Apple’s visionary founder Steve Jobs dies at 56
06 October 2011 10:52
Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple, the digital visionary who is widely credited with reshaping the consumer electronics and technology industries, has died at the age of 56.
Mr Jobs had faced a number of health issues, undergoing a liver transplant in 2009 and a seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
Apple announced that he died peacefully with his family around him.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," Apple's board said in a statement. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
Microsoft boss Bill Gates also commented: "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come".
Jobs had no formal schooling in engineering, yet he is listed as the inventor or co-inventor on more than 300 US patents.
He started Apple with high school friend Steve Wozniak in his Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was forced out a decade later and returned in 1997 to rescue the company.
During this second stint, Mr Jobs returned Apple to glory with the iMac computer in 1998, the iPod in 2001, iTunes store in 2003, the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.
In 1986 he bought the computer graphics division of George Lucas' Lucasfilm Ltd for $10 million – the company he formed following this acquisition was Pixar Animation Studios, which went on to make films such as Toy Story, changing the face of digital animation forever in the process.
He subsequently sold Pizar to Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion.
Mr Jobs took his third leave of absence on health grounds in January of this year before resigning as CEO six weeks ago.
Mr Jobs became Apple's chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook. He is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children.
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