People all over the world were shocked about and mourned the death of Steve Jobs, the former CEO and chairman of the board of Apple. It is not too much to say that the 21st century can be divided into before and after the iPhone. That‘s why many people remember him as an innovative person.
Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955. He was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs. Because Jobs‘ biological mother was a single mother going to university, she could not raise him.
He studied philosophy in Reed College in Portland, Oregon. He took only classes he felt interested in. A calligraphy class which was used to effect in the Macintosh’s design was among them. However, after one semester he dropped out. That was because he didn’t want to see all his parents’ money go into his tuition. He recalled that time when he gave a graduation address in Stanford University and said, “It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made.” He lived an independent life with his own self-confidence and nerve.
In 1976, Jobs formed his own company called Apple with Steve Wozniak. 10 years later, Apple had 4,000 employees and its value exceeded $2 billion. However, he had a moment of crisis when he was fired from Apple due to slow sales of the Macintosh in 1985. Getting fired from Apple was the best thing for him. It was because he was able to go back to basics and start work with a renewed mind. He said, “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. I entered one of the most creative periods of my life.”
After he left Apple, he founded NeXT to develop new computers, and in 1986 took over Pixar. Pixar put out the first feature animation created by computer, Toy Story, in 1995. Apple purchased NeXT Software for over $400 million in 1996, and Jobs returned to Apple. He turned Apple’s loss into gain producing successful products like the Power Mac G3, the iBook G4, and the PowerBook 12. After company management finally became stabilized, he formally took the position of CEO in January 2000.
In October 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. When it was found, his doctors said he only had six month to live. Fortunately, however, it turned out to be an unusual form of pancreatic cancer which was treatable. He later had successful surgery, which made his will to live and to create new products stronger than before. He put Apple into the music industry through the iPod and iTunes Music Store where people buy music files. Moreover, the iPad became the icon of tablet PCs.
Jobs was a cultural icon of our times who thrilled people all over the world by creating innovative products. John Scully, former CEO of Apple, who expelled Jobs from Apple once, recognized him and said, “He was a perfectionist and did not mind trying new things.”
Although the age of Jobs is over, people will remember his work and creative mind. His famous sayings give courage and confidence to people. Appraisal of his achievements will continue, but there is one sure thing. He loved his work.
