Steve Jobs of Apple Dies at 56
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Steve Jobs
CREDIT: Apple |
Steve Jobs, the founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., has died, according to a statement posted today on the company website.
"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," the statement reads.
"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 company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."
Jobs died Wednesday in Palo Alto, Calif., according to several news reports. He was 56.
Jobs has long suffered from pancreatic cancer. In 2004, he received a liver transplant and took several medical leaves of absences in recent years before finally resigning as CEO of Apple this summer.
"I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know," Jobs wrote in a letter released by the company when he left. "Unfortunately, that day has come."
News of Jobs death comes one day after the company unveiled the fifth generation iPhone, the iPhone 4S , which Jobs played in integral role in developing.
The iPhone was one of several game-changing products that Jobs has been credited with. The list includes the Apple II and the Macintosh computers that brought desktop publishing to the masses, the iPod that become the world’s most popular MP3 music player, and the iPad that become the darling of people ages 2 to 92. And, he brought the world of animation to new heights with the founding of Pixar and its first film “Toy Story."
"If Apple becomes a place where computers are a commodity item, where the romance is gone, and where people forget that computers are the most incredible invention that has ever been invented, I'll feel I have lost Apple," Jobs said in an interview with Newsweek in 1985. "But if I’m a million miles away, and all those people still feel those things... then I will feel that my genes are still there."
While Jobs indeed created products that were elegantly simple, his contributions went far beyond a list of revolutionary devices. He brought an uncompromising spirit to the world of consumer technology that put people first. [Read: Steve Job's Greatest Technological Contributions ]
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me," Jobs said back in 1993 in a CNNMoney/Fortune interview. "Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful—that’s what matters to me."
Apple has invited people to share their thoughts, memories and condolences by writing to rememberingsteve@apple.com.
