Steve

I was going to do a blog post today about all my news and stuff that I have been up to recently. But I thought it would have to wait for a little while. Instead I thought I would share my email that I sent to rememberingsteve@apple.com

@rememberingsteve

A few summers ago. I drove me and a group of my friends to a remote barn in the middle of the english countryside. Most of the people I knew, but a couple I had yet to meet. Jo was one of them. She was a little shy, not really knowing many people there, so I went over and started up a conversation. We both had a first generation iPhone in our hands, so naturally, our talk started there. We where inseparable the entire trip.

I had gained a friend through mutual love of apple products. Even though our iPhones where outdated by then. We kept in touch after that, talking after every product announcement and showed off every apple product we bought after that.

We both got an iPhone 4 on its release date. For us both it was our first 3G phone and we both fell in love with it. We used FaceTime for the first time that morning, marvelling in our piece of futuristic technology while other people scoffed at it, while being simultaneously very interested.

One day we went out Geocaching in our local town. Something we would have never been able to do easily without our iPhones. It rained for the majority of the day but we still had one of the best times ever. So much so when we got home and dried off we wrote an email to Steve, telling him how much of a fantastic time we had using his products. We never got a reply. But we where happy in the fact that our email was in his inbox at some point, and he might have even given it a read.

Now I am an employee at the Apple Store, and it has honestly been the best job of my life. I have met some fantastic people working there, and I can't stress enough how much that place has changed my life. Apple's soul really is its people, and I am proud to say I am employed by them.

Jo is now my best friend. And from that chance conversation about our love of Apple she has grown to be an indispensable friend. As soon as the news broke earlier today we texted each other from our iPhones. Baffled and emotional that the device we are sharing this moment on was created by a person now gone. A man that we admired the most.

The news last night has got me to get up and finally get started on my animation showreel for Pixar, another company headed by Steve. I'm shooting for that dream and never giving up now. And I have Steve Jobs to thank for helping me every step of the way. From the devices I do my work on, to the lessons learned from the Credo that rests over every Apple employees heart.

Rest in peace Steve. You will be missed.

-Jonny

Sent, as ever, from my iMac.