I'm afraid that's just our bubble. If I asked my Mac- and iPad- using parents who Steve Jobs was they'd know it was the Apple guy, but if I asked if they've ever heard of NeXT they wouldn't have the foggiest idea.

Sure, but they probably didn't know what NeXT was when it existed either. Can't forget something you never knew. Nerds like us remember it, and that's who I would expect to.