We learned today of the death of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc.
Mr. Jobs stepped down as President of Apple on August 25, and was to stay on as Chief Executive Officer. But his death today at age 56 cuts short his intentions to continue to steer Apple from the CEO’s chair.
In the weeks since his resignation, there have been scores of articles and testimonials about Mr. Jobs’ genius, his ability to set the agenda for the computer and entertainment industries, and to design the future of technology.
These articles talked about his ability to tell us what we need. Among the things he told us: the Apple II computer, the Macintosh computer, the LaserWriter printer, the iPod, the iPad, the iMac, Apple TV, and hundreds of software tools that literally shaped the 21st century.
What all of these articles missed was the thing that I think is the most important accomplishment of this creative genius: he created the desktop publishing revolution, a revolution which has touched the lives of everyone in the graphic arts world for the past 27 years.
I teach a class on the history of the graphic arts. I have a timeline of important people in the industry which starts with Johannes Gensfleisch (AKA: Gutenberg). Much later on the timeline is Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of the Linotype machine, and Tolbert Lanston, the inventor of the Monotype machine.
Much later – in 1984 – are John Warnock and Chuck Geschke, founders of Adobe Systems. On the same point of the timeline are Mike Parker, Director of Typography at Linotype Company, and Paul Brainerd, founder of Aldus Corporation and inventor of the PageMaker application.
The matchmaker of the Desktop Publishing revolution was Steve Jobs. Without his vision — and his money — the players we know would not have started the revolution, and we might still be making paste-ups (Heaven forbid!).
Mr. Jobs had the vision to see that we could use computers and software to do publishing. He pulled the players together to spark the revolution. And, the revolution succeeded.
I argue that Jobs is as important as Gutenberg, as important as Mergenthaler.
He did for publishing in 1984 what Gutenberg did for literacy in 1455. He was the catalyst for change in an era when change was desperately needed. He brought quality, precision, and efficiency to publishing where there was none before.
He brought complementary companies and their visionary founders together and convinced them that it was the time to move. And, they moved. And we are the beneficiaries of the electronic publishing revolution.
I thank Steve Jobs for his vision and his ability to pull the players together. I have been riding the wave of this revolution since the first week (I bought a Mac as soon as I could get one; I bought a Linotronic 300 imagesetter as soon as I could get one, etc.).
It has been an exciting ride. Always interesting, yet exciting. We owe it all to Steve Jobs.
And we will miss Steve Jobs.
Oh, yes, we will miss Steve Jobs.
