Steve Jobs. Genius.

Genius.

Pure genius.

I have been transfixed by the company since the Apple II. I had one back in the early 1980's. Not early enough to help with my undergrad degree but it was early in the era of personal computers. Monochrome screen, 64 KB of RAM (which I upgraded to 196KB), no HDD, AppleWorks, Visicalc, you get the picture. I was an Apple follower.

The Lisa was fascinating. I worked a summer (1983) at Shell Canada and got to see one. Later, one summer (1988) at RBC, I had the chance to make a courageous decision, to recommend the purchase of Mac IIs for my department, but I didn't have the guts. I remembered that, "no one got fired for buying IBM," and I went to the dark side for 10-15 years.

I watched Apple flounder under John Sculley, then Gil Amelio, until Jobs' return in 1997.

1997 was when my Apple sickness returned...but I was too chicken to buy the stock at $9. Rats, I should have. I watched Jobs start to right the ship. I watched the iMac, then I couldn't help but buy an iPod. It was the mini and it only lasted for one year. But, I was hooked. Since then, I have bought about 7 or 8 iPods, 2 Macs, 2 iPhones, numerous iPads, and influenced the purchase of dozens of each.

Now, as part of a "go to" slide deck I use for my strategy development seminars, I use the transformation of Apple, from nearly dead, to the most admired company in the world, to illustrate what a real turnaround is.

Steve Jobs was the leader who guided Apple back from the abyss.

I have read every book there is about him and listened or watched every video.

Is he my hero? Yup.

Coincidentally, my consulting practice is called, "Next".

I know he wasn't perfect. I've heard all about how he "was", in his first tenure at Apple. But he changed for his second and greatest tenure. He proved that anyone can learn and improve with experience.

What will happen with Apple? Who knows, but I'm watching for a dip in the share price today, so I can get some.

But today is a day to honor the legacy and reflect on his achievements. I, for one, credit him for helping me understand that products are more than just function....for showing how a big company can create passion and zealots in it's customer base....for demonstrating how a firm can target a segment of the market and win, while leaving the low end for their competitors...for proving how a firm can be a disruptive innovator, entering and winning markets and industries where it had no prior presence.

Steve Jobs.

Genius.