While some call him a genius, others knew him as a friend or family member. Steve Jobs was an ordinary guy like you or me, but he had extraordinary vision; this is what separated him from the rest of the world. The father of Apple, Steve Jobs passed away on 5 October 2011, but his memory will forever live on in every iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple products that his visionary brilliance created.
The Early Apple
Collaborating with his geek friend, Steve Wozniak (Woz); Apple became an incorporated company on April 1, 1976 after the two friends had bought out their other partner, Ron Wayne. The name Apple was chosen simply because the pair couldn’t come up with anything else. Who knew it would later be synonymous with awe-inspiring technology and ground-breaking products?
The Apple 1 was the start of this great company; with the Apple 2 following hot on its heels and carrying with it the breakthrough in technology for that time. The Apple 2 is regarded as “…both the start and the symbol of the personal computer revolution of the early 1980s” (allaboutstevejobs.com). This was the introduction of the following incredible computing features that would soon change the way that humans conducted business:
- Ability to display color graphics
- Built-in BASIC interpreter that made it easier for the writing of compatible software
- This included games as well as
- The first floppy disk drive, known as Disk II
- The ability to run compatible software also allowed for the introduction of the first spreadsheet to be run on Apple
Steve Jobs was a millionaire by 1979 at the age of 24.
The early 1980s saw the Macintosh becoming the main point of focus for Steve Jobs. It was a separate project that Steve’s partner Woz hadn’t been a part of. It soon found him on the cover of Time magazine and became an instant success, but its notoriety was short-lived.
The first Mac seemed to have a few flaws:
- It was extremely slow due to the graphical interface that needed to be processed
- It was a lot more pricey than the IBM-PC that sold for $1000 less
- It wasn’t compatible with other software
The Years Leading Up To The iPod
Steve Jobs was widely criticized for the apparent “failure” of his Mac. He resigned from Apple and founded a company called NeXT that was bought by Apple 11 years later in 1996. Steve Jobs claimed the role of CEO and brought the technology of NeXT back into the company, later defining it as Mac OS X. They simplified their offerings to only the Desktop and Macbook, one of each for consumer and for professional use.
With Steve Jobs back on the team, Apple started to thrive and was soon to bear the seamless beauty of the iMac in 1998. In 2000, his focus became the “Digital Hub”, which was to be a revolutionary expression that would incorporate a range of digital devices with the desktop.
- The first item was iMovie, which didn’t prove as successful as he’d anticipated, iDVD followed
- Then came the iTunes Store, changing the face of music distribution after gaining some insight from the popularity of “Napster”
- iPhoto, iCal, GarageBand and iWeb were next on the menu as part of a spate of iApp releases that took place
These releases were all brought to life by Mac OS X, which also made it possible for one of the most revolutionary Apple products to be produced: the iPod. Inspired by iTunes, this portable music device transformed the world of consumerism, speaking endlessly to Steve Jobs’ digital movement. It was sleek, compatible with Mac, directly linked to iTunes and the cause of many users’ departure from PC to becoming Mac clients. The company made it compatible with Windows to broaden the reach of the iPod, but it still attracted a vast number of digital aficionados who transformed into followers of the Mac Empire.
iPhone Makes History
In 2007, the iPhone did for the telecommunications market what the iPod did for music. Using multi-touch display functionality and the inclusion of the iPod and a browser, the iPhone was a benchmark for what would soon be a flooded market of touch-screen innovation. But somehow, none were or are ever as advanced or as intelligent as the iPhone. Just when a competitor had caught up with Steve Jobs’ advanced ideas, Apple would release a new version with even more intelligent functionality.
The project began in 2003 and picked up huge amounts of pace the year before its release. The touch-screen technology was initially intended for the iPad or a tablet PC, but its use for the iPhone allowed this product to be one of the most innovative digital items to ever be released.
Steve Jobs on the iPhone’s technology in January 2007: “iPhone is five years ahead of what everybody else has got. If we didn’t do one more thing, we’d be set for five years!”
The highly anticipated release of the iPad took place in January of 2010 after many years of working on the project. His “magical device” was initially criticized as being nothing more than an oversized iPod Touch, but the proof is clearly in the pudding, as by September, 7.5 million iPads had been sold to the public; a wordless claim that proves Apple ingenuity is extremely sought after in all regions of the world.
The End Of An Era
Steve Jobs’ health problems with pancreatic cancer were uncovered in October 2003 and eventually took his life in October 2011. While he may have had his life cut extremely short in years, one can only wonder what else he would have come up with if he were to have lived to a ripe old age. Such ingenious ideas were so advanced that perhaps they also pressed the fast forward button on his existence? We all pay homage to this great man; a revolutionary, a visionary and a digital genius. RIP Steve Jobs.
