There’s been a lot written today, most of it by people more articulate than me, with closer connections to Apple than me – current and former employees, lifetime users and early ][e adopters – and all of it which summed up Steve Jobs, and Apple, and his way of thinking about the world. I’m none of these things. I switched to a Mac because it was easy to use, and because my life was transformed by the music in my pocket. Over time, I came to learn what Apple and Steve embodied, and I came to believe.

Steve was an incredibly talented businessman – not just Apple, but Pixar too changed the face of how we see computers, music, electronics, and animation. He taught us all that if you can create things that are a joy to use, you really have achieved something. Steve’s biggest influence on me was simply this. He was the personification of a simple truth: it is always possible to do better than you have done before.

I woke up this morning and reached for my iPhone. I spent the day working on a Mac, doing my tiny part in trying to change the world, and I’m sat here now, communicating with my friends, writing and listening to music – whilst on a high-speed commuter train. I spend every day trying to do what I believe is great work. The products that let me do this are unimportant. Steve believed in a vision, and that was to make everyday experiences better. It was that you don’t have to settle for mediocrity, and you can always strive for more.

But much more than these products and even the experiences they create, Steve’s vision lives on in our hearts and minds. I made friends because of Apple and what Steve did, and I’m sure I’ll make more. I do what I believe is great work because Steve inspired me. And perhaps the most poignant thing for me was that even after changing the face of industries, of making innovation an art form again and inspiring a generation, all the people who knew Steve have said how he liked nothing better than to spend time with his family.

It means something else to me too. No-one knows if Steve knew how long he had left. But he spent his last years and months as well as anyone could hope for – changing the world, and then bowing out for some last moments of peace. What more could anyone hope for?

Steve, you made fighting for great software, great user experience, and something we believe in possible. You were an incredible talent, taken much too young. Thanks to you, that light on the back of an Apple device will always be shining into the sky, and our lives are immeasurably changed for the better.

RIP.