I could not let the announcement today of Mr. Jobs resignation go without comment. Our lives here at DesktopMedia being so intertwined with the platform and products he has innovated that today’s news hit hard and gave me pause for reflection.
DesktopMedia, founded in 1989, was one of the first companies here in Indianapolis to recommend and place Apple computers in early adopters within the creative community including quite a few ad agencies, corporations and commercial printers that are still with us today.
Our depth of knowledge both at the desktop and server level has meant that we have worked with every conceivable product Apple has ever produced. As the long-standing de facto standard in content creation and publishing there isn’t a product or workflow that we touch that doesn’t owe something to Apple Computer.
I founded DesktopMedia the day a Mac SE landed on my desk along with a product called Pagemaker. Today, I carry a MacBook Pro, an iPhone and an iPad and I can’t imagine life without them and for that matter Apple without Steve Jobs.
Having said this, let’s remember it is the product that stands the test of time — the exquisitely engineered product — that rarely fails, plugs and plays, without worry because it all just works and of course, that’s what we, the customers, want — technology that serves us and not the other way around.
I’ve given the platform speech a million times — we’ve reached the point where our computing needs have come down to choosing appliances, with my favorite, a dishwasher analogy as follows: “when you shop for a dishwasher, do you really worry you won’t understand how to operate a Kitchenaid vs. a Kenmore? Or do you shop feature, price and reputation? particularly service? Who wants to be without a dishwasher for any length of time? If you want an appliance that’s easy to use, reliable, consistent, and engineered to last, you’ll choose the superior product and that has always been an Apple computer.”
Yes, I know I’m indulging in sentimentality, but would my career or the careers of those that have worked for DesktopMedia over the years have been as challenging or as passionate working with some box running Vista? Apple products have spawned rich communities of industries including design, development, consulting and technical support. DesktopMedia began as one such company. As Jobs once said, “…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” And as I trace my dots tonight, I know the path that DesktopMedia has traveled was guided by no less than Mr. Jobs himself.
Cate Indiano
Owner, President
DesktopMedia
