Devastated Apple staff plan celebration of Steve Jobs’ life as world mourns death of visionary genius

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Innovator: Apple founder Steve Jobs died yesterday aged 56

Innovator: Apple founder Steve Jobs died yesterday aged 56

Devastated Apple staff were tonight planning a celebration of the life of founder Steve Jobs after he died following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

The visionary genius behind the iPhone, iPad and the iPod, who died yesterday aged 56, will be honoured with a memorial service for staff members.

At Apple stores across the world and the company’s headquarters, makeshift shrines quickly sprang up today as Apple’s legions of fans gathered together to remember the life of a man they revered as a hero.

‘We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon,’ said Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

Global leaders from politics and business paid tribute to the celebrated innovator.

Tributes, led by President Barack Obama, began pouring in within minutes of the company confirming the death of the great innovator.

‘We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,’ read a statement by Apple’s board of directors.

‘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.’

The homepage of Apple’s website 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.

 

The worlds of politics, business, sport and entertainment joined forces today to pay tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Some of the most poignant words came from his greatest business rivals, people who admired him both as a competitor and as a man.

Bill Gates, founder of rival company Microsoft and Mr Jobs’s friend, pictured right, said: “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.’

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg: ‘Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.’

Barack Obama: ‘He transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.’

Tim Cook, who replaced Mr Jobs as Apple chief executive, pictured right, said: ‘Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.’

John Sculley, former chief executive of Apple, said: ‘Steve Jobs was intensely passionate at making an important difference in the lives of his fellow humans while he was on this planet. He never was into money or measured his life through owning stuff. The world knows Steve Jobs as the brilliant genius who transformed technology into magic. A part of Steve still lives within all of us through his beautifully designed products and his no-compromises media experiences. Steve Jobs captured our imagination with his creativity. His legacy is far more than being the greatest CEO ever. A world leader is dead, but the lessons his leadership taught us live on.’

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, pictured right, said: ‘People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he set himself.

‘We’ve lost something we won’t get back. The way I see it, though, the way people love products he put so much into creating means he brought a lot of life to the world.’

Larry Page, co-founder and chief executive of Google, said: ‘He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.’

Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, pictured right, said: ‘From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met. On behalf of all of us at Google and more broadly in technology, you will be missed very much. My condolences to family, friends, and colleagues at Apple.’

Dick Costolo, chief executive of Twitter, said: ‘Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement. RIP SteveJobs’

Rupert Murdoch, chief executive of Newscorp, pictured right, said: ‘Today, we lost one of the most influential thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs of all time. Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation. While I am deeply saddened by his passing, I’m reminded of the stunning impact he had in revolutionizing the way people consume media and entertainment. My heart goes out to his family and to everyone who had the opportunity to work beside him in bringing his many visions to life.’

Steve Case, Founder of AOL, said: ‘I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages.’

Dmitri Medvedev, Russian President, pictured right, said : ‘People like Steve Jobs change our world. My sincere condolences to his loved ones and to everyone who admired his intellect and talent’.

GS Choi, chief executive of Samsung, which is currently involved in a major court battle with Apple regarding patents, said Jobs was an ‘innovative spirit’ who ‘introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry’.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said: ‘As much as anyone in any walk of life in the early 21st century he changed people’s lives simply by imagination and determination. His memory will serve as a symbol of what the human mind can achieve.’

British Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured right, and Labour leader Ed Miliband both paid tribute to Mr Jobs using Twitter.

Mr Cameron said: ‘Steve Jobs transformed the way we work and play; a creative genius who will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family.’

Mr Miliband said: ‘Very sad to hear about the death of Steve Jobs. His work had a huge impact on our lives and he inspired thousands of young minds.’

Paul Allan, co-founder of Microsoft, said: ‘We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered.’

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, co-CEOs of Blackberry-maker Research in Motion, said : ‘Steve Jobs was a great visionary and a respected competitor.’

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, pictured right, said the U.S. had ‘lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein’.

Jeff Bewkes, chief executive of Time Warner, said: ‘The world is a better place because of Steve, and the stories our company tells have been made richer by the products he created. He was a dynamic and fearless competitor, collaborator, and friend. In a society that has seen incredible technological innovation during our lifetimes, Steve may be the one true icon whose legacy will be remembered for a thousand years.’

Lord Sugar said: ‘Gutted Steve Jobs died. We started our computer biz at same time and were competitors through the 80s.Great visionary. Sadly missed. RIP’

Michael Dell, chief executive of Dell Inc, pictured right, said: ‘Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come.’

Bob Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney, said: ‘Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an ‘original,’ with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started.’

Steven Spielberg, film producer, said: ‘Steve Jobs was the the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2045842/Steve-Jobs-dead-Apple-staff-plan-celebration-life-world-mourns-death-genius.html#ixzz1a6VYmgA8

 

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