So every one has his own incredible story about that time they ran into Steve Jobs doing some mundane stuff, and it was so inspiring because of this and that. Well, not to be outdone, I’ve decided to tell a story too. But since I never actually met his Steveness, I will tell you the story about that time I did not see Steve Jobs.

It was back in 2004. I was already an avid fanboy at that time, but never had the chance to see a Stevenote in person. So I registered for the Apple Expo in Paris to see the Keynote. I was very excited, I had my badge for the conference, my camera and my giant “Steve #1” foam hand. But it turned out that because Steve Jobs was still recovering from surgery, he couldn’t make it. Instead I got to see crummy Phil Schiller introduce the iMac G5. Phil is not that bad a showman, but he’s no Steve Jobs. And to make matters worse, the iMac G5 was a somewhat lame design. This bastard child of an iPod and an iMac was impossibly thick, had an unsightly chin and was endorsed by the Black Eyed Peas. But above all, the greatest problem of the iMac G5 was that it replaced the (sunflower) iMac G4 whose adjustable arm I loved so much.

So I was a bit disappointed, but promised myself I would try again next year. Unfortunately, this was the last Apple Keynote in Paris ever, and the last time I did not see Steve Jobs.