Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Brian Ambrozy 5 Oct, 2011 at 7:52pm ET Article published in Tech

Apple’s visionary co-founder and CEO through some of their greatest achievements, Steven Paul Jobs, has passed away.

He, along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, created Apple Computer in the early 70’s, and took it through the beginnings of the home computer revolution. When Jobs stepped away from Apple for a time to work on NeXT, Apple nearly became a marginal company. He returned triumphantly in 1996 when Apple bought NeXT, and proceeded to lead Apple through some of the most influential technological innovations of our time; reinventing digital music and mobile phones in the process.

I have always been fascinated with Jobs; his time spent in India as a Buddhist, his spiritual outlook, his experiments with counterculture and psychedelics, and his steadfast atheism were, to me, a beacon of refreshing light and hope in a world of tight, conservative, custom-suit wearing CEOs. Here was a man who knew how to create incredible success while remaining a really nice guy that you’d want to sit down and have coffee with.

Rest in peace, Steve.

Comments

5 Oct 2011 ~ 8:08pm photodude May we all catch a bit of the vision he had for creating new things.....
5 Oct 2011 ~ 8:16pm zadoc Wow, I was shocked to hear that Steve Jobs has passed away. I wish him to be well remembered. It's a great loss to everyone. What's amazing is how he worked so hard right up to the very end.
5 Oct 2011 ~ 8:17pm djmeph Great post, Brian. We can all say with absolute certainty that at the very least, Steve Jobs kept us all on our toes. We owe a lot to him for how far we've come as a society through technology.
5 Oct 2011 ~ 8:36pm UPSLynx I have, and will always, talk a lot of smack about Apple products, but regardless of all that, Steve Jobs was a very intelligent man who died far too young. He was great in so many different ways.

I owe Steve Jobs for Pixar. Pixar is the reason I got into computer graphics, why I moved to California, and why I'm working for AMD. If it wasn't for Steve Jobs and his nuturing of Pixar, my life would be completely different.

Thank you, Steve. Rest in peace.
5 Oct 2011 ~ 8:41pm Winfrey A truly impressive life.
5 Oct 2011 ~ 9:07pm Chooch I too have made my fair share of bashing but he was truly a great guy. You will be missed. RIP Steve Jobs
5 Oct 2011 ~ 10:41pm Cliff_Forster Cancer is a truly terrible thing. For the loved ones he leaves behind, I hope they take some comfort in knowing how much the world appreciated his genius.
5 Oct 2011 ~ 11:22pm QCH RIP Mr. Apple.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:35am SpencerForHire RIP. He was quite impressive in his life. Hopefully we won't forget that.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:49am troll Requiescat in pace...
6 Oct 2011 ~ 1:06am Thrax There goes a luminary and evangelist, right until the very bitter end.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 3:18am Canti Regardless of who you are or what you've done, 56 is too young for modern times and I'm sad to hear cancer has claimed another.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 8:40am Kwitko Without Steve Jobs, I don't think we would have the phones and tablets we have today. He raised the bar for everyone, and his vision and passion will be missed. Today the whole electronics world is giving their respects to the man who changed everything.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 8:48am Bandrik I know he stepped down as CEO due to health reasons and everything, but... wow... I didn't expect it to come to this so soon.

Regardless of the copious arrogance that man possessed, he has achieved greatness for both the USA and mankind.

I'll still poke fun at the iPhone and Apple products till the end of time, but I do have respect for Mr. Jobs. He may have Command+Q'd, but his legacy will live on.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 10:07am BuddyJ Perhaps it's crass to say, but I'm just not buying all this "Steve Jobs changed the world" business. When people die, we're all too willing to ignore everything but their brightest moments. I'm not playing that game.

Yes, Steve Jobs helped make Apple what it is today. His guidance is surely part of the company's success. But his guidance was basically that of a workaholic, perfectionist tyrant with a big ego. The dude was known to be a shitty boss. We've heard the stories for years of how employees dreaded meeting him in elevators. The guy was a micromanager to the core.

Did he change the world? People sure are throwing that phrase around a lot. I don't think so. Not with computers. He didn't make them any more accessible or affordable. Just pretty. He proved that pretty will sell, even when you jack up the price and use last-generation hardware. And I won't say Apple changed the way we communicate. Yes, the first iPhone was a novel device that set a benchmark for mobile phones. GG in 2007 Steve.

The guy's name was on 300 something patents. That's like a professor whose name is on 300 papers written by grad students. They get their name on there because they're the boss; not because they did the work. Jobs stood on the shoulders of giants like a boss.

He sucked at philanthropy. As far as anyone knows, he didn't even make an effort to give anonymously despite his amassed personal fortune. This niggardly attitude is even more prevalent when you look at Apple's stocks. Despite their great value, the company's growing profits, etc. Apple does not pay dividends to shareholders. Those who've invested in making the company great get little in return. (PS i love how the #OccupyWallstreet fans are also the biggest Jobs worshipers) Nothing like a guy who drives an unplated car and parks in handicapped spots because he has enough money to just pay the fine.

If anything, Jobs was a master of marketing. He knew how to position a product and sell it. He didn't change the world. But he convinced millions of people to buy his products.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 11:39am NiGHTS

Buddy J wrote:

He sucked at philanthropy.

I'm glad someone else pointed this out before I did. I don't want to stomp on the guy's grave, but he could have learned a lot from Bill Gates' example, of all people.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 11:44am Malpercio

Buddy J wrote:

[...]The dude was known to be a shitty boss. We've heard the stories for years of how employees dreaded meeting him in elevators. The guy was a micromanager to the core.
[...]
He proved that pretty will sell, even when you jack up the price and use last-generation hardware
[...]
He sucked at philanthropy.
[...]
If anything, Jobs was a master of marketing. He knew how to position a product and sell it. He didn't change the world. But he convinced millions of people to buy his products.

While that may be true, I agree with others in that I think it is much more important to emphasize how he, in a way, helped to spur innovations and advances in technology, even if he himself had not done the work. He, together with Bill Gates and plenty of other people whom I do not know the names of, as well as the people that worked closely with and for them, helped to usher in the era of technology that we currently live in, and their successors in today's era continue to innovate the way we interact with technology.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 11:45am ardichoke Bracing for shit storm in 3... 2... 1...
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:12pm djmeph

Buddy J wrote:

PS i love how the #OccupyWallstreet fans are also the biggest Jobs worshipers

The fuck?
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:13pm djmeph Did I just get trololololed?
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:30pm Cliff_Forster Today is not the appropriate time for a debate on Mr. Jobs management style or the social responsibilities of billionaires. A man was overcome by cancer, it's a terrible affliction that impacts so many of us rich or poor, cancer does not discriminate. My father has battled it, my wife currently. I'm fairly certain we have all been impacted by cancer in some way or another. That's the human story here, it is the only thing that matters today.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:32pm Garg

djmeph wrote:

Did I just get trololololed?

Buddy J is just pointing out the irony of protesters concerned with the excesses of unchecked capitalism tweeting their angst on their iPhones, which are made by abused Foxconn workers. In that case, it's much more an instance of ignorance bordering on hypocrisy than it is reappropriation of technology.

But yes, cancer sucks.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:50pm djmeph

Gargoyle wrote:

Buddy J is just pointing out the irony of protesters concerned with the excesses of unchecked capitalism tweeting their angst on their iPhones, which are made by abused Foxconn workers. In that case, it's much more an instance of ignorance bordering on hypocrisy than it is reappropriation of technology.

But yes, cancer sucks.

So you agree with Buddy J's asinine assumption that all the protesters are Apple fanboys?

I support Occupy Wall Street, and I'm a PC. Furthermore I have always spoken out against Apple's anti-competitive business practices and closed architecture.

Most of us here at Icrontic have plenty of criticisms of Apple, but we recognize that Steve Jobs did a lot for our industry, despite our differences. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, Buddy J. In my opinion, that's the most ignorant post I've ever read on this forum.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:50pm BuddyJ Cliff, I don't want to make light of cancer at all. It's terrible and I don't wish it on anyone. Certainly, I don't revel in the death of the man. I feel for his family, friends, and co-workers. Loss of a friend and colleague to such circumstances especially makes his passing hard for them. That said, I do not want to lie either and make him out to be someone he wasn't.

djmeph, I'm not trolling. Just making the observation that the people in my twitter stream who are in the most support of the protests are also those who have been extremely vocal about the greatness of Jobs. I'm of the opinion that supporting the protests while simultaneously extolling the virtues of Apple/Jobs are two ideas that are diametrically opposed, hence lolz.

//edit// If you want ignorant posts, I'll gladly refer you to some gems
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:54pm Garg I'm not informed enough to comment on Jobs personally, his innovations, or his business practices. I don't own any Apple products, but acknowledge Apple's effect on the industry, which has already been well-covered. I do think that he died too young, and that's a tragedy. My dad is the same age, and has had his own close calls with his health.

The Woz knew him well, and reminds us of the humanity involved here:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dK_XEGrzHUo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
6 Oct 2011 ~ 12:59pm djmeph

Buddy J wrote:

Cliff, I don't want to make light of cancer at all. It's terrible and I don't wish it on anyone. Certainly, I don't revel in the death of the man. I feel for his family, friends, and co-workers. Loss of a friend and colleague to such circumstances especially makes his passing hard for them. That said, I do not want to lie either and make him out to be someone he wasn't.

djmeph, I'm not trolling. Just making the observation that the people in my twitter stream who are in the most support of the protests are also those who have been extremely vocal about the greatness of Jobs. I'm of the opinion that supporting the protests while simultaneously extolling the virtues of Apple/Jobs are two ideas that are diametrically opposed, hence lolz.

//edit// If you want ignorant posts, I'll gladly refer you to some gems

Fair enough, it sounded like you were painting a very broad brush with that statement, but I would say that Occupy Wall Street is a very diverse movement with a broad variety of supporters.

I also agree that he's not the most charitable person, but I think we should hold out judgement on that for now. We don't know how his estate will be broken up, and we don't know if he has been giving anonymously. I would say, however, that Apple products have done a lot for the charity and health care industries respectively.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 2:10pm BuddyJ Fair enough.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 4:34pm UPSLynx I'd have to agree with BuddyJ on the change the world front. As mentioned, he changed my world personally because of Pixar, but I don't believe he was key to the majority of innovation that people credit him for.

A lot of the things Apple have done in technology get copied not because they're innovative, but because the world is shown that they make absurd amounts of money. Facetime, for instance, is not something I believe has shaped technology because it's useful and innovative, but it has caused nearly all major smartphones to have forward facing cameras because there has been a created interest, which means money.

Innovation comes from many giants in this industry, and it's unfortunate that many of them don't get proper credit.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 8:57pm Garg I think Lynx made a great point about creating a market. Being successful in marketing and influencing the competition is laudable, but isn't the same as world-changing or innovation.

Innovation can mean a lot of things, but I think we usually assume it means being the first to invent something or get it substantially right. Facetime wasn't the first cell phone video chat. iPods weren't the first portable music players. What Apple did a lot of the time is what companies like Microsoft get accused of - taking something that exists already and putting their own spin on it. And that's okay. That's what the most successful companies do most of the time.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 9:18pm RootWyrm I could Wall Of Text. I could blah blah Apple sucks. I could do a lot of stuff.

Instead, I'm just gonna link to my blog posting. Because whether or not I agreed with some of the things he did, I still have a tremendous amount of respect for the man. And he earned it.
6 Oct 2011 ~ 9:31pm djmeph My mom compared Jobs to Thomas Edison, and I think that's a great analogy. We all know that Tesla had more to do with influencing the way we use electricity, even to this day, and had a much bigger impact on the world. The phonograph, however, was the iPod of its time. Many people had created a light bulb before Edison, but Edison made it more user-friendly. Tessla was an engineer, but Edison was a businessman. This is why history has been more kind to Edison. He was able to market and brand his innovations in a way that Tesla was not able to.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 4:29am Snarkasm Then again, Edison was a deplorable bastard who drove Tesla to his grave alone and penniless... sure we want to be making this comparison?

I am a loud and vocal opponent of the Apple Marketing Machine, but Jobs was, flat-out and undeniably, a pure visionary. The man knew what people wanted without asking them, and gathered around himself enough engineers and developers to make that vision happen. That's what it's about, and that's what the world will miss.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 10:39am djmeph I would say the shoe fits.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 1:35pm Ryder What Everyone Is Too Polite to Say About Steve Jobs
7 Oct 2011 ~ 3:13pm Linc I'd click on it, but I know it leads to Gawker and I don't want to give them the pageview.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 3:24pm primesuspect It's worth reading.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 4:13pm Cliff_Forster Billionaires are shrewd, uncompromising workaholics? Who knew?

Let me add, Gawker / Gizmodo and Jobs had a very well publicized disagreement over a stolen Iphone 4, which led to legal action and all kinds of nastiness. I'm not picking a horse in that race, I felt that Apple was being unreasonable in how they handled it at the time, but I will say it does at least lead me to question any "journalists" integrity that writes about Apple on behalf of gawker media. They are a biased and unreliable source.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 6:02pm UPSLynx

Lincoln wrote:

I'd click on it, but I know it leads to Gawker and I don't want to give them the pageview.

Pastebined so you don't have to:

http://pastebin.com/TrvPk9Mv
7 Oct 2011 ~ 6:03pm UPSLynx

Cliff_Forster wrote:

but I will say it does at least lead me to question any "journalists" integrity that writes about Apple on behalf of gawker media. They are a biased and unreliable source.

They do cite many sources in the article, be it from other publications, books, and the like. They're not making the stuff up.
7 Oct 2011 ~ 10:13pm DavidReinold Regardless of what you think of Apple, it stands as a fact that there is one less brilliant mind walking the earth. Rest in peace, man.