision of using Xerox’s mouse driven graphical user interface was the genesis of the whole Macintosh line, starting with the Macintosh 128. Back in 1988, a couple of friends and I had a small desktop publishing company and used a Mac II to do all the editing, page setting, layout, etc. Note that this was before Windows ever hit the main desktop world. PC’s running Microsoft operating systems couldn’t come anywhere close to the power provided by the Apple Macintosh series. Most companies back then, if they had PC’s in the office at all, where DOS based. Windows 3.0, the first release somewhat adopted by the business world, didn’t get released until 1990. There was no Microsoft Word so to speak of. Page layout and formatting was done with more professional tools such as PageMaker.
But a little history is probably warranted. Yes, I will probably expose my geeky nature here, oh well. You can search for more detail on the internet, but I think this is fair summary from what I know. Feel free to point out any mistakes.
When Steve Jobs first visited Xerox PARC in 1979, he noticed a computer not controlled by a keyboard but a clunky 3-button pointer device. This was the Xerox Alto, controlled by a three button mouse and with a simple graphical user interface. The idea took root and Apple went to work on the Apple Lisa. The first computer controlled by a mouse. Many actions we still use today, such as double-clicking, tiled windows or drag-and-drop, where first implemented with the Apple Lisa released in 1983. When Steve left Apple in 1985, he founded NeXT computer, which graphical user interface was the first to sport a “X” mark to close windows and a docking bar. By the early 90’s many companies were on the GUI bandwagon, with Microsoft releasing Windows 3.0 and in the late 90’s, UNIX based stations were equipped with X-Windows. After struggling since the departure of Steve Jobs, Apple acquired NeXT and with that, its founder Steve Jobs. He took the helm of Apple back in 1997 and soon after Apple released the iconic iMac series with the translucent plastic casing. But 2001 was undoubtedly the flagship year. The release of OS X and the release of the first iPod marked a turn-around. A quick succession of different iPod models, brought us the iPod touch and the iPhone in 2007. They introduced the now familiar and much copied touch-swipe style user interface. And then in 2010, the iPad followed, which was in itself a fundamental change once again.
Since those early days of the first simple graphical user interface, the whole world has obviously changed. We use graphical user interfaces everywhere now, from computers, to your cell phone, tablet and even the more high-end refrigerators have small graphical touch screens that can perform the ice or water dispensing tasks. It took the vision of someone like Steve Jobs to make sure we interact with technology via graphics, a mouse and clicks or pushes, and not via a keyboard, typing in commands all the time. Think about it: the mouse, the graphical user interface, double-clicks, drag-and-drop, the “X” to close items, push-and-swipe on your smart phone, a digital music player in your pocket. They were all technology items first delivered with a product Steve Jobs had his hands on. You don’t have to like it for it to be true.
My favorite Apple moment(s) are probably twofold:
1) When we first started working with the Mac II, it made a huge difference is being able to produce high quality type setting for books that numbered a couple hundred pages. Before then, as young guys not having professional type setting equipment, we were forced to literally cut pieces of text, retype them, glue them on another sheet, make photocopies, glue in any illustrations, photocopy again. The Mac II allowed us to edit the raw test, leave white space where the illustrations went, etc.. It was leaps and bounds from what we were used to.
2) The second is undoubtedly the release of the iPad. It provided me with a device, the size of a notepad, that not only allows me to take notes, but it has my full ESV study Bible, my entire Logos library, maps, email and a web browser all right there. On Sunday morning I flip back and forth between my Bible and note-taking without as much as a breath. It wouldn’t have been possible without the vision of a man named Steve Jobs, who relentlessly hammered his mantra “Make it simpler”.
So what are your favorite Apple inventions over the years ? Where do you use an Apple product ? iPad, iPhone, iPod, Macbook, you name it, let’s hear it.