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| Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011 |
Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind Apple's iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes, has died, Apple said. Jobs was 56.
Yesterday, we announced Apple's new smartphone - iPhone 4S.
But today, we are announcing something very sad and tragic.
Steven P. Jobs, the Apple Inc. chairman and co-founder who pioneered the personal-computer industry and changed the way people think about technology, died Wednesday at the age of 56.
Jobs was the mastermind behind the iPad, the iPod, the iPhone, the iMac and iTunes. He transformed personal use of technology, and his contributions have been compared to those of Henry Ford and Walt Disney.
Jobs suffered a number of serious health issues over the years. In 2004, he announced he had a rare - but treatable - form of pancreatic cancer. He had a tumor successfully removed from his pancreas later that year.
In 2009, Jobs received a liver transplant after announcing his "health-related issues were more complex than I thought."
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| Steve Jobs' picture that is posted on Apple's website |
Wednesday evening, the Apple homepage featured a black and white photo of the technology icon wearing a black turtleneck with simply the words, "Steve Jobs 1955-2011."
Apple, also realeased a statement on their website: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genious, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a comapny that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."
Jobs died "peacefully" surrounded by family members, his family said in a statement.
Neither Jobs' family nor Apple revealed where Jobs died or from what cause, though in recent years he had fought a form of pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant. In August, Mr. Jobs stepped down as chief executive, handing the reins to longtime deputy Tim Cook.
Nevertheless, he remained as chairman of the corporation, a new position created just for him.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," read a statement by Apple's board of directors. "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. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."
Industry watchers called Jobs a master innovator - perhaps on a par with Thomas Edison - changing the worlds of computing, recorded music and communications.
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| Jobs younger |
Jobs' rivals in the development of personal computers, Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen, immediately reacted to his death and highlighted his importance to their industry.
Allen called him "a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products."
Gates extended his condolences and noted in a written statement that he and Jobs "have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives."
"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" Gates added. "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."
A more recent rival, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, also weighed in with a statement on Jobs.
"Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend" it read. "Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."
One of the world's most famous CEOs, Jobs remained stubbornly private about his personal life, refusing interviews and shielding his wife and their children from public view.
Upon Jobs' death, Apple said it was not planning any public events, though Cook's memo to Apple employees said the company was "planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon."
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| Steve Jobs |
At Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, yesterday night, people were hugging and crying. Candles were being lit around an iPad with a picture of Jobs on the screen, and people very quietly stood and looked at the memorial.
The highlights of Jobs's career trajectory are well-known: a prodigy who dropped out of Reed College in Oregon and, at 21, started Apple with Wozniak in his parents' garage. He was a multimillionaire by 25, appeared on the cover of Time magazine at 26, and was ousted at Apple at age 30, in 1984.
In the years that followed, he went into other businesses, founding NeXT computers and, in 1986, buying the computer graphics arm of Lucasfilm, Ltd., which became Pixar Animation Studios.
He was described as an exacting and sometimes fearsome leader, ordering up and rejecting multiple versions of new products until the final version was just right. He said the design and aesthetics of a device were as important as the hardware and software inside.
Steve Jobs turned Apple into the largest retailer of music and helped popularize computer-animated films as the financier and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which he later sold to Walt Disney Co. He was a key figure in changing the way people used the Internet and how they listened to music, watched TV shows and movies, and read books, disrupting industries in the process.
I'm devastated and terrified.
I would like to bring my sincere condolences to Steve Jobs' family.
He will always be with us.
Steve Jobs, thank you for creating a revolution in the communication and computer technology. You will be always remembered.
Rest in peace!
If you want to share your condolences and thoughts with Apple, write them at rememberingsteve@apple.com
