About steve jobs biography timeline

Fall Apple starts its Think Different campaign to restore its damaged brand image. The new slogan will quickly enter popular culture and define the company for the next five years. In Your Pocket After an 8-month crash development program, Steve Jobs unveils iPod at a small media event on the company's campus. He has no idea how it will tranform Apple.

Jobs was both admired and criticized for his consummate skill at persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the " reality distortion field " and was particularly evident during his keynote speeches colloquially known as " Stevenotes " at Macworld Expos and at Apple Worldwide Developers Conferences. Jobs usually went to work wearing a black long-sleeved mock turtleneck made by Issey Miyake , Levi's blue jeans, and New Balance sneakers.

In , Jobs was granted stock options in the amount of 7. As a result, Jobs potentially faced a number of criminal charges and civil penalties. The case was the subject of active criminal and civil government investigations, [ ] though an independent internal Apple investigation completed on December 29, , found that Jobs was unaware of these issues and that the options granted to him were returned without being exercised in In , Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the US by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's annual meeting in Cupertino in April.

A few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker. The banner read "Steve, don't be a mini-player—recycle all e-waste". In , he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any US customer who buys a new Mac.

This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems. Jobs was perceived as a demanding perfectionist [ ] [ ] who always aspired to position his businesses and their products at the forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting innovation and style trends. He summed up this self-concept at the end of his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference and Expo in January , by quoting ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky :.

There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning. And we always will. After the meeting, Jobs commented, "The president is very smart, but he kept explaining to us reasons why things can't get done It infuriates me". In October , Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. In mid , he announced to his employees that he had a cancerous tumor in his pancreas.

Jobs resisted his doctors' recommendations for medical intervention for nine months, [ ] in favor of alternative medicine. Other doctors agree that Jobs's diet was insufficient to address his disease. However, cancer researcher and alternative medicine critic David Gorski wrote that "it's impossible to know whether and by how much he might have decreased his chances of surviving his cancer through his flirtation with woo.

My best guess was that Jobs probably only modestly decreased his chances of survival, if that. Cassileth , the chief of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 's integrative medicine department, [ ] on the other hand, said, "Jobs's faith in alternative medicine likely cost him his life He had the only kind of pancreatic cancer that is treatable and curable He essentially committed suicide.

According to biographer Walter Isaacson, "for nine months he refused to undergo surgery for his pancreatic cancer — a decision he later regretted as his health declined". He was also influenced by a doctor who ran a clinic that advised juice fasts, bowel cleansings and other unproven approaches, before finally having surgery in July In January , only Jobs's wife, his doctors, and Iger knew that his cancer had returned.

Jobs told Iger privately that he hoped to live to see his own son Reed's high school graduation in His "thin, almost gaunt" appearance and unusually "listless" delivery, [ ] [ ] together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and internet speculation about the state of his health.

Others said that shareholders had a right to know more, given Jobs's hands-on approach to running his company. On August 28, , Bloomberg mistakenly published a word obituary of Jobs in its corporate news service, containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. News carriers customarily stockpile up-to-date obituaries to facilitate news delivery in the event of a well-known figure's death.

Although the error was promptly rectified, many news carriers and blogs reported on it, [ ] intensifying rumors concerning Jobs's health. On December 16, , Apple announced that marketing vice-president Phil Schiller would deliver the company's final keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo , again reviving questions about Jobs's health.

On January 14, , Jobs wrote in an internal Apple memo that in the previous week he had "learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought". In , Tim Cook offered a portion of his liver to Jobs, since both share a rare blood type, and the donor liver can regenerate tissue after such an operation. Jobs yelled, "I'll never let you do that.

I'll never do that. On January 17, , a year and a half after Jobs returned to work following the liver transplant, Apple announced that he had been granted another leave of absence. Jobs announced his leave in a letter to employees, stating his decision was made "so he could focus on his health". As it did at the time of his medical leave, Apple announced that Tim Cook would run day-to-day operations and that Jobs would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions at the company.

On August 24, , Jobs announced his resignation as Apple's CEO, writing to the board, "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. Jobs died at his home in Palo Alto, California , around 3 p. PDT on October 5, , due to complications from a relapse of his previously treated islet-cell pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor , [ 65 ] [ ] [ ] which resulted in respiratory arrest.

Before embarking, he'd looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them. Steve's final words were: 'Oh wow. Oh wow. Both Apple [ ] and Pixar issued announcements of his death. Bob Iger ordered all Disney properties, including Walt Disney World and Disneyland , to fly their flags at half-staff from October 6 to 12, Some of Apple's retail stores closed briefly so employees could attend the memorial.

A video of the service was uploaded to Apple's website. Those in attendance included Apple and other tech company executives, members of the media, celebrities, politicians, and family and close friends of Jobs. There was high security with guards at all of the university's gates, and a helicopter overhead from an area news station. Childhood friend and fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak , [ ] former owner of what would become Pixar, George Lucas , [ ] his competitor Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates , [ ] and President Barack Obama [ ] all made statements in response to his death.

Jobs's design aesthetic was influenced by philosophies of Zen and Buddhism. In India, he experienced Buddhism while on his seven-month spiritual journey, [ ] and his sense of intuition was influenced by the spiritual people with whom he studied. He wasn't an engineer and he didn't do any original design Steve Jobs was the marketing person.

He is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in United States patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces including touch-based , speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves, lanyards , and packages. His contributions to most of his patents were to "the look and feel of the product".

He and his industrial design chief Jonathan Ive are named for of the patents. Involved in many projects throughout his career was his long-time marketing executive and confidant Joanna Hoffman , known as one of the few employees at Apple and NeXT who could successfully stand up to Jobs while also engaging with him. The Apple I was designed entirely by Wozniak, but Jobs had the idea of selling the computer, which led to the founding of Apple Computer in Jobs and Wozniak constructed several of the Apple I prototype by hand, funded by selling some of their belongings.

Eventually, units were produced. The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer , one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, [ 87 ] designed primarily by Wozniak. Jobs oversaw the development of the Apple II's unusual case [ ] and Rod Holt developed the unique power supply. The Apple II was first sold on June 10, The Lisa is a personal computer developed by Apple from and sold in the early s to business users.

It is the first personal computer with a graphical user interface. In , after Jobs was forced out of the Lisa project, [ ] he took over the Macintosh project, adding inspiration from Lisa. Once he joined the Macintosh team, Jobs took over the project after Wozniak had experienced a traumatic airplane accident and temporarily left the company.

Since , Apple has phased out the Macintosh name in favor of "Mac", though the product family has been nicknamed "Mac" or "the Mac" since inception. The ad alludes to George Orwell 's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , which describes a dystopian future ruled by a televised " Big Brother ". The Macintosh, however, was expensive, which hindered its ability to be competitive in a market already dominated by the Commodore 64 for consumers, and the IBM Personal Computer and its accompanying clone market for businesses.

The NeXT Computer was introduced in at a lavish launch event. Apple's iMac G3 was introduced in and its innovative design is directly the result of Jobs's return to Apple. Apple boasted "the back of our computer looks better than the front of anyone else's". In , Apple introduced the Graphite gray Apple iMac and since has varied the shape, color and size considerably while maintaining the all-in-one design.

Design ideas were intended to create a connection with the user such as the handle and a "breathing" light effect when the computer went to sleep. The iMac's forward-thinking changes include eschewing the floppy disk drive and moving exclusively to USB for connecting peripherals. Through the iMac's success, USB was popularized among third-party peripheral makers—as evidenced by the fact that many early USB peripherals were made of translucent plastic to match the iMac design.

It is used to play, download, and organize digital audio and video on personal computers running the macOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems. Through the iTunes Store, users can purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, audiobooks , podcasts , movies, and movie rentals in some countries, and ringtones , available on the iPhone and iPod Touch fourth generation onward.

The first generation of iPod was released October 23, The major innovation of the iPod was its small size achieved by using a 1. The introduction of the iPod resulted in Apple becoming a major player in the music industry. Apple began work on the first iPhone in and the first iPhone was released on June 29, The iPhone created such a sensation that a survey indicated six out of ten Americans were aware of its release.

In June , the iPhone 3GS , whose improvements included voice control, a better camera, and a faster processor, was introduced by Phil Schiller. The iPad is an iOS-based line of tablet computers designed and marketed by Apple. The first iPad was released on April 3, The user interface is built around the device's multi-touch screen, including a virtual keyboard.

The iPad includes built-in Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity on select models. As of April [update] , more than million iPads have been sold. In , Jobs first met his future wife, Laurene Powell , when he gave a lecture at the Stanford Graduate School of Business , where she was a student. Soon after the event, he stated that Laurene "was right there in the front row in the lecture hall, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her From that point forward, they were together, with a few minor exceptions, for the rest of his life.

The ceremony was conducted by Jobs's guru , Kobun Chino Otogawa. Jobs reportedly said to Mona: "You see, Mona [ Jobs's and Powell's first child, a son named Reed , was born in Jobs's childhood home remains a tourist attraction and is currently owned by his stepmother Paul's second wife , Marilyn Jobs. Chrisann Brennan notes that after Jobs was forced out of Apple, "he apologized many times over for his behavior" towards her and Lisa.

She said Jobs "said that he never took responsibility when he should have, and that he was sorry". Jobs did not contact his birth family during his adoptive mother Clara's lifetime, however. He later told his official biographer Walter Isaacson : "I never wanted [Paul and Clara] to feel like I didn't consider them my parents, because they were totally my parents [ He began to spend a great deal of time with her and learned more details about her background and his adoption, information that motivated him to find his biological mother.

Jobs found on his birth certificate the name of the San Francisco doctor to whom Schieble had turned when she was pregnant. Although the doctor did not help Jobs while he was alive, he left a letter for Jobs to be opened upon his death. As he died soon afterwards, Jobs was given the letter which stated that "his mother had been an unmarried graduate student from Wisconsin named Joanne Schieble".

Jobs only contacted Schieble after Clara died in early and after he received permission from his father, Paul. In addition, out of respect for Paul, he asked the media not to report on his search. She was twenty-three and she went through a lot to have me. She said that she regretted giving him up and repeatedly apologized to him for it.

Jobs and Schieble developed a friendly relationship throughout the rest of his life and spent Christmas together. During this first visit, Schieble told Jobs that he had a sister, Mona, who was not aware that she had a brother. Her first impression of Jobs was that "he was totally straightforward and lovely, just a normal and sweet guy". As we got to know each other, we became really good friends, and she is my family.

I don't know what I'd do without her. I can't imagine a better sister. My adopted sister, Patty, and I were never close. I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives and our not-yet-furnished apartment and help us.

Later, after I'd met my father, I tried to believe he'd changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people. Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man, and he was my brother.

Jobs then learned his family history. Six months after he was given up for adoption, Schieble's father died, she wed Jandali, and they had a daughter, Mona. I also bear the responsibility for being away from my daughter when she was four years old, as her mother divorced me when I went to Syria, but we got back in touch after 10 years. We lost touch again when her mother moved and I didn't know where she was, but since 10 years ago we've been in constant contact, and I see her three times a year.

I organized a trip for her last year to visit Syria and Lebanon and she went with a relative from Florida. A few years later, Schieble married an ice-skating teacher, George Simpson. Mona Jandali took her stepfather's last name, as Mona Simpson. In , after divorcing her second husband, Schieble took Mona to Los Angeles and raised her alone.

When Simpson found that their father, Abdulfattah Jandali, was living in Sacramento, California , Jobs had no interest in meeting him as he believed Jandali did not treat his children well [ ] and according to the San Francisco Chronicle , this was because of finding a Seattle Times article about Jandali's abandonment of his students on a trip to Egypt in They spoke for several hours, and he told her that he had left teaching for the restaurant business.

He said he and Schieble had given another child away for adoption but that "we'll never see that baby again. That baby's gone. Even Steve Jobs At the request of Jobs, Simpson did not reveal to Jandali that his own story meant that he had actually already met his son. After hearing about the visit, Jobs recalled that "it was amazing I had been to that restaurant a few times, and I remember meeting the owner.

He was Syrian. We shook hands. I asked Mona not to tell him about me". He then contacted Simpson and asked, "what is this thing about Steve Jobs? Simpson told him that it was true and later commented, "My father is thoughtful and a beautiful storyteller, but he is very, very passive He never contacted Steve". Because Simpson herself researched her Syrian roots and began to meet the family, she assumed that Jobs would eventually want to meet their father, but he never did.

Jobs also never showed an interest in his Syrian heritage or the Middle East. Simpson fictionalized the search for their father in her novel The Lost Father. Jobs's views and actions on philanthropy and charity are a public mystery. He has been a key figure in public discussions about societal obligations of the wealthy and powerful.

Through his career, the media investigated and criticized him and Apple as unusually and inexplicably mysterious or absent among powerful leaders and especially billionaires. His name is absent from the Million Dollar List of all large global philanthropy. Mark Vermilion, former charitable leader for Joan Baez , Apple, and Jobs, attributed Jobs's lifelong minimization of direct charity to his perfectionism and limited time.

Jobs, Vermilion, and supporters said over the years that corporate products were Jobs's superior contributions to culture and society instead of direct charity. Shortly after leaving Apple, he formed the charitable Steven P. Jobs Foundation, led by Mark Vermilion, hired away from Apple's community leadership. Jobs wanted a focus on nutrition and vegetarianism, but Vermilion wanted social entrepreneurship.

Upon his return to Apple, Jobs optimized the failing company to the core, such as eliminating all philanthropic programs, never to be restored. A few months after another unflattering news report, Apple started a program to match employees' charitable gifts. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools.

Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikinews Wikiquote Wikidata item. American businessman and inventor — For other uses, see Steve Jobs disambiguation. Jobs introducing the iPhone 4 in Steven Paul Jobs [ 1 ]. San Francisco , California, U. Palo Alto, California , U. Laurene Powell. Apple — Young, [ 83 ]. A Macintosh prototype, c.

See also: NeXT. See also: Apple Inc. Main article: Apple I. Main article: Apple II. Main article: Apple Lisa. Main article: Mac computer. Main article: NeXT Computer. Main article: iMac. Main article: iTunes. Main article: iPod. Main article: iPhone. Main article: iPad. Main article: List of depictions of Steve Jobs. October 14, Archived from the original on October 14, Retrieved September 18, To Infinity and Beyond!

Chronicle Books. ISBN The Berkeley Daily Planet. Archived from the original on November 14, Retrieved December 23, MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on January 20, Retrieved June 20, Archived from the original on August 19, Retrieved August 19, Steve Jobs: Thinks Different. Lerner Publishing. Archived from the original on August 7, Retrieved May 22, Mountain View Voice.

Archived from the original on December 4, Retrieved January 22, Hatt remembers Jobs attending Monta Loma elementary school and according to county property records, the Jobs family owned a house at Diablo Avenue from to October 29, Archived from the original on June 26, Retrieved June 26, September 27, It was there that he saw a computer for the first time.

He even picked up a summer job with HP after calling company cofounder Bill Hewlett to ask for parts for a frequency counter he was building. Lacking direction, he withdrew from college after six months and spent the next year and a half dropping in on creative classes at the school. Jobs later recounted how one course in calligraphy developed his love of typography.

In , Jobs took a position as a video game designer with Atari. Several months later, he left the company to find spiritual enlightenment in India, traveling further and experimenting with psychedelic drugs. Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus and Wozniak his beloved scientific calculator to fund their entrepreneurial venture.

About steve jobs biography timeline

Through Apple, the men are credited with revolutionizing the computer industry by democratizing the technology and making machines smaller, cheaper, intuitive, and accessible to everyday consumers. However, the next several products from Apple suffered significant design flaws, resulting in recalls and consumer disappointment. The next year, Apple released the Macintosh, marketing the computer as a piece of a counterculture lifestyle: romantic, youthful, creative.

Not actually having had an official title with the company he cofounded, Jobs was pushed into a more marginalized position and left Apple in The company introduced its first computer in , with Jobs hoping it would appeal to universities and researchers. Pixar merged with Disney in , which made Jobs the largest shareholder of Disney. In the ensuing years, Apple introduced such revolutionary products as the Macbook Air, iPod, and iPhone, all of which dictated the evolution of technology.

Almost immediately after Apple released a new product, competitors scrambled to produce comparable technologies. To mark its expanded product offerings, the company officially rebranded as Apple Inc. In , fueled by iTunes and iPod sales, Apple became the second-biggest music retailer in America behind Walmart. Apple has also been ranked No.

Apple has released dozens of versions of the iPhone since its debut. The skill that allowed Steve Jobs to create this huge vision for Apple out of nothing was not his obsession for detail, nor his sense for design, simplicity, or aesthetics. It was his reality distortion field , or RDF in short. Once Steve decided that something should happen, he would bend reality to his will until it came true.

This extended to everyone around him. His RDF is how he could convince a sleepless team of engineers to work another 10 hours on Macintosh fonts, because it would be the greatest computer in the world. He also used it to make sure anyone who left an official Apple keynote was convinced the product they just saw was the best in its industry.

By using charisma, hyperbole, marketing and persistence, Steve would pull impossible feats into the realm of the possible for himself and his audience , allowing him to create what has become the most valuable technology company in the world. The first thing anyone wonders about upon learning about Apple and its products is where the hell it got that name.