It may seem late in the year to take a look back on the death of Steve Jobs and the legacy he left behind. We’re more than a month out at this point, which even to me feels more like a year, but I think this is a good time for it. The iPhone 4S is now sweeping across the world, faster than most expected, bringing us one of those strange and uniquely Apple experiences, Siri. A lot of people thought the iPhone 4S was the wrong product to launch after Jobs stepped down from his position at the helm. To me, though, the iPhone 4S was maybe the last brilliant move from Jobs, with Siri giving us a look at the new Apple.

This won’t be a shining eulogy to Jobs as the greatest technological mind of our time. That’s not really my place and frankly, I don’t think it’s very accurate. My only point here is that Jobs left the world as he lived in it – carefully and intentionally.

The iPhone 4S was definitely a disappointing announcement for a lot of people. We had been hearing about the iPhone 5 for long enough that, in the light of Steve’s retirement, it seemed inevitable the iPhone 5 was the announcement to make. With Jobs gone, Apple needed to send a message that it was still plowing ahead, right? That it would be at the forefront of technology, always pushing to deliver the next great thing, right?

No. That has never been Apple. Apple has never been first to market. That’s not what Apple does. Apple is not about being the first anything on the market. Apple is about being the most complete experience on the market. When the iPod first launched there were dozens of MP3 players to compete with. The difference, of course, was iconic design and a simplified interface. It was simply better than the alternatives. The iPhone was no different, and please, let’s remember what the iPhone was like when it originally launched. You know, before the App Store. The product has definitely come a long way – Apple’s market cap is a testament to that – but when it launched it was simply a cleaner, more stylized, more complete way of doing things.

It’s also important to remember how Apple launches a product. It does so regardless of hype. It does so without even considering our expectations. Apple releases products when they are ready and that’s a big part of the company’s success. The iPad was a success at launch because it was a complete product. It wasn’t something pushed to market just to have a tablet. The iPad was actually late to the tablet game, but it has since gone on to define that segment of the market.

This is the Apple the world knows and loves. It is methodical. It is plodding. It is sometimes downright slow. But it is also beautiful and well-crafted and damn fun to use. In the wake of Steve Jobs’ death, that’s the Apple I hoped to see. When Apple starts pumping products out faster than you can buy them, then Apple is no longer Apple. The iPhone 4S is a quintessential Jobs-era product. It is an improvement on an already functioning piece of technology. It is beautiful. It is damn fun to use. It is only slightly more powerful than its predecessor but it’s still selling millions of units.

The truly weird part of Apple’s iPhone 4S announcement was Siri, a new digital assistant that launched as a beta. While Siri seems great when it works, it certainly doesn’t work well all the time. That’s the difference between Jobs’ Apple and Tim Cook’s Apple. I won’t say that Jobs wouldn’t release Siri in its current form. He might have. But if I had to make a bet, I’d say this was Cook’s call.

That’s not to say I think Tim Cook can’t keep Apple on top of the tech world. He will. If anything, the iPhone 4S proves that. It’s a conservative play from a traditionally conservative company, even under new leadership. It’s exactly the kind of product Jobs would launch with just a taste of something new. This is the future of Apple – solid products with just a taste of something new.

Steve Jobs, one of the most important people of our time, passed away today at the young age of 56. It’s all over the news, and everyone will have something to say about it. I would suggest reading his own words from his speech at the 1985 Stanford Commencement. It’s a remarkable explanation of his view of life, and it offers an inspiring perspective that all of us, particularly young people, can use in our own lives.

Practically every guy enjoys Playboy magazine whether they subscribe or not, and old issues are treated differently than those of other magazines. We don’t want to throw them out, particularly those with our favorite Playmates. So collectors and even casual fans have boxes of old issues in their closets and garages.

Now Bondi Digital Publishing has come out with a product that every Playboy fan will love – a USB portable device that gives users immediate access on their computer to every issue from that first iconic Playboy featuring Marilyn Monroe in December 1953, all the way to the December 2009 edition featuring Chelsea Handler– and every issue, award-winning article and advertisement in between. There are over 650 issues and more than 100,000 pages covering a span of 56 years. As for adding content after 2009, a decision hasn’t been made yet on whether that will be offered, though the device can be easily updated.

The Playboy Cover-to-Cover Hard Drive is pocket-sized and very easy to use, and it’s fun to browse through all the old magazines. Naturally the pictorials will be the most popular – some of our favorites include Cathy St. George from 1982 and Christina Leardini from 1991. But Playboy has always been an influential magazine as well as Hugh Hefner featured some of the best writers of the past 50 years from Norman Mailer to Tom Wolfe. The interviews are excellent as well with an incredible variety of subjects from Steve Jobs to Jimmy Carter to Brett Favre. The software makes it easy to find items through a robust search feature, and it’s easy to browse old issues as well. We found a couple of minor glitches, but representatives from Bondi explained that updates and fixes could be downloaded seamlessly.

Priced at $299.95 this isn’t an inexpensive item, but there’s a ton of value packed into this device. Collectors will love it, along with casual fans as well.