The world says goodbye: Obituaries pay tribute to Steve Jobs

Apple co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs passed away today, and in the wake of the confirmation, obituaries have been appearing on news sites around the world. Here are links to some of the pieces that we think capture the spirit of the man who, in his own words, “put a dent in the universe.”

“A visionary inventor and entrepreneur, it would be impossible to overstate Steve Jobs’ impact on technology and how we use it. Apple’s mercurial, mysterious leader did more than reshape his entire industry: he completely changed how we interact with technology.” Wired

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“During his more than three decade-long career, Mr. Jobs transformed Silicon Valley as he helped turn the once sleepy expanse of fruit orchards into the technology industry’s innovation center. In addition to laying the groundwork for the high-tech industry … Mr. Jobs proved the appeal of well-designed products over the sheer power of technology itself and shifted the way consumers interact with technology in an increasingly digital world.”  Wall Street Journal

“By then, having mastered digital technology and capitalized on his intuitive marketing sense, Mr. Jobs had largely come to define the personal computer industry and an array of digital consumer and entertainment businesses centered on the Internet.” New York Times

“Jobs was considered by many to be the greatest corporate leader of the last half century, and indeed his numerous successes rank him alongside Ford, Disney and Edison as a giant of American business.” San Francisco Chronicle

“The iPod, iPhone and iPad were all relatively late to market, were expensive, and, in their initial versions, lacked important features. But Apple’s products not only came to dominate their rivals, they redefined large areas of three whole industries: music, mobile telephony and personal computing.”  Guardian

“He did what a CEO should: hired and inspired great people; managed for the long term, not the quarter or the short-term stock price; made big bets and took big risks. He insisted on the highest product quality and on building things to delight and empower actual users, not intermediaries like corporate IT directors or wireless carriers. And he could sell. Man, he could sell.” Walt Mossberg, AllThingsD

“Ironically, it’s the unique combination of Jobs’ showmanship, eye for detail and instinct for business strategy that may make it hard to identify his rightful place in business history.” LA Times

“I just feel lucky I had the chance to tell a kind man that I was sorry for being an asshole before it was too late.” Brian Lam, Wirecutter

Boing Boing posted a different kind of tribute, changing its homepage design to honor Jobs’ legacy (pictured at the top of this post).

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