The primary components of the digital semiconductor world are logic, processors and memory,” Steve Appleton wrote in 2001. He saw a future where these functions of computing would become more integrated, where electronic signals among them would travel only a few microns instead of fractions of an inch, where speed would rise and power consumption fall.

That vision has come partly true. The company has broadened its product catalog to adapt to the decline of PCs and the rise of smartphones and tablets. Micron products’ performance steadily improves. The company plans to make a “hybrid memory cube” with dramatically faster speeds and lower power usage than current chips. Yet Micron’s profits and losses still swing wildly, depending largely on prices of products that behave as commodities in the marketplace. Micron’s corner of the semiconductor world was memory then and is memory today.

Steve Appleton led Micron through 18 years of ups and downs, including nearly three years of steep losses from 2006 to 2009 that led Micron to end manufacturing in Boise and sharply reduce its Treasure Valley payroll. Ever the athletic competitor, Appleton wanted to make sure Micron stayed fit enough to survive. He did, sustaining the only U.S. manufacturer of dynamic random-access memory. And lately, Micron has been hiring. It employs about 5,600 people in Boise, up from 5,000 two years ago. Micron is not leaving Idaho — at least not any time soon.

“Unlimited opportunities exist for those strong enough to survive its unforgiving competitive environment,” Appleton wrote in his article, which you can read on page 28.

Those 11-year-old words are still true. Appleton, 51, died Feb. 3 when the small high-performance plane he was piloting crashed after takeoff at the Boise Airport.

His death came as Micron and its competitors slog through another slump. Appleton said recently that Micron is in a better position than its all-Asian competitors to come out alive. Micron’s $2 billion cash pile makes the assertion credible.

But a question for Micron is whether Appleton’s competitive instincts are deeply ingrained enough in the corporate culture to protect the company for years to come. For Steve Appleton, a yes answer would be a lasting legacy.

David Staats: 377-6417