Vale Steve Jobs

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 06 October 2011 10:40

IT People - People

Apple co-founder, chairman, and former CEO Steve Jobs has died. The news, although not unexpected, marks the passing of an era and will send shockwaves around the IT world.

Mr Jobs founded Apple Computer in 1976 along with Steve Wozniak (designer of the company's early products including the Apple I and Apple II) and Ron Wayne. He left the company in 1985 following a power struggle with then CEO John Sculley, but returned to the fold when Apple acquired NeXT, the company he founded after leaving Apple.

Shortly after, he was appointed interim CEO and subsequently CEO. He was well known for drawing a $1 salary, but received other benefits including Apple shares and a Gulfstream jet.

Mr Jobs oversaw Apple's renaissance, which revolved around the simplification of the product line into four quadrants - consumer vs professional, and portable vs desktop - and a new focus on industrial design that differentiated the company's products from the traditional 'beige boxes'.

The introduction of the iPod in 2001 and subsequently the iTunes Store marked the real beginning of Apple's transition from a computer company to a more broadly based business. It also marked the start of a more integrated business model where Apple was selling content as well as hardware, but perhaps most significantly doing so by providing a user experience that customers warmed to.

In 2010, a web site associated with the Wall Street Journal gave Mr Jobs the title 'CEO of the Decade'.

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