No doubt, the biggest piece of news this week was Steve Job’s resignation as CEO of Apple. Unless you live under a rock, you know that he stepped down due to medical reasons and offered Tim Cook as his replacement.

While everyone sits around speculating what the future of Apple will look like (not hopeful given that the mess that is Apple Vista Lion was largely under Cook’s control), I reflect on my experiences with Apple over the years. Disclaimer: I am not Apple’s biggest, nor will I likely ever be.

My first experience with Apple was as a kid, in my elementary school computer lab where we learned how to use the old Macintosh LC model computers. They worked fine, but I cared less about the computer itself and more about playing Oregon Trail. However, my loyalty lied with the built-from-scratch Gateway computer running Windows 95 that my family had at home.

Around 12 years old, my Apple-loyalist uncle got me my first Apple computer: a bright blue iBook–those ones with the big rounded edges and the handle that popped out. It was alright, albeit confusing to use. Once Mac OS X released, I tried installing it on my computer, needed more RAM, bought more RAM, and soon just gave up on the computer and never used it again. It became obsolete and I became uninterested in it.

My later experiences with Apple came in the form of the iPod. I got my first iPod Mini (also blue) in high school and fell in love. From there, I got an iPod Video, an iPod Touch, and ultimately–because I don’t always love new technology–an older iPod Nano. I have to admit when it comes to MP3 players, Apple really has gotten it right. I’ve tried to venture out and try other MP3 players but always go back to the iPod.

Enter the iPad. My loving boyfriend (who also loves Apple) recently bought me an iPad 2. When the first iPads hit the market, I thought “Ha! What a stupid thing! Its just a gigantic iPod Touch”. I eat my words. I really like the thing. Yes, I could have gotten an Android based tablet, to go with my Android phone, but Apple really hit the mark with their tablets in the similar fashion that they got it right with the iPods.

I definitely have my beefs with Apple; I’ve never liked their computers, their tech support and sales staff always put me off, and iTunes no longer runs on my computer. Though that last part is likely my fault; serves me right trying to run iTunes on a PC, I guess. Before you starting giving me advice on how to fix this issue, don’t. I’ve tried everything. Trust me. Its an issue with the 64 bit iTunes (and the fact that I am running it on Windows 7).

Yesterday, as the news broke about Jobs, I was sitting on my couch snuggled up to my iPad. I thought, “I have Steve Jobs to thank for this cool piece of technology”. In a lot of ways I have Steve Jobs to thank for the all products from Apple that I enjoy. I have always scoffed at him during his big presentations that introduced the latest and greatest product to the market. He’s showiness, his turtlenecks; I always laughed jokes made at his expense. However, now that he’s gone stepped down to board president, I get the feeling that I’ll miss him.