Steve Jobs didn't give us great technology: he gave us a great experience. That's what I'll remember about Steve Jobs. And not just in things named with a lower-case "I."

Sure, the products that Apple introduced to the market after Jobs rejoined the company in 1997 "changed everything." For the first time, these kinds of devices were less about their specs and more about how they made you feel. Remember those early iPod commercials with silhouettes doing just about everything with the iPod in tow? It was about what you can do, not what the device can do. It wasn't about bytes, bits and speed. It was about the experience. His magic there was that he made the technology disappear. He made them beautiful. He made them fun. He made them a delight to buy, to use and even replace.

But let's not forget the other experiences he gave us.

During his 12-year hiatus from Apple, he joined forces with George Lucas and a group of intrepid computer scientists, artists and animators to create Pixar Animation Studios. And from that brain trust, we have a long line of movies that have shaped us, the movie industry and our overall culture. Pixar didn't just raise the bar on animation, it introduced an entirely new bar. Pixar made cartoons that audiences, young and old, could enjoy and cherish. Toy Story entertained the young ones with its vibrant colors and quirky characters, while it spoke to older audiences about the innocence of childhood that you're never too old to reclaim.

But maybe the greatest thing he gave us was the reminder that a self-effacing nature and success are not mutually exclusive when it comes to running a corporation. I think that may be one of the reasons (albeit unconscious) behind the outpouring of tributes and affection in the wake of his passing. In a time when people think corporations will rob you as soon as look at you, and politicians are just scamming their way through another election, a man in a turtleneck and jeans showed us the way to “think different.”

For years, critics have called him a fascist, a tyrant, a micro-manager. And they'll probably say that for years to come. But on this day, I hope even the critics agree that Jobs left the world a good bit better than he found it 56 years ago.

Thanks for the experience, Steve. It'll be decades before the true measure of your impact will be known.

Leanne Libert is a senior information architect for the Siegel+Gale New York office.