STEVE
JOBS
BIOGRAPHY
S t e v e n Pa u l J o b s , o r a s w e know him, Steve Jobs, was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California. He died on October 5, 2011 due to a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor he was diagnosed with in 2003, which had ended up causing respiratory arrest, leading to his death. Clara a n d Pa u l J o b s w e r e h i s f o s t e r parents, as Jobs was put up for adoption when he was an infant. In 1972, he attended Reed College, but soon after, dropped out during the same year. Instead, he decided to explore India in 1974 while studying Zen Buddhism. In 1976, Jobs and a man named Stephen Gary Wozniak co-founded Apple and sold the Apple I, a desktop computer and Apple’s very first product. The computer was a huge success, and the following year, Jobs and Wozniak released the Apple II; this was the one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputers. After a few more products, Jobs released the Macintosh in 1984, which was a hit.
CONTRIBUTIONS
During Job’s time at Apple, he struggled with power within the company’s board, so he was forced out of the company. He decided to contribute to other areas, so alongside some other Apple members, Jobs founded a computer platform development company called NeXT. This platform specialized in higher-education and business markets. He went on to fund the Lucasfilm production company in 1986. Under Lucasfilm, the Pixar company developed and went on to produce the first 3D computer animated feature film that we know a s Toy S t o ry ( 1 9 9 5 ) . P i x a r s t u d i o s began to evolve largely since then. In 1997, Jobs became the CEO of Apple when it was at risk for bankruptcy. Jobs’ “Think Different” campaign forever changed the way we view and interact with music and technology. This campaign is what introduced us to the products and services we use on a daily based such as the iMac, iTunes, Apple Store, iPod, iPhone, App Store, a n d t h e i Pa d , a n d w a s s i g n i f i c a n t in shifting our time’s daily way of living.
Jobs has largely influenced modern technology, introducing a line of products that standout from its counterparts. Thus, the recognition for such achievements is well deserved, whether some may disagree or not. It is safe to say that without the invention of the iPhone, smart phones would not have evolved the way they have. A monument would rightfully commemorate the impact Jobs’ creations went on to make after he passed. The best representation for this monument would be a glass pane of a solhouette of Jobs with a brain outline that contains imagery inspired by the Apple 1 computer. The reason I believe this is the best representation is because the way Jobs presented Apple was in a simplistic manner. His devices were always known for being user-friendly. Despite the surface simplicity, lots of innovation and computer engineering took place behind creating such products. The Apple logo has always been simple; an apple with a bite taken out of it. This represents the simplicity of the user interface of the brand. The brain being made of various computer parts represents how many components actually go into making something that is easy for the common human brain to comprehend and represents his “Think Different” campaign.
L O C AT I O N S
If the monument were to be p l a c e d o n t h e G M U Fa i r f a x c a m pus, the best location would be alongside that gap between the Johnson Center and Fenwick library. Specifically, these two locations because they were where a lot of students go throughout their day, especially to study. So, 1) it would provide great exposure to the monument and 2) many passing by would be users of Apple products themselves. This location would allow for remembrance of Jobs on a wide scale by a group of people who are directly impacted by his creations.
L O C AT I O N S
If the monument were to be placed anywhere in the world, it would be in downtown San Francisco, California because that is Jobs’ hometown and that is where the beginning of his lifelong journey of influencing technology began.
“ Yo u r t i m e i s l i m i t e d , so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” - Steve Jobs