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Victoria Mindova

"Do not waste your time living someone else’s life. Do what you love." This is the advice of innovator Steve Jobs, founder of the computer company, Apple, which he started with his friend Stephen Wozniak in his parents' garage in 1976. Jobs’ inventive mind and vision have changed technologies and created a new era in the way people communicate, listen to music and watch movies in the digital age.

Social networks and other media spread the news that Steve Jobs has lost his eight-year fight against cancer all around the world in seconds. In 2004, doctors diagnosed him with an incurable form of pancreatic cancer and said that he would not live more than six months. A surgery followed that initially seemed successful. It soon became clear that it had not solved the problem but he did not give up. He said the only way a man could be happy and successful was to do something that he truly loved, because love could help him endure hardships and succeed. And he did succeed, having realized his idea of ​​a personal computer, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes, which he left behind him when he departed from this earth at the age of 56.

The news shook the world and the faithful fans of the Mac-inventions who say, "Once you go Mac, you never go back". GRReporter talked to several Mac-fans and found that all share the same opinion. Technologies, behind which lie Jobs' vision, are made for man and every idea is implemented to make the use of Mac products easy, accessible and enjoyable, as if it is part of you and the things you want to do.

One of the fans of all Steve Jobs’ inventions is 36-year-old Stamos, who has several Mac products, but his favourite is the iPhone. Stamos is the owner of a rental company for sound equipment and his work requires permanent mobility, but also constant communication with customers too. "iPhone is my favourite Mac product, because it has all the functions of a personal computer and you can slide it in a pocket. Furthermore, it is the first smartphone that presented such a platform long before the other companies in the industry and I think it remains the most innovative even today."

Stamos stresses that this is state-of-the-art technology, yet very easy to use. "My daughter learned to play the videos and view family photos on the iPhone when she was three and a half years old. The design of all Apple products is not only innovative and stylish, but also contributes to easy control," he says and then jokes, "I've bought every product myself; they do not pay me to do advertising. You just do not have problems like bugs, not-respondings, viruses that exist with the products of other companies." His first purchase was Apple's response to laptops - the MacBook. He has been using it for over five years and has experienced no problems yet.

"Each of Steve Jobs’ inventions is far ahead of its time," says 35-year-old Mariana, who is working for a private travel company and has been a keen user of Apple products since 2005. "I graduated abroad and when I returned to Greece, Mac was neither popular nor affordable. The moment I found a regular job, iMac was the first major purchase I made." The young woman said the main advantages of this type of computers are their high virus protection and that there are no constant concerns about viruses and antivirus programs. Moreover, the crucial advantage is design that relates not to the image of the object but to its convenience. Unlike other computers, iMac is divided into two parts, a monitor and a computer - everything fits into the flat part of the invention, no stretching and connecting cables that unnecessarily hamper the users.

Mariana is also an iPhone user and she is adamant that she would not exchange it for any other similar device. "During the summer, we ended up with my friends on a fairly remote island near the Turkish border. We decided to go fishing and caught a fish that did not look as it should. There was no village around to ask what the fish was and if we could eat it, so I searched on the Internet via my iPhone. The results showed that it was poisonous and dangerous to humans. Therefore, we could say that this gadget saved my life," she says with a sense of humour.

iPod and iTunes are two other gadgets that have changed the music business. After promoting the digital age, programs to download free music in digital format such as Napster seriously hit the music business. No one buys CDs and records from shops any longer. People download them from the Internet. According to widespread data, record companies’ revenues from sales have fallen by about 60% from the mid 1990s to the middle of the first decade of the new century. At the same time, MP3 players entered the market but they are still difficult to use and have less memory. Then, Steve Jobs and company come up with iPod faithful to the motto, "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works," which is considered a revolution in the field. A little later, Apple offered the iTunes service, which enables users to legally download music from the Internet for 0.99 cents and largely solves the problem of widespread music piracy.

Fenya, who is a final year student at the American University of Athens, is inseparable from her iPod. "The sound quality is great, and it has such a memory that I can record a film on it," said the girl happily. "With iTunes I download the song I like immediately," says Mariana, who claims that she never intends to change the brand of technology she uses. She responds to the remark that Apple products are more expensive than similar ones on the marker, "It is worth investing in them. I have had an iMac for more than six years and it is in perfect condition. It is not obsolete like other products and does not need the support regular computers require."