Apple co-founder, former CEO, and chairman Steve Jobs died today, Apple's board of directors has confirmed. He had been battling pancreatic cancer and had stepped down as Apple CEO in late August saying he was no longer able to do the job. He had remained as Apple's chairman after promoting then-COO Tim Cook to CEO.
The 56-year-old Jobs had a colorful, sometimes contentious relationship with the tech industry, but he led several revolutions, including the advent of user-centered computers via the Macintosh, the digital music business via iTunes and the iPod, and most recently tablet computing via the iPad. In many respects he was the Walt Disney of today's generation, creating a wonderful world that we could all join.
In announcing the news of Jobs' death, Apple's board of directors wrote:
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.
Yesterday, Apple announced the iPhone 4S, an update to the widely successful iPhone 4 that incorporated voice recognition and artificial intelligence technology acquired from Siri, a technology mix that had been an area of strong interest to Jobs and one he spoke about with clear passion when acquiring Siri. In a twist of fate, that dream came true on his watch.
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