I first met Steve Jobs in August 1997, a little before I was due to introduce him on stage at Macworld Boston. His ice breaking comment was to severely criticize my dress code while attempting to pull off my tie.
In a later meeting in Cupertino, he took me through his plan for Apple, how he would polish a tarnished brand. When I asked why he'd returned he responded, in a manner that suggested I should know - that his and Apple's DNA were intertwined. He was Apple.
Over the years I grew to appreciate his directness even if I did not always like the message. Some of the conversations were tough. Being in charge of a high quality publication which had great journalistic integrity and independence from Apple meant that not all the coverage of Apple met with his approval. However, over the years a respect grew for the roles each of us played in the industry. When Steve was not happy about something, he called to let me know - sometimes late at night or at the weekend. At least he was willing to engage and often the conversation ranged far from the original topic and allowed me amazing insight into his thinking. One of the most memorable conversations was when he took me through the draft language for the Think Different campaign explaining how this was the start of building emotional connections with the buyers.
Back in the dark days of the Apple industry in 1997, Steve was the only person who believed that Apple could eventually dominate the consumer electronic industry. It took over a decade of inspired leadership and incredible vision to get there.
To day we say a sad farewell to a remarkable individual who has touched all out lives. My deep condolences go out to his family, I'm truly saddened by his much too early departure - he was just a year older than me and having being involved in the Apple industry since 1987 it has a deep impact on me. Steve's will be remembered for many things, for me it was his ability to make us have emotional attachments to our Apple gadgets. Under Steve's leadership Apple delivered incredible products that changed industries, are a joy to use and inspire us to do more. He leaves an amazing legacy. I feel very honored and l privileged to have played a small role in that journey.
With deepest respect,
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