While walking this morning, listening to some of my favorite music on my iPod, I got to thinking about the impact Steve Jobs has had on my life. He changed the way I buy and enjoy music. He enhanced the way I communicate with others. And he made easier the manner in which I interact with my computer and other electronics. We are all aware of his many contributions to our culture. Just consider the praises that have been streaming since his death yesterday.

One of my favorite stories about Steve was how, when his fledging company was building the McIntosh, he flew the Jolly Roger from the flagpole atop their office building. His purpose in displaying the skull and crossbones was to remind employees when they arrived for work each morning that Apple’s intent was not just to create a marketable product, but to sink the competition and transform our culture through disruptive technology.

Yes, he had a flair for technology, although he hired others to implement his ideas. To me, Steve’s true genius was in his ability to envision a better world that we could not grasp. He was able to look at things around us, things that we all took for granted every day, and ask “what if …?”

When Bill Gates was shown an iPod for the first time, his response reportedly was: “So what’s the big deal? It’s just a mini hard drive.” True. But what Bill failed to see in that mini hard drive was a device that would revolutionize the music industry and put record stores out of business.

So thank you, Steve. For the iPod, iPad, iPhone, for Pixar, and for all of your many other inventions. But thank you also for reminding us to constantly look at our world and ask: “What if?”

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