I've never been a fan of memorializing the date of someone's death, especially if they left us too soon. A birthday is a much more positive day to celebrate, and today, February 24th, marks Steve Jobs' birthday. Apple CEO Tim Cook reminded us, not only of this fact, but of some of Steve's sayings, in a couple of tweets today.
I suggest you read the official biography by Walter Isaacson, where Steve's youth is recalled. Steve's father, a carpenter, played a big role in Steve putting emphasis on the design details that people don't see, like the back of furniture. So many Apple devices are things of beauty, not only outside but inside.
In fact, when I was a student at Carnegie Mellon University, I also worked as Apple's Campus Representative. I was asked to take apart a Mac and put it in a display case. It was beautiful and inspiring to me, as an electrical and computer engineering student. I tried to remember that feeling whenever I designed motherboards or circuits or even software programs. Steve's greatest talent was "style" according to rival Bill Gates, but it was also the ability to inspire others to do their best work. He was tough to work for, but the finished product was usually hard to beat.
"Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right" is one of Steve's quotes that Tim Cook tweeted today. Isaacson writes that Steve Jobs cried when he realized the original iMac would have a drawer for the optical disc instead of a slot loading mechanism as he insisted. Apple hadn't waited to get it right, in his mind, and that was always his ongoing struggle.
You might want to follow Tim Cook on Twitter, as he doesn't tweet that often, so you won't be overwhelmed. Just keep in mind that his ID is tim_cook and not just timcook. It's a nice reminder that even the CEO of the most valuable company in the world can't always get the Twitter handle he wants!
