It is no doubt a sad day for a lot of us on Oct 5, 2011 when we learned the passing of Steve Jobs. In August, when he stepped down as CEO of Apple, I was secretly hoping that it would be like the last time when he took a medical leave in 2009, that we would still be seeing Steve here and there when he feels better.  Unfortunately, it did not happen that way and Steve is no longer with us.

Over the past few years, I have learned to have a biased affection towards certain Apple products.  It started when I got my first iPhone back in April 2008.  The original iPhone was not even available in Canada, but by chance I purchased it when I went to US at that time.  I still remember how delightful I was about the experience of opening up the box, seeing the real iPhone sitting inside and waiting for me to activate it.  I used the original iPhone until it was replaced by an iPhone 4 last year.

Then I bought an iMac in late 2008 to replace my aging PC running an aging Windows XP operating system.  Windows Vista was what really pushed me over to take a leap into the world of Mac in personal computing.  Today I am still using the same iMac – a 24″ Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz machine helping me with all my personal computing at home. And with every release of OSX, Apple has made using Mac better and better without making it slower.

The iMac is not the only Mac computer I have.  I also use a Mac mini to manage and watch movies.  With an HDMI output starting in the 2010 generation of the Mac mini, it is an awesome device for pairing it up with your TV.

In 2008, I  bought an AirPort Extreme Base Station, and in 2009 I got an Airport Express to extend my network and to stream music to another other room.  I truly enjoy how easy and simple Apple products are.  And recently, I upgraded the AirPort Extreme Base Station to the latest version and I am getting very decent wireless throughput for streaming HD videos between my devices and computers at home.

And then it came the iPad in 2010. I acquired one in the States when the shipment to Canada was delayed.  Everyone knows how the name originally sound so wrong, but yet because of the awesome user experience, it has become another iconic and ground breaking product created by Steve Jobs and Apple.  I am still using the original iPad on a daily basis and I am still very satisfied with how well it operates as a device for consuming digital content, like browsing and reading online content, and watching movies over the internet.

I used to build PCs by buying all the components myself, follow the instructions to assemble them together.  Install Windows and the software drivers of the different hardware to make them work together. I had some strange luck that every 4 to 5 pieces of hardware I bought, one would be defective. I ended up spending more time going back to the store to get a replacement and then go home to continue with the PC building project.  I spent countless hours troubleshooting PC issues because of incompatible hardware and poorly written drivers, as well as defending my personal data against viruses. It was a fragile and indecent experience. I thought I was saving money in doing so, but I ended up losing my time, and being frustrated and unhappy about how the overall experience turns out.

Ever since I stopped using Windows at home, I spend less time worrying and servicing the software and hardware, and more time creating and consuming contents. Steve Jobs really made my digital lifestyle much more satisfying and productive.

As many calls Steve a visionary, he was obsessed with perfection and great design. Because he was such a visionary, he led Apple to create products that are ground-breaking.  These products are the “game changers”.  We have all been influenced by Steve one way or another, directly or indirectly.

It is very sad to say goodbye to Steve Jobs. Rest in peace.