Thursday, October 6, 2011

The man who changed the world: Apple founder Steve Jobs, 56, dies weeks after quitting as boss of firm he started in his garage.

- President Obama leads tributes, which flooded the web within minutes of his death being confirmed

- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg praises his 'mentor and friend'

- Family thank 'the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness'

- 'We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,' Apple's board of directors say in statement

- Had battled pancreatic cancer for eight years

- Death came six weeks after he stepped down as Apple CEO and just one day after the launch of the new generation iPhone


Apple founder Steve Jobs died yesterday after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tributes, led by President Barack Obama, began pouring in within minutes of the company confirming the death of the mastermind behind the iPhone, iPad and the iPod at the age of 56.

'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.'

The homepage of Apple's website this evening switched to a full-page image of Jobs with the text, 'Steve Jobs 1955-2011.'
Clicking on the image revealed the additional text: 'Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, 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 company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.'

Jobs leaves a wife, a son and two daughters.

His relatives also released a statement, which said he 'died peacefully today, surrounded by his family.

'In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness.'

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the news of Jobs's death to Apple employees via e-mail: 'I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

'We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon.

'No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honour his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.'

Within minutes of his death being confirmed, tributes to Jobs began flooding the web, led by President Barack Obama, who tweeted: 'Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. From all of us at #Obama2012, thank you for the work you make possible every day - including ours.'

Mr Obama later gave a fuller statement, in which he praised Jobs as a 'visionary' who was 'bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.'

'The world has lost a visionary,' he said. 'And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.

'Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.'

He added: 'Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.'

From its earliest beginnings as a personal computer also-ran in a scrappy garage in northern California to its all-conquering development of life-changing gadgets the rise of Apple has been intrinsically linked to its quirky CEO.

When he left for eleven years after a row over the company’s direction, Apple’s fortunes dipped.

His return, after a successful stint as head of animation innovators Pixar, marked the start of the company’s relentless drive to become one of America’s biggest and most successful companies.

His death comes just six weeks after his poor health led him to stand down as the company's CEO and his successor, Tim Cook, presented the new generation iPhone yesterday.

The fact that Apple stayed cool as it grew is credited to Jobs’ innovative marketing techniques almost as much as his visionary wizardry.

Even when he announced that he was taking two years off on medical leave, Jobs still kept hold of his CEO title, just as he did on two previous occasions in the past seven years when he needed to take leave from the day-to-day running of the company for health reasons.

At the time, the billionaire could barely walk and photographs of him looking gaunt and frail led to reports that he just had weeks to live.

But he fought back and appeared to be relishing proving the doubters wrong by introducing the second-generation iPad and meeting up with President Obama to discuss the future of the tech industry.

Other than his well-rehearsed stage appearances to launch the latest Apple innovation, Jobs always treasured his privacy.

He survived surgery to remove a cancerous pancreatic tumour in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009.

As CEO he earned only $1 a year, but he held 5,426 million Apple shares as well as 138 million shares in Disney.
His wealth is estimated at more than $5billion.

With his trademark jeans and casual jumper, he became synonymous with the company’s every innovation in recent years, from the iPod through to the iPhone and iPad.

Born in San Francisco, Mr Jobs, who was adopted, dropped out of university after one term and only took his first computer job to raise money to go on a spiritual retreat to India.

He returned a Buddhist with his head shaved and admitted experimenting with LSD, calling his drug-induced experiences 'one of the two or three most important things' he had done in his life.

Back in northern California, he started working for computer firm Atari before founding Apple in his garage in 1976 with friends Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and Mike Makkula.

After a power struggle in 1985, he left the company, only to return eleven years later to launch the company’s extraordinary growth over the past fourteen years.

Anyone who has witnessed Apple employees whooping and high-fiving at a product launch would be mistaken for thinking working for Steve Jobs was a walk in the park.

The Apple founder managed at once to create an atmosphere of teamwork and togetherness, while also demanding nothing but the best: His employees notoriously followed him like a messiah, while also cowering from him in fear.

Jobs's formidable reputation at work was well documented – with rumours suggesting he once fired someone in an elevator and got rid of an assistant after he was brought the wrong brand of mineral water.

His demand for perfection, however, seems to have inspired the best – with job satisfaction ratings among staff at Apple the highest in the industry.

Employees speak of ‘a Steve-infused culture’ at Apple at Apple.

James Allworth, who studied Apple at Harvard Business School, told the Huffington Post: ‘The way he thinks about problems, the perfectionism, the attention to detail - that trickles down.

‘Apple has an amazing group of people. They come in and they're thinking about new stuff, and if they come up against a decision, the question that always pops up is: “What Would Steve Do?”’

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.

Even when he resigned six weeks ago, he divulged very little, not directly mentioning his cancer as the reason he quit.

'I have always said 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 his letter of resignation.

'Unfortunately, that day has come.'

'He's never been a media person,' said industry analyst Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, after Jobs resigned. 'He's granted interviews in the context of product launches, when it benefits Apple, but you never see him talk about himself.'

But that personal life - he was given up at birth for adoption, had an illegitimate child, was romantically linked with movie stars - was full of intrigue for his fan base and Apple consumers.

Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell, were married in a small ceremony in Yosemite National Park in 1991, lived in Woodside, California, and had three children: Reed Paul, Erin Sienna and Eve.

He admitted that when he was 23, he had a child out of wedlock with his high school girlfriend, Chris Ann Brennan. Their daughter, Lisa Brennan Jobs, was born in 1978.

Meanwhile, for all he accomplished in his life, there was one thing that eluded him – a relationship with his biological father.

Jobs was adopted after being born to Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian man, and graduate student Joanne Schieble.

The couple were not married at the time and keeping him would have been deemed shameful by their communities.

In August, Mr Jandali, a casino boss, said he wanted to meet his son but was too proud to make the first move – in case Steve thought he was after money.

‘I live in hope that before it is too late he will reach out to me,’ Mr Jandali told the Sun. ‘Even to have just one coffee with him just once would make me a very happy man.

‘This might sound strange, but I am not prepared, even if either of us was on our deathbed, to pick up the phone to call him.'
This evening, thousands of tributes were paid within minutes of his death being confirmed.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said: 'Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.'

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates also spoke of the 'profound impact' Jobs had on the world.

‘I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death,' he said.

'Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and 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. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour. I will miss Steve immensely.’

Google Chief Executive Larry Page posted on his Google+ account: 'He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.'

Though often brusque, Jobs inspired near messianic devotion from his employees and millions of customers.

In addition to creating sleek computers, he helped transform the music and publishing industries by creating portable and user friendly products like the iPod, iPhone and the iPad.

Jobs also helped refashion a tiny graphics company into Pixar, the creator of such animated smashes as Toy Story and Finding Nemo.
After Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, he became the media giant's largest shareholder.

In a statement, Bob Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney, described Steve Jobs as a person whose 'legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built, it will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined.'

Mr Iger added: 'Steve was such an original, with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started.'

California Governor Jerry Brown added: ‘Steve Jobs was a great California innovator who demonstrated what a totally independent and creative mind can accomplish.

'Few people have made such a powerful and elegant imprint on our lives. Anne and I wish to express our deepest sympathy to Steve’s wife, Laurene, and their entire family.’

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former California governor and Hollywood actor, said: 'Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us.'

Michael Dell, CEO and founder Dell Inc., added: 'Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder.

'The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Apple team.'

Apple has set up an address for people to email their memories of Mr Jobs to the company - rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Well-wishers flocked to Apple's New York store on 5th Avenue to discuss their thoughts on his passing and post tributes on walls.
People left flowers outside the store and lit candles, while staff huddled together to discuss the tragic news.

Fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to Steve Jobs' in their masses. Within minutes of the announcement by Apple, RIP Steve Jobs was trending.

Soon after iHeaven, iClouds, iSad and ThankYouSteve also began repeatedly to be tweeted.

In the hour after his death was announced, there were more than 170,000 mentions of 'RIP Steve Jobs' on Twitter.


Posted By PAUL BENTLEY and LAURIE WHITWELL

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