Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011

While I'm an avid Android user, I have to admit it was Steve Jobs and Apple that opened the door forall of these consumer-friendly mobile devices. His real contribution to technology in the opinion of many people -- me included -- was his design genius. He was able to create devices that were easy and fun to use, that at the same time provided a platform for powerful applications.

The ubiquitous App is his legacy.

It seems like there is an App for just about every consumer need, and this app development has spilled over to the enterprise, giving Apple a new host of customers and devouring Blackberry's marketshare.

First were the shopping and consumer-facing Apps; now we're starting to see many business-to-business Apps being developed for mobile devices. And while both Apple and Android mobile devices have hundreds of thousands of Apps available to them, it was Jobs and Apple that made it all possible.

Now it's not unusual to have a grocery executive viewing reports on an iPads as he or she walks the aisles passing shoppers viewing product information on their iPhones, or else listening to music on an iPod as they shop.

I can think of no other technology that has made its way equally and simultaneously into consumers and executives daily routines than these mobile platforms since the Internet began, and for the most part we have Jobs to thank for that.

Now, with his passing, we wonder what's next for Apple. But knowing Jobs, I'm sure he left the company with a detailed plan for the next evolution of his brain child.

His legacy.

Yes, there's an app for that.

Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs.