Steve Jobs Dead at 56

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs has died today at 56 years old. After a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer and a very public resignation as the CEO of the most valuable company in the world just over a month ago, the former Apple founder has passed away.

Jobs’ health concerns were well documented, and had taken a turn for the worst in 2009 after a liver transplant caused Jobs to take a six month medical leave of absence from Apple. However, while many news outlets prematurely posted his obituary and claimed he had passed away, Steve Jobs famously took the stage after his leave of absence at an Apple event to announce; “the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Unfortunately, Jobs’ health continued to decline, leading him to step down as CEO in August and hand the position over to Tim Cook.

An international icon to many and god-like figure to some, Steve Jobs was and always will be considered a modern day hero, embodying the spirit of invention, wonder, and technology that we all share.

Credited with the revival of Apple into the company that it is today, Jobs personally oversaw the creation of his vision of the future. With the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, it’s clear that Jobs has lent a great hand in shaping the modern world and the tools and items that we interact with on a daily basis.

Unbeknownst to many, Jobs was also the founder of what is consistently referred to as one of the best movie studios of all time, Pixar Animation Studios, as well as the largest single stockholder in Disney. A clear creative visionary, Steve Jobs had accomplished so much, and changed so many lives in the process, in his short life.

After having been absent for the first time ever at an Apple iPhone unveiling yesterday, many had reported on the disappointment of the new product launch and the prospect of a Steve Jobs-less Apple. Others held out hope as Jobs still held the position of the Apple Chairman, and wasn’t completely absent from the company he founded in 1976. However, a true new Apple era is now upon us without Steve Jobs.

While the current technological development cycle ensures that Steve Jobs’ fingerprints will be baked into many of Apple’s upcoming products over the next few years, it will be interesting to see if the same level of ingenuity, wonder, excitement, and as Mr. Jobs put it so many times, “magic,” will still be present in Apple after that.

At this point, the one thing that is abundantly clear is that Steve Jobs will be greatly missed.

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