It is with great sadness that Jessica and I write about the loss of Steve Jobs, one of the most influential innovators of our time. This morning, we were talking about our first experiences with the Apple brand and how it has truly impacted our lives. So, we thought it fitting to send up a digital thank you note to Steve Jobs.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs

Jessica Quillin Remembers

As a child, I remember computers being everywhere. My father, a medical physicist, worked with massive computers that had to live in their own air-conditioned rooms. At home, we had devices of all sorts from a teletype that was defunct even in 1982 to an early IBM that impressed me because one could make it talk. But, these machines seemed bulky and unfriendly.

However, everything changed in 1984, just before I entered the fourth grade. One day in early September, my father brought home a new computer, a Macintosh. Even though I was only nine, I remember being impressed with its compact, geometric shape. Like many children, I played educational games on the little black-and-white screen that seemed infinitely more fun than our IBM.

Fast forward nine years and by my freshman year of college, I was lucky enough to have my own Mac SE. It was a state-of-the-art powerhouse that would let me type files, save them, and print them. For a college student who did everything at the last minute, the machine literally changed my life.

As an adult, Apple has continued to revolutionize with various amazing gadgets like iPods that talk to my running shoes, iPhones that amuse my husband while I’m shopping, and iPads with applications that can record every minute of my newborn baby’s existence.

While we now may be used to the immediate gratification that technology can provide, we have Steve Jobs to thank for giving it personality and making it fun. Thanks to Steve Jobs, it is a brave, new, interconnected world where anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Krista Peck Remembers

In 1984, my beloved fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Tyler, announced to the class that we had our own computer in the classroom. Pointing to the smart looking device topping a sturdy table tucked neatly in an inviting corner of the room, I laid my eyes on the Macintosh. My classmates and I were instantly in awe of this amazing machine. I remember playing educational games on it, quickly understanding how to use it. I was hooked with this engaging new thing.

While many schools offered Macs in the classroom, it took some of us a little longer to incorporate them into our homes. Our family didn’t spend a ton of money on tech stuff… We had lived so long without computers that we didn’t find owning one a necessity.

Then I entered college. With a word processor. Pecking away at that prehistoric contraption, trying to make out what I had just typed on the dim screen which only displayed a few lines… Horrors. After a summer of saving money and convincing my parents that it was a good investment, I entered my sophomore year of college with a Mac. It changed my life.

Now with my iPod, iPhone and iPad, I cannot imagine life without the contributions of Steve Jobs. His vision has truly changed my life–not only making it more enjoyable and efficient, but also reminding me that you should follow your dreams and live life with the passion that drives you.

Thank you, Steve Jobs. Rest in peace.