The world stood in shock as Apple Inc. announced that Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, had died on Oct. 5. Just a month ago, Jobs resigned as the CEO of Apple, possibly due to the rare form of pancreatic cancer he had. Though he is now gone, his influence on the computer industry and technology of the 21st century remains unparalleled.
In 1976, Steve Jobs started Apple with Steve Wozniak and the two began their revolution on the computer industry. The duo was often credited with making computers smaller, cheaper and more accessible to the middle class. Despite being forced Apple to start NeXT Inc. in 1985, Jobs returned to the post of CEO and led Apple to success in the 1990s with new products such as the iMac.
The revolution continued with products such as the Macbook, iPod, and the iPhone. As the iPod became the MP3 player of choice and the iPhone the world’s most popular smartphone, competitors began to scramble to make similar products. The launch of iTunes also revolutionized the music industry, as it became the second largest music retailer in America, by 2008, beat only by Wal-Mart.