Jobs’ death was announced Wednesday night by Apple, whose homepage displayed a photo of its co-founder and the years 1955-2011. Clicking on the image leads you to Apple’s statement:
“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being…Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
The company’s Board of Directors also issued a statement to the media saying, “Steve’s 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.”
Jobs said on Aug. 24 that he was stepping down as Apple’s CEO, replaced by Tim Cook.
When he resigned, Jobs wrote in his statement, “I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.”
Jobs has long been revered as the great business mind behind some of the technology industry’s most lauded products. He appeared on the cover of Time magazine at 26-years-old after joining Apple, and he was famously fired from at Apple at age 30 in 1984, the same year Apple introduced the Macintosh computer.
Jobs was invited back to Apple in 1996 and rocketed to CEO in 1997 and catapulted the company forward with several product announcements that revolutionized multiple industries.
In 2001, the world first learned about the iPod, a digital music player that soon became the most popular music player in the world. At first only available in 5GB and 10GB capacities, the iPod inspired Jobs and his designer Jonathan Ive to create the iPhone in 2007, their first but not last dive into the wireless telecom space.
The company also introduced iTunes, the iPhone and iPad under Jobs’ watch, ushering in massive change to the telecom, music and computer industries.
In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and in 2009 he had to have a liver transplant. His prognosis post-surgery was deemed “excellent.”
Today, with the passing of Steve Jobs, there is an outpouring of support and notes of condolences from several different industries and from several different leaders.
Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, said about Jobs in a statement: “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
In an email to Digital Journal, Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile, said, “I remember the day when Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone on stage, calling it a ‘magical device’. “The mobile revolution we are all living in was kicked into high gear just over 3 years ago, when Apple introduced the App Store and more importantly, a new way to look at mobile devices.”
Gupta said Jobs played a major role in the growth of the mobile industry and Polar Mobile, a company that provides media organizations including Digital Journal with a platform to launch Apps across several different smartphones and tablets, has been built around many of the products Jobs launched and innovated with Apple.
“Recognized as probably the visionary in our space, Steve challenged conventional wisdom and introduced a theme of innovation that has propagated well-beyond Apple,” Gupta said. “Apple’s competitors, partners, developers and users have all benefited greatly from Steve’s leadership and the mobile lifestyle has a new meaning for all of us today. The positive impact Steve has had on so many people around the world is remarkable, and for that, we thank him.”
According to ABC, Jobs was “listed in March as 109th on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires, with a net worth of about $8.3 billion.”
He married his wife, Laurene Powell, in a small ceremony in Yosemite National Park in 1991. He also leaves behind four children, including one from a prior relationship.
