Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

RIP Steve Jobs. CEO and co-Founder of Apple Computer. One of the most inspirational, important and influential leaders in the modern day.

Arguably one of the most innovative companies in technology, Apple and  Steve Jobs brought to life a vision of making technology accessible for the end user. This is of particular note in the "i" products, namely the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

As much as I don't particularly approve of Apple's products and business practices, I have great respect for its leader, Steve Jobs. From his belief in his own ideas, to his expression of these ideas, Steve was truly a unique businessman. The world has changed (for the better) due to Steve Jobs implementation and evolution of technology. Every day tasks have now become easier, and at the core of this is the improvement in efficiency and organisation.

Many media outlets and blogs have analogised Mr Steve Jobs to a modern day Thomas Edison, however t can be argued (and I strongly believe) that Steve was not an engineer or inventor, rather an architect. A very good and successful architect. Apple's products were not new. The computer, portable music player, mobile phone, and tablet were not Apple inventions. Rather Mr Jobs, took these products and evolved them into accessible, meaningful products through a "customer first" approach, an area which many other technology firms such as HP have failed to address.

Here are some of the important events of Steve Jobs' career in video form. (Source: CNET)