Why consumers will mourn Steve Jobs

This post comes from Matt Brownell at partner site MainStreet.

Steve Jobs, the iconic founder and former CEO of Apple, passed away Wednesday at the age of 56.

Jobs recently stepped down as CEO of Apple and passed the torch to Tim Cook. Still, that doesn’t mean his absence won’t be felt. Consumers have been imeasurably changed by Jobs' vision and focus on putting innovative gadgets in their hands. There are some things we’ll always miss about the man who saved Apple.Post continues after video.

Dramatic product launches

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a rare media event last November to launch the new Facebook messaging system, it gave us a new appreciation for how well Apple pulls off its own product launches. It wasn’t that Zuckerberg’s media event was uninteresting or poorly executed, but nobody launches a product quite like Apple.

Never ones to send out a press release when an epic, hyperbolic media event would do, Jobs has always had a knack for making us hang on every word whenever there was a new iPod to show off or a new version of iTunes to download. While the products themselves didn’t live up to the hype 100% of the time, Jobs knew that his track record of success meant he would get our full attention -- and he took full advantage.

His consumer-friendlines​s

Sure, every company that makes consumer products is supposed to be consumer-friendly, but Jobs elevated it to an art form. No one else would have thought to open a line of experimental stores dedicated solely to selling Apple products, staffed by an army of “geniuses” ready to bend over backwards to fix your Mac or replace your headphones.

And products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad weren’t just triumphs of innovation that made the company billions – they also set a new standard for usability that the rest of the tech world has struggled, with mixed success, to replicate.
 

His candor

Despite his humble wardrobe, Jobs has always been an outsized personality, even by CEO standards. Sometimes that made him hard to like -- when iPhone 4 users complained of dropped calls, he denied the problem and told them they were holding it wrong -- but his willingness to speak his mind was refreshing.

Jobs was known to communicate with the press and customers alike with blunt, to-the-point emails (always sent from his iPhone, of course) directly to people who had written in to Apple. And remember, this is the guy who once suggested that Microsoft would be in better shape if Bill Gates would drop some acid. We appreciated a guy who would speak his mind and sadly that voice will now be missed.

Apple announced Jobs' passing Wednesday evening in a brief statement: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

More on MainStreet and MSN Money:

• How Jobs changed the world
• Apple's bigges hits through the years
• The world-changer who knew what he wanted
• iPhone 4S: Everything you need to know
• Share your thoughts about Steve Jobs on Facebook
• 5 iPhone 4S cases you'll love