Apple Loses its ‘Creative Genius’ with the Death of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs touched so many lives that people around the world turned "iSad" on Wednesday, pausing to share thoughts about the charismatic innovator who shaped modern culture.
Tributes poured in from notables from U.S. President Barack Obama to Bill Gates, but it was the scale of the outpouring from ordinary people around the world, hammering out characters on Jobs's own inventions, that was staggering.
As word spread that Jobs had died of cancer at the age of 56, messages tagged "iSad" and "RIP Steve Jobs" joined other references to the Apple co-founder among the hottest topics at Twitter.
By nightfall in California, thousands of people at global social network Facebook had signed up to take part in an unofficial Steve Jobs Day planned for October 14.
A stevejobsday2011.com website devoted to the event invited people to dress up as the Apple co-founder or talk about him, whether at real-world gatherings or at online venues such as Facebook and Twitter.
"We love what he's brought to the world," said a message at the website, which is dominated by a color portrait of Jobs.
"Let's take a day to honor the man...Everyone around the world is invited to participate," it continued.
The homepage of Apple's website this evening switched to a full-page image of Jobs with the text, "Steve Jobs 1955-2011."
Clicking on the image revealed the additional text: "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."
A Facebook page devoted to the event explained that it was planned when Jobs stepped down as Apple chief executive in August for health reasons and was not intended to be a memorial.
In 2004, he beat back an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and in 2009 he was forced to get a liver transplant.
Intended or not, the Jobs Day Facebook comment forum was flooded with remembrances and adoration for the visionary behind iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macintosh computers.
"People often asked me what is it about Apple that makes you so crazy," Facebook member Pallav Desai wrote on the page.
"I say it was more than a product - it was a fight of a person who battled cancer; who was thrown out of his company, and STILL came back and showed the world iWAS iAM & iWILL change the world!"
From children who adore "Toy Story" and other Pixar films to teens obsessed with watching YouTube videos on iPhones or adults addicted to iPad applications and music from iTunes, people were moved to share their feelings about Jobs.
"In a sense, Steve Jobs was part Thomas Edison, Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum," said Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin, who covered Jobs for 30 years.
"A modern technology visionary, focused in delivering products that are useful and provide entertainment and a masterful showman who really knew how to keep people on the edge of their seats wanting more," he continued.
Jobs gave the world the Apple II, The Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar, altering industries and lifestyles in the process, Bajarin noted.
On Twitter, Brian Magallones respectfully equated Jobs to "a modern day cross between Albert Einstein and Willy Wonka."
Tweets streamed thanking Jobs for his innovations, and many people quoted from a moving speech he gave to a graduating class at Stanford University in 2005. The video had logged more than four million views at YouTube.
People echoed his advice to stay hungry, dare being foolish, and not waste time living someone else's life.
"Death is the destination we all share," he told the graduating class.
"And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life," he continued. "It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."
Jobs was born in San Francisco and was adopted by the Armenian family of Paul and Clara Jobs (née Hagopian). Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, Patti.
Jobs' biological parents – Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian immigrant to the U.S. who later became a political science professor, and Joanne Schieble (later Simpson), an American graduate student who went on to become a speech language pathologist– eventually married. Together, they gave birth to and raised Jobs' biological sister, novelist Mona Simpson.
over 12 years
we owe him a lot. the world has lost a great innovator :(
over 12 years
"great innovator come on".
all apple products except for early ones are just for fashion nerds.
"i've got latest iphone"
and i have life.
over 12 years
@habal
How do you pull that off? Whatever is the topic, and whatever you say, man it's always sooo stupid! You obviously have neither an iphone or a life!
over 12 years
someone from zionist information war department is trying to insult me.
they are so below me that their insults don't touch me.
over 12 years
Can a Shiite and specifically a supporter of Amal actually use an iphone? He will probably eat it thinking it is an Apple!
over 12 years
I know now why Ali al-Moqdad was so pissed at the mechanique office today. He just learned that Steve Jobs has died and there was no one to hug Ali so he took his gun out and started shooting (since it's normal to shoot when someone you love dies).
Poor Ali, his cousin in amrika works as a valet in apple and he is best friend with "Steff" who promised him the newest iphone8 that he meant to send to Ali. That's why Ali got so mad, and why he will be out of jail in a matter of days if not hours.
over 12 years
@jabalamel
You guys are a people that do not have self-respect, how do you expect the world to respect you. Do not think for a second that you are superior because you do not reach the sole of my shoe, and your comments only prove that again and again.
You are just an ignorant prick that criticizes anything and everything. If you knew a little bit more you would have known that the reason why you are writing these useless comments on a desktop or a laptop is because of Steve Jobs.
He once asked one of his critics: "What have you done that is so great?"
Let me guess, your answer to this is: I invented the sentence "the zionist information war department". You are pathetic.
over 12 years
Jabalamel - What kind of idiot would say that a man who created a 350b$ company in technology is not an innovator.
Answer: You
over 12 years
Why is it that the best have always to go first, those who made the difference across the globe, and the criminals , scumbags, mafiosos, regressive middle age fanaticals, stay around?? Can't they be hit by some fatal illness that frees the world from their filthy contaminating presence!
over 12 years
" Don't be trapped by Dogma" said Steve Job. Isn't this the Middle East's greatest handicap. People spend their lives spinning in the same mental cage that they inherit from their religions or their traditions.
In the US an adopted child has moved from nothing to an innovator and a leader of a business empire.
Break the Dogmatic prisons otherwise all will remain dwelling in mediocrity.
over 12 years
oh, rabid fury is flowing through the zionist information war department.
let's start with banana republic, what a great name for your entity.
you die for american interests you fools and puppets you are.
but what is more amazing is the total lack of knowledge of those who will criticize my claim that he is not the innovator.
"how can someone who made zillions..."....very simple you ignorant nerd.
see bill gates...what did microsoft invent? nothing. from the very beginning...basic, dos, windows, internet explorer, office, windows server...all they do is steal and buy...there are hundreds of lawsuits that they lost and paid compensations...
but some people here only count the money. how pathetic
over 12 years
Ahbalamel -
here you go: now Bill Gates doesn't deserve any credit either! What about: Larry page, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, and the whole silicon valley?
You're even a more desperate nutcase than i thought. Go get yourself some education you ahbal... and please tell us what dahye has invented (other than go backward in time)
over 12 years
Ahbalamel -
here you go: now Bill Gates doesn't deserve any credit either! What about: Larry page, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, and the whole silicon valley?
You're even a more desperate nutcase than i thought. Go get yourself some education you ahbal... and please tell us what dahye has invented (other than go backward in time)
over 12 years
@jabalamel
u r a true ignorant.. its a pity to hold the same Lebanese passport as you because you are disgrace to Lebanon trapped in Dogma like youssefhaddad said.
You and your followers tarnish the image of Lebanon locally, regionally and internationally.
and @Truth please spare us from ur idotic comments which are not worth replying to
according to the some post from zionist information war department, they are in great mourning now.