SAN FRANCISCO: Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer and other health issues.
Jobs' death was announced by Apple in a statement late on Wednesday. The Silicon Valley icon who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone had resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August, handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.
A survivor of a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he was deemed the heart and soul of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valuable in America.
''Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve,'' Apple said in a statement announcing Jobs' passing.
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| Apple CEO Steve Jobs holds up the new iPod Nano after introducing it at an event in San Francisco, California in this September 7, 2005 file photo. - REUTERS/Lou Dematteis |
''His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.''
Job's health had been a controversial topic for years. His battle with cancer had been of deep concern to Apple fans, investors and the company's board alike. Over past years, even board members have confided to friends their concern that Jobs, in his quest for privacy, wasn't being forthcoming enough with directors about the true condition of his health.
Now, despite investor confidence in Cook, who has stood in for his boss during three leaves of absence, there remain concerns about whether the company would stay a creative force to be reckoned with beyond the next year or so without its founder and visionary at the helm.
The news triggered an immediate outpouring of sympathy. Among others, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said he will miss Jobs ''immensely''.
END OF AN ERA
Jobs' death marked the end of an era.
A college dropout, Buddhist and a son of adoptive parents, he started Apple Computer with friend Steve Wozniak in in the late 1970s. The company soon introduced the Apple 1 computer.
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But it was the Apple II that became a huge success and gave Apple its position as a critical player in the then-nascent PC industry, culminating in a 1980 IPO that made Jobs a multimillionaire.
Despite the subsequent success of the Mac, Jobs' relationship with top management and the board soured. The company removed most of his powers and then in 1985 he was fired.
Apple's fortunes waned after that. However, its purchase of NeXT - the computer company Jobs founded after leaving Apple - in 1997 brought him back into the fold. Later that year, he became interim CEO and in 2000, the company dropped ''interim'' from his title.
It was the iPhone in 2007 that cemented his legacy in the annals of modern technology history.
Two years before the gadget that forever transformed the way people around the world access and use the Internet, Jobs talked about how a sense of his mortality was a major driver behind that vision.
''Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,'' Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony in 2005.
''Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.''
''Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.'' - Reuters
Apple's History and Milestones
FACTBOX: Apple's history and milestones
1976 - High-school buddies Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs start Apple Computer. Their first product, Apple I, built in circuit board form, debuts at "the Homebrew Computer Club" in Palo Alto, California.
1977 - Apple II is unveiled, the first personal computer in a plastic case with color graphics.
1983 - Apple starts selling the "Lisa," a desktop computer for businesses with a graphical user interface, the system most users are familiar with today.
1984 - Apple debuts the Macintosh personal computer.
1985 - Jobs leaves Apple after a power struggle.
September 1997 - Jobs is named Apple's interim CEO after the company records losses of more than $1.8 billion.
November 1997 - Jobs introduces a new line of Macintosh computers called G3, and a website that lets people order directly from Apple.
1998 - Apple unveils the iMac desktop computer.
2001 - Apple introduces the iPod.
2003 - The iTunes Store opens, allowing users to buy and download music, audiobooks, movies and TV shows online.
August 2004 - Jobs announces he underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas.
January 2007 - Apple introduces the iPhone.
2008 - Apple opens its App Store as an update to iTunes.
January 2009 - Jobs takes leave for health reasons. COO Cook leads the company in the interim.
June 2009 - Jobs returns to the company after undergoing a liver transplant.
April 2010 - Apple begins selling the iPad, a 10-inch touchscreen tablet, and has an 84 percent share of the tablet market by year's end.
Jan. 17, 2011 - Jobs announces that he will take another medical leave.
March 2, 2011 - Apple launches the iPad 2.
Aug. 9, 2011 - Apple briefly edges past Exxon Mobil Corp to become the most valuable U.S. company.
Aug. 24, 2011 - Jobs steps down as CEO and is replaced by Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer.
Oct. 5, 2011 - Jobs dies at age of 56 after battle with pancreatic cancer.
