Apple Founder Steve Jobs Dies aged 56
Apple co-founder and the man responsible for making the company so successful in recent years has died at the age of 56. Jobs had been suffering from pancreatic cancer since 2004. He took medical leave from the company in January this year before handing over the role of CEO to Tim Cook in August.
In his resignation letter he said "I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role."
In a statement about his death, Apple said "brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve".
There can be little doubt of Steve Jobs' contribution to the world of computing and modern technology. He was previously forced out of Apple by the then board of directors in 1985 but was brought back when the company was on the bring of bankruptcy in 1996.
After this time he spectacularly turned around the company's fortunes firstly with the iMac and then with the iPod. Under his leadership, Apple reimagined a series of spectacularly failed products and made them hugely popular, capturing worldwide markets in smartphones and tablets. At the time of his death Apple is firmly on top and is also currently the biggest technology company in the world in terms of value.
Jobs had a reputation as a forthright and very demanding CEO who knew exactly what types of products should be released and what they should do. While many of his decisions have been criticised, including some business practices he instigated at Apple, there can be no doubt his contribution to technology is immeasurable. This brusque attitude occasionally came to light though, at no time more obviously than the notorious iPhone 4 antennagate affair when he reportedly told a phone owner "don't hold it that way then."
It is the general public around the world who Jobs' work touched so much and there have been tributes pouring into Twitter, some of which are included below.
"You left your mark on our desk, on our ears and in our hands"
"You made the world a more interesting place. A leading light in technology has been extinguished."
"It's sad to find out of your death from a device you created."
"He had the most gifted mind."
"Thank you for dreaming, believing and creating a world of infinite possibilities. Your legacy will live forever."
"RIP Steve Jobs, sent from my iPhone"
You can read more tributes on Twitter here.
US President Barack Obama said the world had "lost a visionary . Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it."
Here is an inspirational speech he held in 2005:
Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California in February 1955 to a Syrian-born couple and was later adopted by a working-class Californian couple. In his early working life he worked at both HP and Atari but he dropped out of college and travelled to India for a while where he studied Buddhism.
He founded Apple in 1976 with his school friend Steve Wozinack. Other high profile companies he has owned previously include NeXT computer and movie animation studio Pixar,
He leaves his wife Lauren and three children.
RIP Steve Jobs.
That pic is from 1981.
The Man who dared to Think Different.
The Man who saw things differently.
The rebel. The misfit. The troublemaker.
Not fond of rules. Except his own rules.
Glorify him. Vilify him. You can’t ignore him.
He changes things. He changes life.
Your things. Your life.
And because he does you remember him.
Maybe he had to be crazy.
Because the people who are crazy enough
to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.
The Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sudden demise causes a deep void in the field of modern innovative technology which appears difficult to be filled, and he will continue to live in people’s memory with having digitally so enabled them as to make lives and ideas more intimately communicable. With products like I-phone and I-pod, it was jobs who had transformed the personal computer device into being really a multi-media technological miracle, encompassing the fields of voice communication, entertainment and visual treat, blurring the dividing lines of actual mundane life and virtual reality. May God bless his soul a serine peace.
RIP Steve!
BTW, Have you forgot to add any video (Job’s speech at Stanford) link after the line :
“Here is an inspirational speech he held in 2005:”
Samuel, it was there before. I have added it again.
I’ve never had a top hat from Steve Jobs and i think that there is a sigh of relief by all child workers in China, the disabled who need to use the apple disapeld parking spot, the people who are using the eleavotor in the apple building, all the people he has stolen their patents, all people since the second Apple (IIE) who paid too much for their products by his smooth talk, etc etc. I wonder how long the fall out of Steve Jobs wil be and because of this the conusument will pay too much for computer products?
I can not really positive close this story other than to say that it is very unfortunate that Steve Job did not use his powers for good.
The photo in the article of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates is actually not from 1981.
In 1991, Fortune invited Jobs and Bill Gates to discuss the PC’s future.
They met at Jobs’ Palo Alto home on a Sunday evening.
The photo is from that meeting in 1991.