The first news that greeted me today was the death of Steve Jobs.

I never knew the man but I was filled with such profound sense of loss that one reserves for a loved one. Perhaps, Steve or Uncle Steve as I would jokingly refer to him, was really like everyone’s Uncle who always had the cool stuff and said the cool things at family gatherings. But this sense of loss is also because he is the creator of the gadgets that I have named from yampod (apple green mini iPod), smartpod (Classic video iPod), macsu (black Macbook), xmach (Macbook Pro), orange jasmine (iPad) and Annie (office iPhone). Together, we pay tribute to their creator as he joins the Creator.

Through the Apple products that we owned, we forged a connection with the man behind them and so, we mourn his death but also celebrate the life he has lived. He was a visionary indeed who changed the world and the way things work.

I remember I was intimidated with the iMac the first time I encountered it at the business paper I used to work in. It was fashionable and looked like no other computer but I didn’t dare understand the way it worked. I didn’t want to, I didn’t have to.

When the iPod first came into being, I was still wary. I was happy with my newly acquired orange Sony CD player. But when Apple released those cute colorful mini iPods, I was sold. My first Apple product was yampod, the apple green mini iPod that kept me company through bus, train and plane rides and lulled me to sleep at night.

Then Apple released the video iPod. Being a drama addict, I knew it was a practical thing to own. That’s just how Steve Jobs had always done it, introducing new stuff that we never thought we’d have use for only to end up making them part of our daily lives.

Then came the big leap from Windows to Mac. I needed a new laptop. Shall I go Mac and never go back? I did. Two Macbooks later, I know how I’d always prefer a Mac not merely for its aesthetics but for its practicality. It’s light, not susceptible to virus and has many features that are very useful in my job.

I must admit I have yet to grow a fascination for iPhone, not because I don’t find it useful and functional compared to the other Apple products but because I need a phone only for voice calls and SMS. I am at my desk practically all the time where I have access to the Internet so I don’t really need a smartphone.

But the Apple product that’s my top favorite would have to be the iPad. It’s not just a toy for me but a tool.  I use it to read my TV scripts, write, social network and upload photos. It’s a very nifty device that I always lug along.

But more than introducing a new lifestyle, Apple products have made the job of journalists–among others–easier. The marriage of technology and media has never been this compatible ever especially as we move towards an increasingly multimedia journalism era.

Indeed, our lives have changed because of Steve Jobs. And we are all the better for it.

Apple has set up an email where everyone can send their thoughts, condolences and memories of the man who is this modern era’s greatest visionary: rememberingsteve@apple.com

Thank you, Steve Jobs.

(This post was done on a Macbook Pro named xmach.)