 When I woke this morning, the first thing I did was reach for my iPhone. It is a familiar morning ritual. While still in bed I check my emails, and have a quick look on Twitter.
The first tweet I saw this morning was the announcement from Apple that their founder and CEO Steve Jobs had died. I quickly searched to ensure that it was not a hoax, or a sick joke, remembering the post that I wrote in February about the speculation about Steve’s health.
Confirmation came fast. Almost every tweet on my timeline was a mention of his passing, hashtags with #rip and #stevejobs or even #iSad whizzed past as more people woke and heard the news.
Many of us heard the news on our Apple devices, which seemed fitting and right. We are an Apple family, with 3 iPhones, two iPods, and an iPad. Even my Blackberried husband was persuaded to convert to an iPhone when his contract was due for renewal.
The iPhone is my constant companion. It amuses me, entertains me, sings songs to me, brings me news both sad and happy, keeps me in contact with friends far and near, teaches me foreign languages, displays recipes… the uses are  as endless and varied as the apps in the store.
When we travelled to Scotland, over 1000km trip each way, the iPad kept the children amused on the long car journey, secure in the car holder where it served as a DVD player and games console.
Steve Jobs was an innovator, a marketing genius, a strong and at times dictatorial boss whose vision and focus changed the way we live our lives. His influence and legacy with live on both within and outwith Apple HQ in Cupertino.
The kind of cancer that took Steve Jobs from us, Neuroendocrine Tumours, are diagnosed in around 3000 British patients every year. You can donate to help fund the fight for a cure here.
Same as you, I found out the news this morning on my iPhone. I've been using it with a little bit of sadness today, and a new-found appreciation for it too.
Yes, have been thinking of Steve every time I used my iPhone. I watched the Stanford speech on it this morning, so very moving.