Steve Jobs, The Greatest Entrepreneur of the 21st Century

Steve Jobs

An overview of the greatest entrepreneur's life.

Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

Technology is a basic necessity in our lives. Fifty years ago Steve Jobs began a revolution. 

At the age of fourteen, Jobs was offered a summer job at Hewlett-Packard. Jobs began as an entrepreneur early on when he “co-created” and sold an illegal phone attachment, the “blue box.” His creation enabled long distance calls. He also sold and repaired stereos during high school. Three years later, after meeting Steve Wozniak, he graduates from high school.

Jobs drops out of college after his first semester and joined Atari, Inc. as a technician. Five years pass, Wozniak and Jobs raise enough money to create Apple I. Later that year, Jobs founds Apple Computer company with Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Wayne leaves two weeks after the founding.

Apple launches Apple I for $666.66, the first single-board computer with a video interface and an onboard Read Only Memory (ROM) that told the machine how to load programs from an external source. Apple Inc. comes into the picture the following year.

Apple II and Apple III launch within five years and Macintosh development began. His project Lisa, the first mouse-controlled computer, fails in the marketplace. In 1984, Apple launches Macintosh during the Super Bowl. In 1985, Jobs wins the National Technology Medal from U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Jobs resigns from Apple after a struggle with Apple President John Sculley and founds Next Inc. Next, Jobs buys Pixar from George Lucas and launches the $6,500 NeXT Computer "Cube." Cube also fails in the market.

After repeated failures, Next shifts its focus to software. Apple acquires Next Computer for $427 million in cash and Apple stock, Jobs becomes advisor to Apple Chairman Gilbert F. Amelio. In 1997, Jobs becomes interim CEO and chairman of Apple Computer Inc., after Amelio is ousted. Jobs' salary is $1.

In 1998, Apple releases the all-in-one iMac computer, which sells millions of units, financially reviving the company and boosting its share price by 400 percent. IMac wins the Gold Award from British Design and Art Direction. Vogue calls the iMac "one of Spring's hottest fashion statements," and Business Week says it is "one of the century's lasting images." Jobs wins a Chrysler Design Institute award for the iMac design.

From here on, Apple has a bright future:

2001 - Apple makes first foray into consumer electronics market with launch of iPod, portable MP3 player. It sells more than 2 million units by 2004

2002 - Launches the flat-panel all-in-one personal computer iMac. It makes the cover of Time Magazine that year and wins numerous design awards

2003 - Jobs announces the iTunes Music Store, which sells encoded songs and albums.

2003 - Jobs launches the 64-bit PowerMac G5 personal computer.

2004 - The iPod Mini, a smaller version of the original iPod, is launched.

2007 - Jobs announces the iPhone, the first smartphone without a keyboard, at Macworld Expo.

2011 - iPhone 4S is set to launch on October 14, 2011.

In 2004, Jobs is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 2009, he undergoes a second surgery. In 2011, Jobs officially resigns as the greatest CEO of all time.

Steve Jobs, put into adoption five months after birth, was able to conquer the obstacles that confronted him in life. With no college background, Jobs climbed the ladder of success one step at a time and created a new standard of living. His creations are everywhere: iPods, iPhones, Macs - Jobs lives on in the technology he created for the world. He was unable to see the iPhone 4S become the new device everyone wants but October 14, 2011 has been declared Steve Jobs Day. He will be remembered for years and years to come because of his accomplishments. It takes a true genius to change the way the world thinks, acts, and works. He did it, and even in his passing Apple will continue to create what Jobs wanted the world to experience. Rest in peace Steve Jobs - the world will forever remember you as the greatest entrepreneur of the 21st Century and perhaps for centuries to come.

Testimonials

David Iniguez: “Definitely sad…It may sound ridiculous, but something is REALLY missing…It'll be a long time until we have a genius like him again.”

George Veach: “Imagine what could have happened if he would have lived another 20 years....”

Nevin Mogford: "He almost single handedly made computing easy enough for the average person to use. If it hadn’t been for the introduction of the windows GUI computing would still an academic endeavor."

Debra Claus-Walker: “I got my first Mac in grad school, an SE30 in 1989 and I can't count the number of Apple computers/products I've owned since. Once you buy and Mac you don't go back. I remember having to use an IBM Thinkpad and other PCs in one lab as a research specialist. I was always trouble-shooting something or another. If you want to get work done...you get a Mac. Macs, iPods, IPhones set the standard and it was Steve Job's vision that made these wonderful tools possible. May this brilliant man RIP!
 

Steve Jobs portrait made out of Apple products courtesy of David Quilty.