STEVE JOBS

Most probably you’ve heard of iPods, iPhones, and Apple computers. And you’ve probably seen films like “Toy Story” or “Finding Nemo.” But you may not have heard of the man who is behind the scenes of all these. His name is Steve Jobs, and he may be the single most influential person in American popular culture.

Steve Jobs was born in 1955. He was a fairly good student in high school and was admitted to Reed College in 1971. Jobs lived near many of the most important computer companies in California. He attended lectures and business presentations, and got a job working at Atari, a video game company. After just one semester at Reed College, Jobs dropped out of school and returned to Atari and he met another young computer enthusiast, Steve Wozniak.

In 1976, Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computers. Wozniak was a very good computer engineer but Jobs wasn’t. Steve`s role was to organize the business and bring in new ideas. They thought of using computers at home and most people in the computer industry considered this as a ridiculous idea and didn’t believe in them. Computers were good for working with large numbers in businesses, but they weren’t really necessary for homes.

Jobs saw things differently. He imagined a computer that would be easy or even fun to use. He knew that the computer would have to be enjoyable and practical so people would buy it. They produced the Macintosh computer in 1984 and it was Apple’s first big success. It was the first computer that used a white screen instead of black with green text.

Also, Steve spent some time away from Apple in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. During this time, he became the owner of Pixar Animation, a film studio. Pixar has produced hit films like, “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “WALL-E.”

Jobs returned to Apple and in 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, a device to play MP3 audio files, usually songs. There were other players but the iPod was easier to use. Similarly, when Apple came out with the iPhone, it wasn’t the first cell phone. But its catchy graphics and ease of use have made it the most popular cell phone.

Jobs isn’t a particularly impressive computer programmer, or designer. Thousands of people know more than he does about computers. The most important thing was that he had the ability to understand what entertains a person. Steve Jobs was voted America’s Most Powerful Businessman in 2007 by Fortune magazine and unfortunately, he died of cancer in 2011.