Apple Store, Fifth Avenue & 59th Street, New York City, Oct. 6, 2011. Photo by John C Abell. Taken with an iPhone 4.

I interviewed Steve Jobs multiple times while a writer at Fortune magazine, but by far the most insightful — and most memorable — was the most informal. Maybe that’s because it turned out to be the last time in February of 2008. Or maybe it was because of the whales.

‘I love my family,’ Jobs told me. ‘And I come here every year. I want to be here. But it’s hard for me. I am always always thinking about Apple.’ It was obvious: Vacation was actually painful.

We spent the...