Steve Jobs and Ubiquitous Computing

I've been reading all the news and commentary about the death of Steve Jobs and I've been impressed by how well the media have explored all the facets of his life and his legacy. What really can I add to all of that? In terms of the focus of this blog, the technological singularity, I think probably the greatest contribution that Steve Jobs made is that he ushered us into the age of ubiquitous computing. Take, for example, this quote from a recent CBS News report noting an old interview that Job's gave, it sums it up nicely: 

He is on a mission," the magazine writes, "preaching the Gospel of salvation through the personal computer--preferably one manufactured by Apple. He is an engaging pitchman and never loses an opportunity to sell his products, eloquently describing a time when computers will be as common as kitchen appliances and as revolutionary in their impact as the telephone or the internal-combustion engine.

Well, he did it, we are now living in that time. Steve Jobs made computers a part of our everyday lives by making them so easy to use, so intuitive, and so well designed, that we barely even think of them as computers. My iPhone is a powerful computer, but I don't think of it as a computer, even though it connects me like never before to everyone I know and to the global information network. Abstract concepts like "ubiquitous computing" are now so personalized that we don't even stop to think about how deeply embedded into our lives computers and networks have become. And it's just getting started, as the Siri personal assistant in the new iPhone is about to introduce people to artificial intelligence in a way they have never seen before. The real digital revolution is just starting and that, I think, it Steve Job's real legacy.

Image Credit: Los Angeles Times/Justin Sullivan / Getty Images