RIP Steve Jobs

[BoSoxGal]

Changed the world.

Gone too soon.

[Gob]

Gone has he? Shame

[Sean]

It is a shame. He gave people a choice in the technology they used.

Daisy'll be gutted...

[Gob]

Steve Jobs, billionaire co-founder of Apple and the mastermind behind an empire of products that revolutionised computing, telephony and the music industry, has died in California at the age of 56.

Jobs stepped down in August as chief executive of the company he helped set up in 1976, citing illness. He had been battling an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and had received a liver transplant in 2009.

Jobs wrote in his letter of resignation: "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. Unfortunately, that day has come."

Apple released a statement paying tribute to Jobs: "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."

Bill Gates, the former chief executive of Microsoft, said in a statement that he was "truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs's death".

He added: "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."

He is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children. In a statement his family said Jobs "died peacefully today surrounded by his family … We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief".

Jobs was one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley and helped establish the region's claim as the global centre of technology. He founded Apple with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak, and the two marketed what was considered the world's first personal computer, the Apple II.

He was ousted in a bitter boardroom battle in 1985, a move that he later claimed was the best thing that could have happened to him. Jobs went on to buy Pixar, the animation company behind Finding Nemo, Cars and Toy Story and maker of some of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history.

He returned to Apple 11 years later when the company was being written off by rivals. What followed was one of the most remarkable comebacks in business history. Apple was briefly the most valuable company in the world earlier this year, knocking oil giant Exxon Mobil off the top spot. The company produces $65.2 billion a year in revenue compared with $7.1 billion in its business year ending September 1997.

Starting with his brightly coloured iMacs, Jobs went on to launch hit after hit. In the process he transformed personal computing. Then came the success of the iPod, which revoltionised the music industry, leading to a collapse in CD sales and making Jobs one of the most powerful voices in an industry he loved. His firm was named in homage to the Beatles' record label, Apple. But it wasn't a complement that the Fab Four appreciated. The two were engaged in a lengthy legal battle which finally ended last year when the Beatles allowed iTunes to start selling their back catalogue.

Jobs initially hid his illness but his startling weight loss started to unnerve his investors. He took a six month medical leave of absence in 2009, during which he received a liver transplant, and another medical leave of absence in mid-January before stepping down as chief executive in August.

Only three years older than me. Poor sod.

[dales]

From the San Jose Mercury...

Mercury News editorial: Steve Jobs' passing is a sad milestone
Mercury News Editorial

Posted: 10/05/2011 05:14:32 PM PDT



Oct 5:
Steve Jobs: pop cultural iconSteve Jobs 1955-2011O'Brien: Why we all feel the passing of Steve Jobs so deeplySteve Jobs Timeline: A look a tech icon's life and the products that defined AppleJobs family's statement on death of Apple founderLive chat: Talk about Steve Jobs' deathApple co-founder and Silicon Valley pioneer Steve Jobs is deadTech world reacts to death of former Apple CEO Steve JobsThe death of Steve Jobs on Wednesday was a sad milestone for Silicon Valley, for the world technology industry and certainly for everyone who has personally experienced the man's energy, creativity and epic charisma. What a different place this valley would have been without him -- and what a different world without his vision, which changed the way we work and the way we live.

His departure from Apple in August was laden with sadness, since it was clear then that his long struggle with pancreatic cancer was nearing its end. Our editorial at that time had the overtones of a passing rather than a resignation. Here is what we said:

The resignation of Silicon Valley's rock star CEO, Steve Jobs, came as no surprise to the Apple faithful who have been worrying about his medical condition and know how seriously he took his duties.

Jobs' departure from the top job at Apple is a loss for Silicon Valley. But it's also a loss for the nation, which is in desperate need of entrepreneurial leadership to get out of this economic slump.

The valley has had some true titans. Robert Noyce. David Packard. William Hewlett, Andrew Grove. Gordon Moore. Jobs, with his unparalleled talent for marrying technology, design and entertainment, stands alongside them.

The iPhone isn't Dick Tracy stuff. It's way beyond what anyone dreamed of even five years before it was invented. An attractive, sleek phone, music player, book reader, television, video library and so much more -- in the palm of our hands and at a price millions of Americans can afford. This is the very definition of genius.

And the iPhone isn't the only device historians will recall when Jobs' legacy is chronicled. The iMac, iPod and iPad are all equally innovative -- and none may equal the beloved Macintosh, invented with Steve Wozniak, for pure creativity.

Jobs knew failure as well as he did success. He was unceremoniously removed as chairman of Apple in 1985. But he learned from that failure and, in true Silicon Valley fashion, returned with a flourish, dreaming up product after cool product that screamed to the world, "Can you top this?"

And all of this genius hasn't just improved the net worth of Apple designers, or helped harried office workers manage their lives. It's created hundreds of thousands of jobs -- maybe more -- for Apple store salespeople and app developers, at cellphone companies and accessory manufacturers. Apple has become its own industry.

The question the valley is asking today is to what degree Jobs' departure hurts Apple's ability to continue its amazing run of success.

In years past, this editorial board was among those critical of Apple's succession plan, or perceived lack thereof. But with Tim Cook poised to take the reins and a strong bench of talent in place, Jobs may yet have the last laugh.

Apple watchers seem in agreement that the company is well positioned for the foreseeable future, assuming product development is indeed in place for the next year or two.

The huge challenge for Apple will be when the company has to decide what its next "big" innovation will be without Jobs to drive the decision.

"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have, " Jobs told Fortune magazine in 1998. "When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."

He closed his letter of resignation to the Apple board by saying, "I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it."

The valley and the nation can only hope that is true.

Funny how the Apple III, Lisa, and Newton weren't mentioned.

The only Apple "product" I have in the house is an Apple mug from 1992. The last Apple Computer I had was a Mac LC for my older daughter who had out-grown the Apple II.

Macs became too d@mned expensive compared to Windows OS machines and we replaced the Mac LC with a Gateway running Win 95.

My younger daughter has a Mac Book, but she's weird.

[thestoat]

Very sad - but really, no sadder than anyone else who died too soon. He was an incredible visionary, and some of the Apple products are absolutely stunning. He was also a control freak, not particularly nice to work for and did have a very nice life. I am sorry he died (I love their products), but I am trying to keep things in proportion. Untimely death is always bad (unless it would have been of Mugabe, etc), but if you are only going to have 56 years on the planet, you could do a lot worse than live the way Steve did.

[The Hen]

i-RIP.

[Liberty1]

Too bad, we need more Jobs.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

[dales]

I'll let the following sink to the bottom of the bowel on its own merits:

Westboro Church Uses iPhone to Announce Steve Jobs Funeral Protest

The Westboro Baptist Church took to an iPhone when they heard about Steve Jobs’ death Wednesday night, sending out a message saying the Apple founder would be going to hell and calling for a protest of his funeral.

“Westboro will picket his funeral. He had a huge platform; gave God no glory and taught sin,” wrote Margie Phelps, daughter of the church’s founder.

The controversial group often pickets outside of soldiers’ funerals to draw media attention to their cause, which includes anti-gay material. Phelps tweeted the messages from her account, with an automatic note appearing at the bottom of the Tweet saying “via Twitter for iPhone.”

“No peace for man who served self, not God,” she wrote with the hashtag, #hellgreetedhim. “Westboro must picket.”

Thursday morning, Phelps responded to widespread criticism of her using the iPhone to Tweet the messages, saying that the phone was created by God–not Jobs–for that purpose.

“Rebels mad cuz I used iPhone to tell you Steve Jobs is in hell.God created iPhone for that purpose! ” she wrote.
[not only is she illiterate of Scripture, she's illiterate, as well]

Arrangements for Jobs’ funeral haven’t been announced.

[Gob]

[Grim Reaper]

The Westboro Baptist loons are pretty entertaining.

They're picketing Steve Jobs' funeral for "not giving glory to God". Which they tweet via an iPhone, which was apparently created by God. But was spread by Steve Jobs.

[The Hen]

There really is absolutely no reason to like the Westboro-ers is there?

What a waste of God's given skin they are.

[Gob]

[Long Run]

He was truly extraordinary.

[Daisy]

It is a shame. He gave people a choice in the technology they used.

Daisy'll be gutted...

I still am mate, if you ever saw one of his Keynote product launches you'll know why he was such an extraordinary figure in the IT world.

[quaddriver]

I still am mate, if you ever saw one of his Keynote product launches you'll know why he was such an extraordinary figure in the IToddball personal computing IT world.

He has/had almost zero presence in the tech or business IT world, dominated by orders of magnitude by IBM, Sun, Wintel for Tier 1-2-3 respectively

What WAS skipped was a much greater figure, who died about the same time, who without, Jobs (and nearly everyone else) had no product. Yet has almost no name recognition outside of us Coke drinkers.

Hint: I have a 1979 edition of his book from my days at CMU. Not used so much now as I have nearly memorized it, but newer editions are among the first texts purchased by any 'It' student worldwide.

[Rick]

Gearld "Jerry" Lawson...

[BoSoxGal]

Back on the subject of the thread - I was saddened to read yesterday that the biography coming out soon on Jobs describes that he postponed surgery for his pancreatic cancer for 9 months, a decision that likely ultimately cost him his life, and which he later regretted. Very sad.

[quaddriver]

Gearld "Jerry" Lawson...

lol, a tip o the hat.

no, I had someone a little more universally referencd in mind...

[dales]

Go away quad, derail some other thread.