The End of an Era for Apple

I've written about Steve Jobs twice already this year, once for Insurance & Technology's Innovators of the Decade feature and again when he stepped down as Apple CEO. So there isn't much more to say in the wake of his death, at age 56, last night.

Jobs will be remembered as an innovator. He turned into an American icon in the 10 years since the iPod's launch (almost exactly 10 years, in fact; the first hit the market in late October, 2001), and became polarizing over the past few years in releasing the various versions of the iPhone and iPad (with some questioning the company's "walled garden" approach.) In the wake of that it's easy to forget just how influential he was on the technology landscape: our sister pub InformationWeek has a slideshow, which adds to the obvious releases of iPod, iPhone and iPad such innovations as iTunes and Apple retail stores. I would add to that the iMac, which kick-started the legacy-free PC model and left in the past the image of "personal computer" as a beige box with beige CRT monitor.

When I think about it, it's amazing how many Apple products I've used. My parents had an Apple IIe while I grew up, which was moved into my room when I turned 10 and they upgraded to a Mac II. Other than a brief time in college when my primary machine was a Compaq Presario, I've owned a Powerbook and a MacBook Pro. My wife had an iMac, iBook, and now an iPad. We have gone through three iPods and five iPhones. My backup drive and wireless router is a Time Machine; before that it was an Airport Express. Techweb issued me another MacBook Pro, and at my previous jobs my desktops have been a Power Mac and an iMac. I have Applephile friends who would report something similar. While some have, in the past, criticized Apple and Jobs for being more sizzle than steak (and there definitely is a propensity for hype among some of its fans), it's telling to me that technologists have a healthy appreciation for the company. Our team recently spoke to several leading insurance CIOs about their favorite devices, and almost all of them mentioned the iPad. One, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield SVP and CIO Joseph Smith, wrote in an e-mail this morning:

My most recent favorite gadget is without a doubt the iPad. Aside from its very light weight (enabled me to drop 18 lbs of PC briefcase/laptop/gear in my extensive traveling), robust features & capabilities, and ease of use, the international connection set up and use from the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, UK etc was just like being at home. Steve Jobs is a genius!

It is truly the end of an era for Apple, which now has to keep its momentum going, on the innovation, development and marketing sides, without Jobs on top or on the sidelines.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio