I had gone all the way up to the Upper West Side Apple Store to get my dented, scratched, stained three-year-old MacBook Pro—one of the unibodies where you can still swap the battery—fixed for like the 6th or 7th time. The logic board was dying, again. The optical drive was dead, again. I think the display was going bad too. And the trackpad was getting wonky. I had a few days left on Apple Care.

The Genius scrunched up his face as he looked at my MacBook’s history. I was afraid he was going to tell me they couldn’t do anything for it this time, that I was screwed and it’d cost me hundreds of dollars to fix my computer, in the gentle, nurturing tones that Geniuses use when they tell people they need to spend another large sum of money on their Apple products. The head Genius, or whatever they call those guys, walked over. My Genius pointed at the screen. They murmured, and both of their faces contorted, together. Fuck. The big genius sighed. Fu*k. Then he erupted: “GET THIS MAN A NEW COMPUTER.” F*ck.

So he did. Apple replaced my basically destroyed MacBook Pro with a brand new Core i7 model, for free, days before the warranty was going to expire. No questions asked. I didn’t cry, complain or scream. They just did it. Days before I’d have inevitably given them another $2000 for a new computer, which they’re now not going to get from me for another year or two.

That’s why I buy Apple products.

I picked up my iPhone and opened Twitter to condense all of that into 140 characters. And then I saw. It’s one of those things that’s literally unbelievable until you have no absolutely choice but to realize the truth.

I let the feeling of having the air sucked out of my gut wash over me for 30 seconds, numb. I told the Genius. I couldn’t not. He didn’t believe it either, until I handed him my phone. I think we were the only two in the room who knew, at least for a little while. The rest of the room, packed to the stone walls, kept buzzing the way Apple Stores always hum. That was the weird part, like being part of a horrible secret you would give anything not to know.

I took my new MacBook and left.

The architecture of that particular Apple Store always made it feel like a slightly religious space. So I guess there’s nowhere I’d have rather been.

via : Gizmdo

I wanted to see/meet you in person once in my life but I think that day would never come now. I was busy playing game today when news of your death was broken to me by my wife. For a moment I could not think about anything at all and I was in shock. New iPhone 4S launch yesterday already missed you. And now, I don’t know what is going to happen to Apple and its product now in your absence.

A lot of things will be remembered about Steve and Apple. An original thinker who helped create the Macintosh, one of the world’s most influential computers, Steve also reinvented the portable music player with the iPod, launched the first successful legal method of selling music online with iTunes and reordered the cellphone market with the iPhone. The introduction of the iPad also jump-started the electronic-tablet market, and it now dominates the field.

A further statement from the company said: “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

I could not afford all Apple products however I had an iPod Nano and currently I have an iPhone. Which no doubt are the industry leader in their own fields.

Gizmodo, one of my favourite tech blog writes: Gizmodo and Steve Jobs had, at best, a tumultuous relationship. Yet no matter how much he may have hated us, we admired him. No, that’s not quite right. We loved him.

Tim Cook seemed very happy yesterday while announcing the launch of the new iPhone 4S yesterday. But he did not know that he would have to send his life’s most difficult note to the Apple employees. Here is the text of the email that Apple CEO Tim Cook sent to staff to announce Jobs’ death:

“Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honour his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.”

Tim

Here is how New York Times is remembering Steve Jobs by putting up all the patents files by Steve Jobs. Over 300 patents to his name is a great achievement.

Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder and CEO said on Facebook:

“Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer said ” I want to express my deepest condolences at the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of our industry and a true visionary. My heart goes out to his family, everyone at Apple and everyone who has been touched by his work. ”

Paul Allen the co-founder of Microsoft said ” My condolences to Steve Jobs’ family and friends. We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered. ”

“I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well. My thoughts and Google’s are with his family and the whole Apple family.” this is what Google CEO Larry Page had to say on Steve’s death.

Sergey Brin writes “From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met. On behalf of all of us at Google and more broadly in technology, you will be missed very much. My condolences to family, friends, and colleagues at Apple.”

President Barack Obama also shared his feelings on Steve’s death “Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.

By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.”

Finally, I would leave you with the most popular video of Steve Jobs. Dev-Team posted this video on their blog to pay tribute to Steve Jobs. Stay hungry and stay foolish !!

I will miss you Steve. There won’t be any reason now to watch the keynote as soon as its available on apple website. We are all living on borrowed time. Wish you could have extended your line of credit. - Kuldeep

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc[/youtube]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is back on the job after a six-month medical leave, the company said Monday.

“Steve Jobs is back to work. He is at Apple a few days a week and working from home the other days,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. “We’re glad to have him back.”

Dowling would not comment further on specifics.

Jobs’s return may do little to quell the tech community’s obsession with his health and future role at the hip tech company. Bloggers and tech-news writers are asking many questions aboutJobs’ return, including: Would Apple be fine without its famous chief executive? What does Jobs’ health mean for Apple stock? And why has Jobs’ health been such a drooled-over story?

Jobs, a 54-year-old pancreatic cancer survivor, had a liver transplant about two months ago. Apple, maker of the iPhone, iPods and Mac computers, had remained mum onJobs’ status except to repeat, over and over, that Jobs would return to work by the end of June.

Via CNN

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