Steve Jobs Passed Away Today

10/05/2011 Comments Off on Steve Jobs Passed Away Today Announcements, Apple Like

According to a statement issued by Apple a few moments ago Steve Jobs has passed away. At first it was thought to be just rumor but this Remembering Steve Jobs section on the official Apple website confirms this sudden and unfortunate news. Steve Jobs will truly be missed by many whether you’re a fan of Apple or not! Please email and share your thoughts, memories and condolences to rememberingsteve@apple.com.

Here is what the statement from Apple said:

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. 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. 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.

His cause of death is unknown at this time, it’s still quite sudden and shocking news, but surely more details will surface soon. We do know that Steve Jobs has battled major illness including cancer over the years and he even had surgery in 2004 because of the disease. Back in 2009 during one of his medical leaves he also had a liver transplant.

I’d like to personally share my deepest condolences with his family, friends and co-workers as well as all fellow individuals who have a passion for technology. Thank you Steve for all of the truly great things you did and for making the world we live in a better place.

It was just a little over a month ago when Steve Jobs resigned as Apple CEO. Shortly after that I wrote the following guest post article: Steve Jobs: A Man With An Extraordinary Vision & Legacy.

Yesterday Tim Cook took center stage at the Let’s Talk iPhone event, Apple’s most recent keynote, which was also the first keynote since Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO back in August. During the past couple of days, up until now, all of the hype surrounding Apple has been regarding their new iOS 5 and iPhone 4S. Now the focus has completely shifted, and for good reason, on Steve Jobs and if you go to the main Apple website you will see the front page is now dedicated to the company’s co-founder and long time CEO.

Time Cook released the following statement regarding the death of Steve Jobs:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.

Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, told the New York Times moments ago:

…truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’s death.

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. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

He had many great quotes during his career, but one of my personal favorite quotes from Steve Jobs was what he said during a commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Steve and his innovative way of thinking changed the tech industry worldwide forever. Not only was he brilliant and a true technological genius, he was also a loving family man and cared a great deal for society as a whole. His shoes will be difficult ones to fill, there’s no doubt about that.

According to Steve’s family he died peacefully in his home. He will truly be missed and his legacy will live on forever. Although he accomplished more by the age of 56 than most could in several lifetimes it’s still such a young age to pass away. RIP Steve Jobs.