We are the “I” generation.

Ever since our childhood and early days in kindergarten, we have been taught that we are all unique individuals.  Each of us is different in our interests, ideas, passions, and preferences.

Steve Jobs capitalized on this ideology engrained in our society by providing us with the ability to customize technology to fit our precise individual wants and needs.  The individual – the “I” – is at the forefront of each of his revolutionary technological marvels: the iPod, the iMac, the iPhone, and the iPad.  Each of these technological innovations has in some way changed how we communicate, interact, learn, read, and listen.  Although Jobs recently announced his resignation as the longtime CEO of Apple, his ideas and technology have impacted and continue to impact our way of life.

35 years ago, Jobs was busy working away in his garage to create the personal computer.  With a friend and funds pooled from their sale of an old Volkswagen and scientific calculator, Jobs created a computer logic board called the Apple I.  With the success of the revised version of the computer, Apple II, their new company quickly took flight.

Since then, Apple technology has most certainly advanced and evolved.  Jobs has repeatedly pushed the limits of computer technology beginning with the first all-in-one Macintosh desktop computer.  Today, the iMac and MacBook continue to set the standard for desktop and laptop computers.

However, one of the greatest transformations we have witnessed over the course of the past ten years is the dramatic shift in how we listen to music.  In 2001, Jobs unveiled the iPod with its signature click wheel for efficiently scrolling through playlists and selecting music.  The iPod was an immediate sensation in the marketplace along with its online music store, iTunes.  Today, due to the success and growth of MP3 players and iTunes, the music industry is no longer predominately focused on albums, but rather, the online sale of single hits.  Furthermore, iTunes is a part of our culture – it’s our sanctuary of limitless music, videos, and television shows, which can all be downloaded in a matter of seconds.

Jobs redefined the direction of technology yet again with the release of the iPhone in 2007.  Although it was released only four years ago, the iPhone has one of the largest consumer bases in the smart phone market. As a fusion between an iPod and cell phone, the iPhone offers tremendous opportunity for personalization through the purchase of applications in the App Store.

The iPhone is an integral part of the technology that defines our generation.  We cannot keep our fingers off Job’s groundbreaking iPhone touch screens.  Everywhere you go in the high school’s hallways, you’re bound to run into someone busily texting on their iPhone.

The most recent addition to Job’s chain of success stories is the iPad.  Although it has been seen as simply a large iPod, the iPad has had huge consumer popularity and catalyzed a new market of tablets.  In many respects, Jobs sees the iPad as the future of the laptop with its attractive, glossy large touch screen.

Jobs is the technological innovator of our time.  He has pushed technology on an accelerated path of rapid improvement.  In Jobs’ contagious mindset, something can always be faster, lighter, and thinner.  Thanks to the growth of Apple and its influence in the global marketplace, we live in a world of technology, surrounded by screens.  We carry our cell phones everywhere, the internet fits in our pocket, and although each iPod, iPhone, and iPad is the same, each is tailored to fit our personal interests and preferences.

No one knows precisely where Apple will be headed without Jobs as CEO.  However, there is no denying Job’s incredible legacy in revolutionizing the technological market and changing the way we live.