Hey, Thanks Steve

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Around 1980, a close friend suggested that I get a computer to run my business. He explained why I should get one with not just a floppy drive but also a big hard drive. It would take removable floppy discs. "What's a floppy disc?" I asked, and why were they floppy? A few years later, I bought my first PC - a DEC Rainbow running CP/M. Some time later, I got an IBM PC running MS-DOS.


In the early 1990s, we wanted to start doing our graphics in house. For the first project, I rented a Mac. The day the two-week rental was over and the machine needed to be returned, our graphic artist was away. I needed to get the files off the rented machine, but what to do? If this was anything like DOS, I would have to learn a new set of instructions. I had only a little time before the rental facility closed to make the two-week deadline.

I decided to try my hand - I had no choice. I inserted a disc and voilà, it APPEARED ON THE DESKTOP. I had never seen such a thing. But how to copy the file? I had an insane idea - what if I were to just drag the file I needed onto the disc icon? And that was the moment I became a BELIEVER. The file was copied, and I had ZERO knowledge of the operating system. This was my first experience with a graphical interface. I returned the rental machine, clearly a man converted.

This rental had essentially been a test before purchase. However, I found Macs to be expensive, and some friends began telling me that Windows could do anything a Mac could do and much more cheaply. So I ordered a Dell for our graphics needs. When it arrived, the Windows interface was nothing like Apple's. Disappointed, I decided to call sales at Dell. I took  the honest approach and told the saleswoman that the machine was fine, but I really preferred a Mac interface and COULD I RETURN THIS DELL?

The sales person was exceptionally pleasant and understanding (I have over the years purchased some Dells and have recommended them for anyone wanting a Windows PC). She said she understood completely and that her daughter was a graphic artist and used Macs. A return would be no problem at all. We sent the Dell back and went out and bought a Mac. And so my long relationship with Apple began.

In 2001, I was excited to visit my first Apple Store in the Westfarms Mall in Connecticut. Subsequently, Apple opened stores in New York City, the first being just footsteps from my office in SoHo, where I and millions of others found it to be something akin to a clubhouse for happy members. Many an evening on the way home, for no particular reason, I drop in and peruse.

Since that time, I have owned nearly 20 Macs, an iPhone, an iPod, and and an iPad. I spend most of my waking hours using one Mac or another. I write these words using a Mac Mini. I have written a number of stories about Apple stores - some of my favorite photos have been of their interiors and exteriors, particularly Step Softly (top photo).
I am a little saddened to have heard about the premature death of one of America's great visionaries: Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. I never got to meet Steve nor thank him personally for a job well done. So, I think I can speak for many of us here:

Hey, Thanks Steve :)

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