Steve Jobs
Early Life
Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California, to Joanne Schieble and Abdulfattah Jandali, two University of Wisconsin graduate students. His parents gave him up for adoption, and he was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California, who named him Steven Paul Jobs. Adoption was a significant event in his life, shaping his personality and worldview.
Education
Jobs attended Monta Loma Elementary school in Mountain View, where he became friends with Bill Fernandez, a neighbor who shared his interest in electronics. Fernandez introduced Jobs to another electronics enthusiast, Steve Wozniak. The friendship with Wozniak would later become instrumental in the creation of Apple Inc.
After high school, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in 1972. Despite dropping out after six months, he continued auditing classes, including calligraphy. He later said that his experience with calligraphy played a significant role in Apple's focus on product design.
Career
Apple Inc.
In 1976, Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Inc. to sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. The Apple I was followed by the Apple II, which became popular and financially successful, making Apple a key player in the emerging personal computer industry.
In 1984, Apple launched the Macintosh, the first personal computer to be sold without a programming language. Its debut was announced by the now famous $1.5 million television commercial "1984". Despite the Macintosh's innovative features, such as a graphical user interface, it did not sell well due to its high price and limited software titles.
Jobs was forced out of his own company in 1985 after a power struggle with John Sculley, Apple's CEO at the time. This led to Jobs founding NeXT Inc., a computer platform development company specializing in the higher education and business markets.
NeXT and Pixar
NeXT's hardware division was not a commercial success, but the company's object-oriented software NeXTSTEP was highly influential. The software was later used as the foundation for Mac OS X after Apple acquired NeXT in 1997.
In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division for $10 million. Pixar partnered with Disney to produce a number of popular animated films, including Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated feature film. Pixar's success made Jobs a billionaire when Disney acquired it for $7.4 billion in 2006.
Return to Apple
Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and served as its CEO from 2000 until his resignation in August 2011. During this period, Apple introduced a series of revolutionary products, including the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. These products transformed not only the technology industry but also industries such as music and mobile telecommunications.
Personal Life
Jobs married Laurene Powell in 1991, and the couple had three children. He also had a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from a previous relationship. Despite his wealth, Jobs lived relatively modestly, residing in a suburban neighborhood of Palo Alto.
Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2003. He resisted conventional medical treatment for nine months, preferring alternative medicine approaches. Despite eventually undergoing surgery in 2004, his health continued to decline, leading to his resignation as Apple's CEO in August 2011. He died at his Palo Alto home on October 5, 2011.
Legacy
Jobs is widely recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution and the modern smartphone. His innovation and attention to design detail have shaped Apple's philosophy and product strategy. His emphasis on simplicity and functionality in product design continues to be a guiding principle for Apple and many other tech companies.