On a lazy Sunday afternoon, over 80 individuals sat in rapt attention at a leading resto-pub in the city but each of them was on a high of a different kind. At “iLove: a tribute to Steve Jobs”, the mood was celebratory, the voices were loud and the thoughts were clear and full of jingoism. iLove was an event to commemorate the life, achievements and accomplishments of a mastermind who built Apple, a company that has taken the world by storm.
In memory…
Starting off with a candle light vigil, iLove was kicked along from the glow of light from numerous iphones, ipads and ipods: and what better way to honour Steve Jobs than with the products he so lovingly created, invented and brought alive with so much passion and conviction. In 56 years, Steve had transformed the world in so many ways that encapsulating the magnitude of his achievements in such a short span was going to be a difficult task.
From the plethora of products he built at Apple to computers he built at NeXT to taking the animation world by storm with Pixar, Steve Jobs had almost single-handedly transformed the world of communication and entertainment in so many ways that words can barely attempt to describe.
And to sum up his life in his own words, there couldn't be a better one than the Stanford Graduation speech that has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube! A speech that lifts spirits, induces goose bumps and draws applause from even those who never knew the man himself. Shared next at iLove were the eight Time Magazine covers that Steve made it to, followed some of the finest apple commercials that the world has come to fall in love with.
And no great business is built without great rivalries! iLove brought out the perspective of the love-hate relationship Steve Jobs shared with Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation, through snippets of both of them sharing the same stage. The evening moved on with sharing of some of the finest pieces of fan art that was painstakingly created by some of Steve's admirers and fans.
Penning messages
And what about the fans at iLove, they had their opportunity too! Participants signed their tributes on sheets of paper that would be sent out to the Apple HQ at Cupertino where they would be shared with his family and friends. Participants also won some gift vouchers through a trivia contest on the life and achievements of Steve Jobs. And to perhaps predict the world of apple without Steve, we shared a video created by a fan to show us how apple promises to transform our lives in more ways than it already has. A fitting finale to an evening that brought together all things Steve.
So why iLove and what's the story behind Chennai's tribute to the man who was loved, adored and respected by billions? Ironically, on the morning of Steve's demise, the author of this story and his partners set out to start a digital communication company named YOU&i and they regard Steve as the embodiment everything they aimed to achieve. And they decided to kick start their dreams by paying homage to Steve: A man they consider the superstar of the digital age.
Sandeep is the CEO/Managing Partner at be positive 24 and partner at YOU and i Digital.
