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Steve Jobs

Civic Hero
Steve Jobs has been labeled a **visionary** by many, and rightfully so. Though he may not be the tech celebrity that he once was, the chief executive officer of // Apple Computer // was once the most important individual in technology and even today dictates the trends and, some would say, overall health of the industry, continuing to drive innovation. Moreover, by developing and growing the technology community he then made significant contributions to the advancement of society by engaging in the community in new and successful means. Specifically, // Apple I // brought about s ** ocial change ** in not just the technology community but also the entire population. The // Apple I // did so by giving individuals the **opportunity to have a new outlet** where they could **communicate** with one another in **new and emerging ways** such as email, and explore new outlets to hear the voices of others they would never have heard before via the Internet. Steve Jobs was born February 24, 1955 and soon after given up for adoption. Growing up with his adoptive parents, Jobs and his father would work on electronics in the family garage. For example, Jobs father would show his son how to take apart and reconstruct electronics. While such actions and **hobbies reflect** Jobs **intelligence and innovative thinking**, his work in school did not reflect such. While in high school Jobs befriended computer club “guru” Steve Wozinak whom would later become Jobs’ business partner. In 1976, when Jobs was just 21, he and Wozniak started // Apple Computers //. The duo started in the Jobs family garage, and funded their entrepreneurial venture after Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus and Wozinak sold his scientific calculator. Jobs and Wozniak are credited with revolutionizing the computer industry by democratizing the technology and making the machines smaller, cheaper, intuitive, and accessible to everyday consumers. The first user-friendly personal computers were initially marketed for $666.66 each. The first model, the // Apple I //, earned $774,000 in revenue. Three years after the release of their second model, // Apple II //, sales increased 700% to $139 million dollars. In 1980, // Apple Computer // became a publically traded company with a market value of $1.2 billion on the first day of trading alone. Steve Jobs was recently CEO and **co-founder of Apple, Inc**. Steve Jobs also was the **CEO** and majority shareholder of Pixar until Disney acquired the animation studio in 2006. However, Jobs is was on the board of directors at Disney, and was the company's largest individual shareholder until his death. On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away at age 56.

In 2003, Jobs discovered he had a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare but operable form of pancreatic cancer. For nine months Jobs postponed surgery, making Ap ple's board of directors nervous. Executives feared that shareholders would pull their stocks if word got out that their CEO was ill. But in the end, Job's confidentiality took precedence over shareholder disclosure. In the years to follow, Jobs disclosed little about his health, which has left many with questions after his recent death. On October 5, 2011, //Apple Inc//. announced that co-founder Steve Jobs had died. He was 56 years old at the time of his death. On January 3, 1977, formal incorporation papers were signed and Apple Computer, Inc., became a legal entity. However, it was really back in April 1976 when the Apple Computer was truly born with the Apple I. Although the original five hundred Apple I computers were kits aimed primarily at the hobbyist market, the Apple II was a complete machine that came in a warm tan case made of plastic with rounded edges and corners. The // Apple II // was also **innovative** in using floppy disks rather than magnetic tape to load programs and data into working memory, speeding up access to stored information. The // Apple I // was one of the first technologies available to the public in mass and as a result **engaged the public** in a **whole new way** with technology. Yes PC’s at the time were capable of e-mail and audio; however, Apple I brought about a new kind of computer technology. Unlike PC’s, // Apple I // brought about social change in not just the technology community but also the entire population because **Apple made computing more user friendly**. The // Apple I // is particularly important to students because Apples are have a stronger presence in multimedia design and student use. Such presence by the // Apple I // greatly shaped how the public became involved in social change via computers. With the unsatisifcation and persistence of Jobs we continue to see new products and engaging the public more and more, that offer them **new opportunities to reach media and be apart of social change.** Jobs refused to be satisfied with the success of the // Apple II //, which still required the user to type commands into a command-line interface. He had become convinced that the **personal computer** could succeed only if it became an appliance, its inner workings effectively invisible to the end user. One way in which Jobs hoped to make the // Apple // product more of an appliance was by adding a simple message that **anyone could use a computer** and that it was just a “point and a click”. Jobs became so impressed by the point-and-click simplicity that he decided to base Apple's next generation of computers on them, and thus was born the // Macintosh, or Mac, // released shortly after the 1984 Super Bowl game. The advertisement has been remarked as one of the best of all time, not to mention that by noon the next day all Mac products were sold out. In recent years, Apple introduced such **revolutionary products** as the // Macbook Air, iPod, and iPhone //, all of which have dictated the evolution of modern technology and continue to engage the public toward social change. Also, in 2008, iTunes became the second biggest music retailer in America-second only to Wal-Mart. Half of Apple's current revenue comes from iTunes and iPod sales, with 200 million iPods sold and six billion songs downloaded. For these reasons, Apple has been rated No. 1 in America's Most Admired Companies, and **No. 1** amongst Fortune 500 companies for returns to shareholders. Jobs has been a force for ongoing innovation in the computer and personal electronics industry, consistently anticipating consumers' needs and seeking to create products that would fill those needs even before people knew they had them. Throughout his life Jobs made substantial contributions to the betterment of society through // Apple // on behalf of technology, which has resulted in **engaging the public in a whole new way and creating significant social change.**