Steve Jobs: 'Life is Brief, and Then You Die'

Its the end of an era with Steve Jobs' death, and it's time to reflect on his tenure with Apple and some of his famous statements.

1976 Along with Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula, he began to sell personal computers titled the Apple II series. They were the first commercially successful personal computers.
He said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

1984 The Macintosh computer is launched. It featured a graphical user interface and a mouse -- revolutionary at that time.

He said, “The people who are doing the work are the moving force behind the Macintosh. My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay.”

1985 Apple fires Jobs, but that didn't stop him.

He said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the nonsuccessful ones is pure perseverance.”
He went on to establish the NeXT Computer.

1996 Apple acquired the NeXT Computer for $429 million.
Subsequently, Jobs became the interim CEO of Apple in 1997, calling himself iCEO and breathing new life into the company.
He said, “The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.”

1998 The iMac is born. It had a USB port -- another revolutionary move. There was no floppy drive. All this led to a change in the use of USB memory sticks.

He said, “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

2001 The iPod is introduced, changing the way people listened to music. The iTunes store offers a convenient way to purchase entertainment including songs, movies and more.

2006 The MacBook, a powerful laptop, is launched. At the time, it was conveniently small for its size.

He declared, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

2007 The iPhone is unveiled. The demand was so huge that within the first three months, 20 million units were sold.

He said, “We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.”

2010 The iPad, the middle ground between a laptop and a smartphone, is introduced. It has become the tablet that everyone craves.

He said, “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

2011 An ailing Jobs resigns as Apple's chief executive.

He once said, “We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life, life is brief, and then you die, you know?”