A Technology Titan Passes On

By the time you read this you’ll have already heard the news. Last night Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died at the age of 56. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate Apple products Jobs’ vision has still touched your life in some meaningful way. Steve Jobs may not have invented the PC, desktop publisher, CGI animation, MP3 player, smart phone or tablet PC but he changed the way consumers thought about and used these products. During his professional life he strove for the very best in quality, design and ease of use. Jobs and his talented team at Apple took technology that already existed and made it easier to use. Apple products are considered by many users to be innovative and even sexy. Even with the success of his various products Jobs was not content to rest on his accomplishments. He was always seeking new ways to delight and surprise consumers with products they didn’t even know they wanted. From the Apple I to the iPad the former Apple CEO changed the computer, music, animation, wireless communications and even the video game industries.

In 1976 Apple Computer was founded by Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company would go on to release the Apple I and the Apple II in 1976 and 1977. In 1984 Apple had major success with the release of the Macintosh. It was the first computer to successfully integrate a GUI, a mouse and drag and drop technology. If you’re old enough you may even remember seeing this famous 1984 Superbowl commercial on TV. If not, you’ve probably seen a parody or two of it. Jobs’ next two successful creations would be the Apple IIc in 1984 and the LaserWriter in 1985. Later that year he would be fired from the company he helped founded by Jon Sculley, the very man he hired as CEO of Apple. Defeated but not out, he later founded NeXT and purchased a small division of Lucas film, and renamed it Pixar. In 2006 he sold the wildly successful CGI animation company to Disney for $7.4 billion in stock.

In 1996 Job’s sold NeXT to Apple and found himself back at the company he helped create. In 1998 Apple’s fortunes began to reverse with the release of the iMac. While the iMac has undergone several revisions since its unveiling the all-in-one design is still used today. In 2000 the Power Mac G4 Cube was released. It wasn’t as popular as the iMac and many users lamented the lack of a fan but the design is still considered visionary. It wouldn’t be until the 2001 release of the iPod that Apple began to move beyond computers. The original iPod wasn’t compatible with Windows machines and cost $400 dollars for 5GB of space. However the compact MP3 player along with the 2003 release of iTunes forever changed the way people consumed music. In 2007 Jobs released the iPhone, a revolutionary device that has changed the way people use smartphones and the internet. A few years ago having the ability to fully surf the web on a phone would have been unheard of. As an additional bonus wireless carriers no longer dictate how phones are designed and what software they’ll use.

With the arrival of the iPhone SDK in 2008 developers began to create their own apps and sold them via iTunes. Indy game developers also began to create games for the popular app store. Mobile games had always been inferior to their handheld and console counterparts. The quality and nature of mobile games began to drastically change as developers discovered they could create quality games, sell them for low prices– as little as $.99 and make a decent profit. It wasn’t long before large game developers such as Epic Games, Capcom, Square Enix and many others began to take notice and created titles for the iPhone. In the case of some developers they simply ported various titles to the iPhone and later the iPad. It wouldn’t be a stretch to surmise the latest non-gaming features on Nintendo and Sony’s newest handhelds are a response to the threat of Apple and other mobile devices.

In 2010 Jobs unveiled the iPad. Tablet PCs weren’t anything new but they had never caught on with the general public. Apple’s latest device changed public apathy almost overnight. The large touch screen made it easier than ever for users to easily consume various types of media. It wasn’t long before publishers ranging from magazines to comics books embraced the tablet as a content delivery system. The popularity of the iPad didn’t stop with media publishers. Since its original unveil the gaming, music and entertainment industries have all flocked to the iPad to deliver their content to consumers. The iPad may have been the last device Jobs unveiled before passing away but its influence will continue to be felt for years to come.

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs, your time was short but your influence will continue to live on.

Additional information used in this article comes from Wired.com and NPR. If you want to know more about Jobs various creations Wired has published an excellent article. Finally, Apple has released their own statement regarding Jobs’ passing.