Although I am a week late to be eulogizing Steve Jobs, it seemed worthwhile to post about his last pulic appearance, which came in front of his local Cupertino City Council to testify in support of Apple's new planned headquarters. The Atlantic first posted the story ("Steve Jobs as Land Use Advocate"), including a link to a video of Jobs's testimony, which is, as you might expect, compelling (h/t PropertyProfBlog.) A few things jumped out at me while watching the testimony:
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The round of applause he received when he was introduced (I would venture to say this is rare at zoning board hearings).
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The black turtle neck that was apparently not just reserved for launching new products.
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The genius who brought us Macs and I-Pads hoping that his computer/projection equipment will work when he starts the presentation (wonder if it was PowerPoint).
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The man in the background taking a picture of Jobs during the presentation (again, surely a rarity for these types of hearings).
Although like all other things Apple, the new headquarters seem new and cool, not everyone likes the building that Jobs was promoting during his appearnce before the City Council. The New Yorker recently criticized the structure in an article entitled, "Apple's New Headquarters," noting in a particularly stinging final sentence, which was written prior to his passing: "It’s said that Steve Jobs considers this building to be a key part of his legacy, which would be unfortunate, because it would mean that his last contribution to his company might well be his least meaningful."
Pete's Take 