Steve Jobs dies

Steve Jobs, the legendary founder of Apple, passed away today. He was 56.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Jobs has been a computing icon since he helped to develop the first Apple computer in his parents garage, in 1976. Since then, he presided over the rapidly growing Apple Inc. until it encountered a slump in the early 1990s.

Jobs was later brought back in 1997 to help revitalize the company as it struggled in the face of competition from the more popular PC market.

Jobs led nothing short of a revolution. By designing clever new devices such as the iPhone, the iPod, and the iPad, Jobs was able to revolutionize the computing market. Apple products have been known for their sleek, elegant design, and are among the most popular personal computing and media devices in the world.

Jobs was born in 1955, and adopted soon afterwards. He grew up in Cupertino, California the town that would later become Apple's corporate headquarters. He showed an early talent with electronics often tinkering with electronic devices as a teenager. After a summer internship with Hewlett-Packard, Jobs became friends with Steve Wozniak who helped him to build the first Apple computer. The first computer had no keyboard, nor display, and customers had to assemble it themselves. Still it was a very popular innovation that sparked a technological revolution.
Today, virtually every home in the United States, and throughout most of the industrialized world, has at least one computer. Computers and cell phones have become indispensable tools for nearly all Americans.

Steve Jobs had a long-running bout with cancer. In 2004 he announced that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. He lost weight and appeared unhealthy. Because Jobs had been so important to Apple, the fluctuations in his health were often reflected in the fluctuations of the company's share price.

In 2009 Jobs had a liver transplant in Tennessee during a six-month medical leave of absence. He took another medical leave in January of 2011. After returning to work for several months he announced in August that he was stepping down as CEO of Apple, saying that he was no longer able to fulfill his duties.

A statement on Apple's website read, "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."

Steve Jobs was an inspirational personality. He gave several commencement speeches and keynote lectures that have inspired generations of students and employees. In one address to Stanford graduates in 2005, he said "your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."

Steve Jobs is survived by his wife of 20 years, Laurene, and four children.

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