Remembering Steve Jobs one year after his passing

posted by Victor H. / Oct 05, 2012, 6:45 AM

Remembering Steve Jobs one year after his passing

On this day last year Steve Jobs passed away. The news took us and most of the press by surprise. Everyone knew Apple’s chief executive wasn’t doing well, but he managed to keep his life private until his very last moments.

He left Apple at a good shape and that is not surprising, but what few could suspect was the quick and huge sales success of the iPhone and iPad that followed soon after that made the company the world’s largest firm by a huge margin. Recently, Apple flirted with $700 price per share and a market cap exceeding $650 billion. This was no coincidence.

The thought that he isn’t going to make it much longer might have crossed Steve Jobs’ mind the first time he heard his diagnosis of a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004. In the following years Apple introduced groundbreaking new products like the MacBook Air, the iPhone, and the iPad, all of which changed or created an industry.

Yet his biggest achievement was Apple itself, not a product. Jobs started preparing Tim Cook, the company’s logistics expert to head the company, and that smooth transition to the new CEO is a huge part of Apple’s recent success.

The company based in Cupertino, California is now widely seen as a well-oiled, disciplined machine releasing an iPhone once a year, always at the same time and shipping millions of it in less than two weeks after the announcement, and a lot of that is due to Cook. 5 million iPhone 5s were sold in the opening weekend alone. No other company can ramp up production and deliver well polished products in such killer times. Even Samsung that comes closest takes months to bring its Galaxy S III flagship to one of world’s biggest markets, the United States.

One year after: has Apple changed under Tim Cook?

Apple’s former chief executive Steve Jobs however was not just a manager, he was a visionary. 1 year after his passing we keep on hearing reports that the iPhone 5 was the last product approved by Jobs. This means that it’s too early to say whether Tim Cook is cultivating the same revolutionary innovation that Apple under Jobs was known for.

It is not too early to conclude, though, that Cook has done a remarkable job in keeping Apple’s cash pile growing. Apple shares have nearly doubled in value from around $370 to around $670 in this past year. What’s more, the company has widened its geographical outreach delivering iPhones to more than 100 countries.

Cook has retained Jobs’ punctuality, kicking off presentations with no delay and polishing them to the tiniest detail.

He has allowed, though, the launch of two sub-par products with Siri (which was at least clearly labeled “beta”) and most recently Apple Maps. We wouldn’t ask the absurd question whether or not Jobs would have launched them. What matters more right now is how quickly Apple will react to fix them.

The big takeaway here, though, is that this one year has been business as usual for Apple. The company proved it is still aggressive in innovation by launching the 2048 x 1536 extremely high-resolution screen on the new iPad (no one has matched that yet, and it’s been half a year!). Apple is also leading the way in graphics with both its iPad and iPhone. Finally, Apple is also traditionally pushing the envelope when it comes to battery expectancy on its products as the iPad remains the longest lasting tablet on the market.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish”

“Brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it,” Barack Obama on Steve Jobs

Going back to Steve Jobs, we can’t forget to remember his life credo of doing what you love. His famous speech at Stanford advised students and everyone watching to “stay hungry, stay foolish.” Jobs’ beloved child Apple might look more like a well-oiled machine, but we should not neglect the unique mission Jobs had to unite art with technology. A Buddhist until his last days, he saw both as part of one whole.

“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” Jobs’ last words still echo in our mind when we think about the man that created Apple. What was that kept his mind excited on his deathbed? We’ll never know, but it is this genuine excitement with the future that he seems to have successfully passed.

Check out Apple's tribute to Steve Jobs at Apple.com, and below you can also find the world's reaction to Jobs' death from last year, and his legacy in products.

iSteve: the legacy of Steve Jobs in products

The world’s reaction to Steve Jobs’ death

How Steve Jobs left his mark on technology

FEATURED VIDEO

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42 Comments

1. mercorp

Posts: 1045; Member since: Jan 28, 2012

Regardless of what side we support,we should all offer or condolences. Remember,no one is perfect...

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 6:48 AM 26

3. TarunV

Posts: 28; Member since: Jul 21, 2012

Well and truly said, brother. Jobs and Apple really changed the industry in many ways. RIP Steve. "Stay hungry, Stay foolish."

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 6:54 AM 12

23. Jeradiah3

Posts: 1149; Member since: Feb 11, 2010

It was a sad day when he passed away. When Steve Jobs passed away, so did the creativitity of Apple. Apple has ben suing more companies NOW than before Steve passed away!! Now you have you have the iPhone 5 that shouldve you been better than where it is right now.............The passing of Steve jobs has been a downfall to Apple

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 9:14 AM 2

26. FAW-Q

Posts: 63; Member since: Jul 29, 2011

Steve Jobs has ascended into the heavens to become a higher being. Repent! For the end is near! Almighty Jobs will smite you!!!

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 10:05 AM 0

28. Droiddoes unregistered

Why? Why should we pretend to be sad about the passing of one of the worlds greatest assh*les? The man was insufferable and a jerk to pretty much everyone and he had zero respect for his customers. Why should we pretend that he was anything other than an exceptional salesman?

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 12:10 PM 3

44. metalpoet unregistered

Wow you just had to repeat yourself didnt you moron. how about keeping that negative s**t to yourself.

posted on Oct 08, 2012, 7:07 PM 0

2. Nookie4u

Posts: 133; Member since: Aug 13, 2012

RIP steve jobs.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 6:51 AM 13

4. mercorp

Posts: 1045; Member since: Jan 28, 2012

thanks,tarun.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 6:57 AM 3

5. andro.

Posts: 1999; Member since: Sep 16, 2011

He was an innovator a few years ago but think this rage fueled vendetta against the rising android power clouded his judgement and resulted in severe stagnation in the iphone after the 3gs. All the one he had an big influence on starting the smartphone race we have today.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 6:58 AM 9

6. Yummy

Posts: 117; Member since: Mar 28, 2012

Lets all put asides our differences for once and have some peace for the man.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 7:01 AM 5

7. PhoneArenaUser

Posts: 5498; Member since: Aug 05, 2011

Steve Jobs was really good marketing specialist.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 7:02 AM 9

10. Raj92

Posts: 7; Member since: Sep 13, 2012

being an android fan i still have great admiration for a true marketing genius........

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 7:42 AM 9

12. Peter98

Posts: 119; Member since: Aug 01, 2012

RIP Steve Jobs. You change the world. From me and my iPad.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 7:51 AM 3

14. kirholstov

Posts: 146; Member since: Jun 28, 2012

Who is disliking everyone?

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 8:19 AM 2

17. johnbftl

Posts: 283; Member since: Jun 09, 2012

No, no, no, no. Steve Jobs was not a technological genius. He was a marketing genius. He used and exploited people like Steve Woz to make the product then sell it as his own. He was known for publicly berating, verbally abusing through harsh swear words, and embarrassing employees that came up with ideas that he felt were sub par. I will never understand why he is held on such a high pedestal. He denied paternity of his daughter for four years before finally admitting she as his. He cut all philanthropic donations funded by Apple Inc. By all accounts, he was not a good person.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 8:27 AM 9

18. johnbftl

Posts: 283; Member since: Jun 09, 2012

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 8:30 AM 7

33. Nadr1212

Posts: 741; Member since: Sep 22, 2012

OK!!! We got it!!!! Steve Jobs wasn't a technological genius!!!! GOD, are you stubborn!

posted on Oct 06, 2012, 12:17 AM 1

38. johnbftl

Posts: 283; Member since: Jun 09, 2012

My browser sent the submission twice. Get over yourself. It's pretty obvious considering both posts match each other verbatim.

posted on Oct 06, 2012, 7:17 PM 1

21. AlexYouOC

Posts: 53; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

Even though I will always prefer Android over iPhone... I can still respect what Steve Jobs did for this industry. I might not like his ways, but that doesnt take away from the fact that smartphones wouldnt have evolved the way they have if he hadn't made such an impact.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 8:39 AM 1

24. Aeires unregistered

My only comment is it really doesn't seem like it's been a year. It feels like he was here, then the world blinked and a year has vanished.

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 9:18 AM 1

25. young0ne

Posts: 32; Member since: Jul 28, 2012

If you like android and hate apple thumbs up!!!!!!! or if you like apple and hate android thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 10:01 AM 3

27. intos

Posts: 93; Member since: Jan 06, 2012

yeah ... we remember him as a creative man who make apple the top brand... but after his death the people who control the company now, seems that cant handle this success and keep it to the same level as before... this downhill started with a 4s and culminated in iphone5

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 10:34 AM 0

32. andynaija

Posts: 1252; Member since: Sep 08, 2012

Even though I'm an android user I still have respect for this man who did some great things and everyone should too instead of acting immature. I mean we can go back to apple vs android tomorrow but lets show respect today. RIP Steve

posted on Oct 05, 2012, 10:47 PM 1

34. Sadkrkic

Posts: 8; Member since: Oct 06, 2012

Steve jobs managed to make these products after everything he walked through.He was adopted,he was fired from he's own company even had it so hard that he used drugs,he had a other mans lever and cancer.His death is sad but think of that man who bravely gave his lever to Steve.That is also sad.

posted on Oct 06, 2012, 12:45 AM 0

39. someones4

Posts: 627; Member since: Sep 16, 2012

Sorry but he marketed these products. He did not "make" them so to speak.

posted on Oct 07, 2012, 3:41 AM 0

36. someones4

Posts: 627; Member since: Sep 16, 2012

I respect him as the world's best salesman. However, it shall be noted that he is not a charitable person nor the most innovative. A contrast of bill gates

posted on Oct 06, 2012, 8:36 AM 2

40. Kostas_13

Posts: 43; Member since: Sep 07, 2012

Note to everyone (taking under consideration I own an Android phone): IF Apple didnt "pump up" the first iPhone, we would still be playing solitaire and sudoku on our windows mobile... To be clear, he DID NOT invent anything, but he "curved" the phone evolution towards the direction we are today.