The big Apple WHY? While driving in to work this morning, tuned in to NPR as per the usual, Steve Jobs helped me explain an abstract concept—my passion for his products. I haven’t really ever been able to explain WHY I use Apple products—I know why inherently in an abstract sense (you know, the whole “once you go Mac, you never go back” deal that’s invariably true), but I never really know how to say why when someone asks—until now, that is. I heard an old Jobs interview on NPR that re-ran on Fresh Air. Terry Gross asked what Jobs felt Apple’s biggest contribution to society has been and, let me tell you, he answered (I’m likely paraphrasing here, as I pulled over in a parking lot in attempt to coherently jot down this amazing statement… and by jot down I mean type it in my iPhone notes): “It’s not what you might expect me to say. It’s not any product or any one thing in particular. I think our greatest contribution has been to bring a liberal arts perspective and a liberal arts audience to science and technology. To bring beautiful fonts, and a beautiful interface, for instance, to something that was traditionally boring and hard to use—and bring it to people who appreciate those things.” He went on to say that his original employees were musicians, philosophers, artists, etc., who also happened to be brilliant computer scientists. It’s an amazing thing if you think about it…That said, the best explanation I’ve come up with is “Apples aren’t clunky.” However, Mr. Jobs has said it ever so more elegantly. What he said is exactly what I mean, and I relate to it in more ways than I can even begin to explain—as a Philosophy-English-melded liberal arts major, British Romantic-reading, art-loving, “font-ist” who happens to work in (and love) the technology industry, you can probably understand why. Needless to say, if you ask me, “Why Apple?” from now on, you know what my answer is going to be. So, here’s a toast to you, Mr. Jobs, for (among many other reasons to toast) clarifying this today, and for making future conversations I have about my Apple collection much easier.

The big Apple WHY?

While driving in to work this morning, tuned in to NPR as per the usual, Steve Jobs helped me explain an abstract concept—my passion for his products.

I haven’t really ever been able to explain WHY I use Apple products—I know why inherently in an abstract sense (you know, the whole “once you go Mac, you never go back” deal that’s invariably true), but I never really know how to say why when someone asks—until now, that is. I heard an old Jobs interview on NPR that re-ran on Fresh Air. Terry Gross asked what Jobs felt Apple’s biggest contribution to society has been and, let me tell you, he answered (I’m likely paraphrasing here, as I pulled over in a parking lot in attempt to coherently jot down this amazing statement… and by jot down I mean type it in my iPhone notes):

“It’s not what you might expect me to say. It’s not any product or any one thing in particular. I think our greatest contribution has been to bring a liberal arts perspective and a liberal arts audience to science and technology. To bring beautiful fonts, and a beautiful interface, for instance, to something that was traditionally boring and hard to use—and bring it to people who appreciate those things.”

He went on to say that his original employees were musicians, philosophers, artists, etc., who also happened to be brilliant computer scientists. It’s an amazing thing if you think about it…

That said, the best explanation I’ve come up with is “Apples aren’t clunky.” However, Mr. Jobs has said it ever so more elegantly. What he said is exactly what I mean, and I relate to it in more ways than I can even begin to explain—as a Philosophy-English-melded liberal arts major, British Romantic-reading, art-loving, “font-ist” who happens to work in (and love) the technology industry, you can probably understand why. Needless to say, if you ask me, “Why Apple?” from now on, you know what my answer is going to be.

So, here’s a toast to you, Mr. Jobs, for (among many other reasons to toast) clarifying this today, and for making future conversations I have about my Apple collection much easier.

Posted 4 months ago