【English】A look back at the life of Steve Jobs

Apple Inc. announced tonight that company co-founder and former Chief Executive Steve Jobs has died at the age of 56. Here is a look back at his career.

He was the father of the iPhone, the iPod and the Apple Mac computers turning electronic gadgets into objects of desire. 'I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful.' As he was fond of saying, 'Wait, there's more!' 'Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone.' And people did wait in long lines for the first iPhones in 2007. Then three years later they lined up for the iPad changing the way people consume media. 'Design plus function equals the right life style and that's what he felt.'



In 1976 Jobs co-founded Apple Computer and within a few years was worth one hundred million dollars. In 1984 he was showing off his new pride and joy, the Macintosh. 'And this has turned out insanely great.' As critics hailed the Mac, Jobs was on the losing end of a power struggle at his company and left Apple a year later. He went into computer animation acquiring Pixar Studios and striking failure with a string of hit movies starting with Toy Story 'To infinity and beyond!' Jobs came back to Apple in 1996 and began reinventing the Mac dressing it up in a variety of colours. 'They look so good you kinda wanna lick them.'

Concerns about the health of Steve Jobs began in 2004 when he underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. A  year later he spoke about that during a commencement at Stanford University. 'This was the closest I've been to facing death and I hoe it's the closest I get for a few more decades.'  An intensely private man with a quick temper kept reporters a bay saying his health was nobody's business. But Jobs was losing weight, something revealed in these photos taken in 2007 and 2008. In April 2009 he underwent a liver transplant. Five months later back on the job at Apple he expressed his gratitude. 'I now have the liver of a mid-twenties person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate his organs. And I wouldn't be here without such generosity.' On August 24th of this year he stepped down as Apple's CEO.

Back in 2005 he offered this bit of advice to the Stanford University grads 'Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your inner voice,' Steve Jobs, a man whose own inner voice led him to create some of the most visionary products of the internet era.  Jobs leaves behind a wife and four children.

George Lewis, NBC News, Los Angeles

A timeline of Steve Jobs' life and career 

1976 - Co-founded Apple Computer.

1984 - The Macintosh computer goes on sale.

1985 - Resigns from Apple.

1986 - He buys Pixar.

1996 - Come back to Apple.

2004 - He underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.

2005 - He gives his famous speech at Stanford University.

2007 - Apple releases commencement its first smartphone the iPhone.

2009 - He undergoes a liver transplant.

2010 - The iPad, Apple's tablet computer, goes on sale.

Aug. 24th, 2011 -  Stepped down as Apple's CEO.

Oct. 5th, 2011 - He died.