at this point, it certainly isn’t breaking news that steve jobs passed away a couple days ago. the news came in torrents, particularly via social media. for a solid 24 hours, little else was talked about. even at the time of this writing, 2 of the top 10 trending topics on twitter are steve jobs-related.

the most interesting aspect of the deluge of tweets was how sincere the response was. there was a genuine expression of sadness and loss (myself included). when celebrities die, there is plenty of emotional response—particularly from musicians—because their art becomes woven into the very essence of our lives.

but steve jobs was a retired ceo.

of a tech company.

so why do people really care? undoubtedly, in 2011, at least a handful of CEOs of large, successful companies have passed away. but can we name them? no. and there’s been a handful of recognizable celebrities die in 2011 but they haven’t clogged social media streams like this. so why do we (particularly 20- and 30-somethings) care about steve jobs?

i think it’s time for a good apple post. it’s been awhile. how ‘bout it?

a couple months ago, the true fanboys rushed over to youtube to watch what was almost surreal in some kind of tech world/hollywood celeb meets real life mashup: steve jobs presenting to the cupertino city council. at said city council meeting, jobs presented apple’s plans to build what has been dubbed—very appropriately—the mothership. apple’s new campus will be a round glass, 2.8 million square feet building that will house thousands of employees. this will truly be the big apple. (see what i did there?) inside that 2.8 million square feet will be a 25,000 square foot fitness center, a 36,000 square foot dining area and a 100,000 square foot auditorium (presumable for future keynotes?).

at the presentation, jobs showed some pictures and people were able to get a quick look at the building. but now, the city of cupertino has made all the plans public (including a plan overview, landscaping diagrams and floor plans). most notably, apple included quite a few renderings that look, well, amazing.

this is the kind of post that won’t win me any friends. so, i ask that you keep an open mind and see this in a possible new light.

indeed, in many ways, this is a lose-lose situation. my progressive friends will criticize my defense of a group/cause that they view as hateful. my conservative friends will want me to take a firm stance on the issue of homosexuality. (and that’s not even to mention my fellow apple fanboys after i criticize apple…)

and yes, this post does offer a criticism of apple, which—not surprising to anyone who knows me—is my been my favorite company for well over 10 years. i’ve been accused of being an apple lemming, but the reality is that they won me over a very long time ago for their extraordinary and inspiring products. where i lose my lemming status, though, is in the fact that i don’t think they’re perfect and feel compelled to offer criticism when appropriate.

in this case, i feel it’s appropriate.

let’s just go ahead and state the obvious (as a matter of full disclosure): i. love. apple. plain and simple, i’m a huge fan of the little tech company in cupertino. i’m firmly planted on the apple bandwagon and i don’t plan on getting off any time soon. i don’t like the moniker “fanboy”, because it assumes an ignorant/blind following. [...]

more than once (to deal in understatement), i’ve been called an apple fanboy. there’s a certain contingency of the unconvinced (the ignorant?) that assume if you like apple’s products, you must be blindly being led like a brainless sheep. but, of course, there’s another contingency. that is, naturally, the contingency of the convinced: the people who have seen, time and [...]