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 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 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.
Image Gallery
Steve Jobs unveils the Apple I-Mac on May 18, 1998 in California.
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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 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 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.
Image Gallery
Steve Jobs unveils the Apple I-Mac on May 18, 1998 in California.
A young Steve Jobs with the Apple II computer in 1977 (left) and in 1994.
Jobs poses with an Apple Macintosh at the new computer's unveiling in 1984.
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Apolline Arnaud, 12, a neighbour of Steve Jobs, writes a message in front of his home in Palo Alto, California.
Fans place flowers on a makeshift shrine at Apple headquarters in California.
Brandy Faulkner, a neighbour, leaves flowers outside Jobs's home in Palo Alto, California.
An Apple employee lights an apple-shaped candle for the late Steve Jobs outside an Apple Store in Santa Monica, California.
A apple with the word 'bye' carved into it sits outside an Apple store in Pasadena, California.
A message painted outside Apple's flagship store on New York's 5th Avenue.
A message is displayed on the window of an Apple store in Santa Monica, California.
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