Who is Steve Jobs ?
Steve Jobs, former Apple chief executive officer who died at the age of 56, has been hailed as a cultural zeitgeist. He's changed the way the world communicates, interacts and entertains. He's even changed the way we think.
Steven Paul Jobs ( February 24, 19
55 – October 5, 2011) was an American business magnate, industrial designer, investor, and media proprietor. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and co-founder of Apple Inc., the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT. Jobs is widely recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Jobs was born in San Francisco, California, and put up for adoption. He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Reed College in 1972 before dropping out that same year, and traveled through India in 1974 seeking enlightenment and studying Zen Buddhism. His declassified FBI report states that he used marijuana and LSD while he was in college, and once told a reporter that taking LSD was "one of the two or three most important things" he had done in his life.
Jobs and Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976 to sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. Together the duo gained fame and wealth a year later with the Apple II, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputers.
Jobs saw the commercial potential of the Xerox Alto in 1979, which was mouse-driven and had a graphical user interface (GUI). This led to the development of the unsuccessful Apple Lisa in 1983, followed by the breakthrough Macintosh in 1984, the first mass-produced computer with a GUI. The Macintosh introduced the desktop publishing industry in 1985 with the addition of the Apple LaserWriter, the first laser printer to feature vector graphics. Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985 after a long power struggle with the company's board and its then-CEO John Sculley.
Pic : Job's Product Release conference
That same year, Jobs took a few of Apple's members with him to found NeXT, a computer platform development company that specialized in computers for higher-education and business markets.
In addition, he helped to develop the visual effects industry when he funded the computer graphics division of George Lucas's Lucasfilm in 1986. The new company was Pixar, which produced the first 3D computer animated film Toy Story (1995).
Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, and Jobs became CEO of his former company within a few months. He was largely responsible for helping revive Apple, which had been at the verge of bankruptcy. He worked closely with designer Jony Ive to develop a line of products that had larger cultural ramifications, beginning in 1997 with the "Think different" advertising campaign and leading to the iMac, iTunes, iTunes Store, Apple Store, iPod, iPhone, App Store, and the iPad. In 2001, the original Mac OS was replaced with a completely new Mac OS X, based on NeXT's NeXTSTEP platform, giving the OS a modern Unix-based foundation for the first time. Jobs was diagnosed with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor in 2003.
He died of respiratory arrest related to the tumor at age 56 on October 5, 2011.
I. Early Life
Steven Paul Jobs was born to students Abdul Fattah Jandali and Joanne Carole Schieble who were unmarried at the time and gave him up for adoption. He was taken in by a working class couple, Paul and Clara Jobs, and grew up with them in Mountain View, California.
He attended Homestead High School in Cupertino California and went to Reed College in Portland Oregon in 1972 but dropped out after only one semester, staying on to "drop in" on courses that interested him.
He took a job with video game manufacturer Atari to raise enough money for a trip to India and returned from there a Buddhist.
II. Apple
Back in Cupertino he returned to Atari where his old friend Steve Wozniak was still working. Wozniak was building his own computer and in 1976 Jobs pre-sold 50 of the as-yet unmade computers to a local store and managed to buy the components on credit solely on the strength of the order, enabling them to build the Apple I without any funding at all.
Pic : Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak
The Apple II followed in 1977 and the company Apple Computer was formed shortly afterwards. The Apple II was credited with starting the personal computer boom, its popularity prompting IBM to hurriedly develop their own PC. By the time production of the Apple II ended in 1993 it had sold over 6 million units.
Inspired by a trip to Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), engineers from Apple began working on a commercial application for the graphical interface ideas they had seen there. The resulting machine, Lisa, was expensive and never achieved any level of commercial success, but in 1984 another Apple computer, using the same WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) interface concept, was launched.
An advertisement during the 1984 Super Bowl, directed by Ridley Scott introduced the Macintosh computer to the world (in fact, the advert had been shown on a local TV channel in Idaho on 31 December 1983 and in movie theaters during January 1984 before its famous "premiere" on 22 January during the Super Bowl).
III. Jobs Fired
In 1985 ,Jobs was fired from Apple and immediately founded another computer company, NeXT. Its machines were not a commercial success but some of the technology was later used by Apple when Jobs eventually returned there.
In the meantime, in 1986, Jobs bought The Computer Graphics Group from Lucasfilm. The group was responsible for making high-end computer graphics hardware but under its new name, Pixar, it began to produce innovative computer animations. Their first title under the Pixar name,Luxo Jr.(1986) won critical and popular acclaim and in 1991 Pixar signed an agreement with Disney, with whom it already had a relationship, to produce a series of feature films, beginning with Toy Story (1995).
IV. Jobs returned to Apple Again
In 1996 Apple bought NeXT and Jobs returned to Apple, becoming its CEO. With the help of British-born industrial designerJonathan Ive, Jobs brought his own aesthetic philosophy back to the ailing company and began to turn its fortunes around with the release of the iMac in 1998. The company's MP3 player, the iPod, followed in 2001, with the iPhone launching in 2007 and the iPad in 2010. The company's software music player, iTunes, evolved into an online music (and eventually also movie and software application) store, helping to popularize the idea of "legally" downloading entertainment content.
V. Death
In 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery in 2004. Despite the success of this operation he became increasingly ill and received a liver transplant in 2009. He returned to work after a six month break but eventually resigned his position in August 2011 after another period of medical leave which began in January 2011. He died on 5 October 2011.
VI. Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address (with intro by President John Hennessy)
VI. Steve Jobs as a Person - Critical Views
Jobs did not have a well-balanced character. He was volatile. And if truth be told, the man’s burning passion for design caused him to fail as a businessperson more than once. So while there are plenty of reasons to admire what he accomplished, not to mention respect his brilliant salesmanship and abilities as a consumer product visionary, I do not think it is a good idea to romanticize Jobs as a role model for future business leaders.
But one can argue that Jobs was initially driven to succeed by his massive ego more than any altruistic desire to help other people engage with the world via beautiful products. And even if Jobs cared only about improving the lot of consumers, his leader character was not necessarily pedestal-worthy.
VII. How Steve Jobs Changed How the World Works ??
His company's impact on how we do business has been no less impressive.
Here are 12 ways Jobs' Apple has changed the way we work.
1. Simplified technology
"Apple products have completely revolutionized the way that we do business, both for ourselves and our clients. Their simple, clean design and stunning interfaces masked incredibly complex technology, making world-class technology accessible to the everyday business person. Five years ago, technology hindered us, but with Apple, technology now lifts us." -- Ryan O’Ramsay Barrett, CEO, ORAM Corporate Advisors.
2. Created a tech culture in every company
"Jobs was a true hero of technology and innovation. It is his drive for excellence in the business and consumer marketplace that continues to inspire me and the way in which I run Optimal Networks. His products speak for themselves. The introduction of the iPad has revolutionized computing as we knew it." -- Heinan Landa, CEO, Optimal Networks
3.Made technology beautiful
"Jobs' work is revolutionary because he thought beyond the devices to their day-to-day application. He took the tech out of technology, creating user-friendly products that were compatible and easy to use. And my favorite part of Jobs' work — he showed that the latest, greatest piece of machinery could be beautiful and visually stunning." -- Christina Dempsey, senior account coordinator, Sara Brady Public Relations, Inc.
4. Saved trees
"Right now, we're in pre-production for a feature film. We've gone through several drafts of the script in the past few weeks. Two years ago, we started reading scripts on the iPad, the first good alternative to the printed page for scripts. I would estimate that in the last two weeks alone, we would have printed 10,000 pages of scripts for our production team and actors. We printed zero thanks to everyone having iPads." -- Jason Stein, founding partner, Laundry Service Media
Pic : Magician at Product Presentations
5. Made everyone a techie
"My Mac makes it so much easier for me to get the tools I need right when I need them and I always know they are going to work. With a PC, I had to research software options, find one that I could download (or wait to get a disc in the mail) and then just hope it didn't crash my computer when I installed it.
Now, with the Mac and especially with last year's addition of the AppStore, apps are available for immediate download any time I want one. Plus, before even buying, I can see feedback from other users, the publisher's responses and I know that it has passed Apple's tests and won't crash my machine. " -- Rachel Honoway, Honoway Interactive, LLC.
6. No more waiting
"If we show a rental property to a prospective tenant and they want to apply, we can go to the online application on our website and have them fill it out right on the spot using the iPad. No need to print out a lot of papers and we know for sure that the application is getting filled out and not just thrown away." -- Lakeisha W. Johnson, owner, Absolute Property Solutions, LLC.
7. Leveled the playing field
"The iPad has truly revolutionized the way our sales team presents to prospects and clients.It has made presentations superb — more efficient and convenient. Whenever I have an appointment with a client or prospect, the iPad has a very impactful presentation and appearance. It has provided for a more powerful presentation than a tactile, hardbound option, and likewise, seems to impress clients more so as well. It helps to show my company's commitment to investing in innovative technology that we furthermore use to help their business (in my case, group meetings and events).
The presentation support from the quality of the tablet furthers my confidence going into a meeting with my best foot forward." -- Eric Pease, regional sales manager, Wild Dunes Resort
8. Freedom
"I take it all for granted now, but Apple technology has had a profound effect on how I do business. I'm no longer bound to a desk to receive calls and email or do research thanks to the seamlessness integration between devices and intuitiveness of Apple products. I no longer have to take a camera, MP3 player or DVD player everywhere I go. All of it is on my iPhone. Slip it in my pocket and I'm ready to go anywhere. I can't imagine my professional or personal life without my iPhone. -- Ann Marie van den Hurk, principal, Mind The Gap Public Relations, LLC.
9. Made everyone an IT expert
"Apple eliminated the need for me to have a dedicated IT guy. When I opened my Mac-based office, pretty much everything worked straight out of the box. I may have paid a little more up front, but I certainly saved money after what it would have cost in time and money to set up a PC server and workstations. The integration and ease of use that you get with Apple products is unmatched, and Apple has spoiled me because of it." -- Tripp Watson, attorney, The Watson Firm
10. Increased productivity
"Apple products not only helped me innovate the way I operate, but they also made me more time-efficient. If I am working with a PC, I have to take a product photo with a traditional camera and I have to find the connector cable, which I misplace. Download the photo, name the file. Go into social media accounts, sign in then upload. If I use my iPad or iPhone, I take a quick photo, go into my Twitter and Facebook apps, touch the photo and it's live. Small businesses are running on empty these days; we need quick and easy [solutions] to stay relevant and Apple gives me this edge.
As an entrepreneur, Steve Jobs was a visionary that paid the ultimate attention to detail. I strive every day to live up to similar standards." -- Ellen Cagnassola, owner, Sweetsoaps
11. Work-life balance
"Because I'm working 50 hours per week on average, the iPad allows my work-life balance to exist. It allows me to live part-time in Philadelphia when the company is based in NYC." -- Dara Epstein, partner, SmartSitting
12.Reinvented sales
"This kind of portability enables me to hop on an airplane and have a conversation with my airline seatmates without having to haul a bunch of paperwork with me. If they are not interested in conversing, I can hook up to the airborne Wi-Fi and continue communicating with my clients even though I'm at 30,000 feet." -- Philip Mandel, certified health coach, Take Shape for Life
Epilogue
Steve Jobs radicalized the Global Computing and Electronic Industry as No One else did earlier. A Legendary Business Leader who is revered by his Peers and Rivals with the same depth of Devotion.
Tech World can divide their time period as Before Steve Jobs ( BSJ ) and After Steve Jobs ( ASJ ) just like BC and AD after Jesus Christ.
Steve Jobs set an Iconic example that, Amateurs can create most valuable company on the Planet.
Steve Jobs is a Visionary , Creative Genius , Inspirational Source and Guiding Light for future Generations of Entrepreneurs and Tech Mavericks to come….
MM Rao
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