Steve Jobs, Apple's innovative leader who developed electronic gadgets that transformed the global music, mobile phone, and computing industries, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 56.
Apple said late Wednesday it has lost a “visionary and creative genius,” and that the world has lost an “amazing human being.”
Jobs had suffered from a rare form of pancreatic cancer since 2003, and underwent a liver transplant in 2009. He resigned as CEO of Apple in August saying he could no longer meet his duties as the technology giant's top executive.
Jobs' family said he died peacefully on Wednesday, surrounded by his loved ones at his home in Palo Alto, California.
His death was met with an immediate outpouring of condolences by world leaders and fans alike.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Jobs “exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity,” and called him one of “America's greatest innovators.”
Many websites were transformed into online memorials for Jobs on Wednesday night, including Apple's own homepage. On the social networking site Twitter, “iSad” was a trending topic.
A college dropout and the son of adoptive parents, Jobs developed the first Apple computer in 1976 with friend Steve Wozniak inside Jobs' garage in California's Silicon Valley.
The two went on to found the Apple computer company. Jobs left Apple in 1985 following a dispute with the company's other top executives, but returned in 1997 when the company had come to the edge of collapse. Under Jobs' renewed leadership, Apple reinvented itself, introducing a new line of computers known as the iMacs.
Apples fortunes were transformed again when it shifted its focus away from personal computer manufacturer to producing handheld products like the iPhones, iPads and iPods. It is now one of the world's most valuable companies.
Jobs' death comes one day after Apple unveiled a highly anticipated new iPhone – this one with the ability to respond to spoken commands. The device is equipped with a higher-quality camera and the ability to synchronize information among different Apple devices, updating them all at once.
Newly-appointed Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday that “Steve's spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
