Dear Steve,

I first heard news of your death on my iPhone while browsing Twitter and coming across a tweet by NBC. I thought they had been hacked. I was outraged. I refused to believe it but then my tweet stream was flooded I knew it was true. My heart was breaking. The world had just lost a true leader, a visionary. I felt as though my best friend had died. That's how much the news of your death meant to me.

I'll be honest. I wasn't always a fan. That's not your fault. I was just technologically challenged for a while. I refused to embrace your computers. My humble elementary school got a fund for your MACs. I found them hard to use even though I spent hours online during my off time playing Oregon Trail.

Because of your Macs, I swore I'd be a PC girl forever even though I owned an iPod. It wasn't until your iPhone came out that I truly saw Apple for what it was. A colleague at work persuaded me that it was time to ditch my Blackberry and upgrade. I told him I was anti-Apple. He said I'll eat my words and pay you $20 if this phone doesn't rock your world. Those are big words so I went for it. What did I have to lose? About $300 and a 2 year contract to the evil tyrant, AT&T. Yeah, that's what I had to deal with. Give up my beloved Sprint for one of your products.

Guess what? He was right. I was in love. I can't imagine owning another phone. I've had every generation of the iPhone and eagerly await for the next releases. I feel lost without it. It's my personal computer and who knows how many apps I have.

Despite the awesome tools and technology you've introduced to us, you've made it cool to be a nerd. I grew up a nerd and a loner. I was bullied for being the smart kid but I'm glad I never gave in. You've created a company, a product, and an idea just for us.

In fact, I love this quote by you: Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Rest in Peace, Steve. You'll forever be missed.