A reader tires of all the hagiography:
I'm sick of the Steve Jobs eulogising by anyone who did so much as shake his hand (one article I've seen was by a man who was once so blessed as a teenager), or received a couple of phone calls (Aaron Sorkin), not to mention by all those people who never met him. And for those who declare that he changed the world, they misunderstand. What they mean is that he changed their lives. And if that is true, then frankly they need to get a life. (And no, there isn't an app for that.) Jobs was a master marketer of overpriced, although good quality, consumer products. That is not the same thing as changing the world, and it is quite ridiculous that people think it is.
His whole marketing strategy was to present each iProduct as a cultural event, as opposed to just a bit of obstinate hardware that would be out of date in six months. The amazing thing about Jobs and Apple is that they contrived this strategy so successfully.
And to those who talk of the quality of Apple products, let me remind them, we pay for that quality. What would have been truly innovative is if the quality was as high while the price was as low as the competition. That would have changed the world, as it would have spurred other companies to design higher quality products for decent prices. For someone who made a great play of it not being about the money, he seemed to be quite happy with charging the earth.
The apotheosis of Jobs has all the hallmarks of a blogosphere feedback-led feeding frenzy. His legacy is making computer equipment desirable, so desirable that the consumer will pay a premium. This is largely no different from Armani vs high street clothing companies. And, like Armani, and unlike Ford, it remains prohibitively expensive to the majority.
(Above image is from Copyranter's compilation of the ten worst tribute ads to Steve Jobs.)