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Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks during an Apple Special event to unveil the new iPad 2 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California. Apple unveiled the iPad 2 as the successor to its popular tablet, the iPad. (AFP/GETTY)
Steve Jobs had no formal schooling in engineering, yet he's listed as the inventor or co-inventor on more than 300 US patents. These are some of the significant products that were created under his direction:
1. Apple I (1976) — Apple's first product was a computer for hobbyists and engineers, made in small numbers. Steve Wozniak designed it, while Jobs orchestrated the funding and handled the marketing.
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More on Steve Jobs:
Steve Jobs, Apple's visionary leader, dead at 56
Steve Jobs: An icon whose legacy has just begun
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2. Apple II (1977) — One of the first successful personal computers, the Apple II was designed as a mass-market product rather than something for engineers or enthusiasts. It was still largely Wozniak's design. Several upgrades for the model followed, and the product line continued until 1993.
3. Lisa (1983) — Jobs' visit to Xerox Corp.'s research center in Palo Alto inspired him to start work on the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface, with icons, windows and a cursor controlled by a mouse. It was the foundation for today's computer interfaces, but the Lisa was too expensive to be a commercial success.
4. Macintosh (1984) — Like the Lisa, the Macintosh had a graphical user interface. It was also cheaper and faster and had the backing of a large advertising campaign behind it. People soon realized how useful the graphical interface was for design. That led "desktop publishing," accomplished with a Mac coupled to a laser printer, to soon become a sales driver.
5. NeXT computer (1989) — After being forced out of Apple, Jobs started a company that built a powerful workstation computer. The company was never able to sell large numbers, but the computer was influential: The world's first Web browser was created on one. Its software also lives on as the basis for today's Macintosh and iPhone operating system.
6. iMac (1998) — When Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, the company was foundering, with an ever shrinking share of the PC market. The radical iMac was the first step in reversing the slide. It was strikingly designed as a bubble of blue plastic that enclosed both the monitor and the computer. Easy to set up, it captured the imagination just as people across the world were having their eyes opened to the benefits of the Internet and considering getting their first home computer.
7. iPod (2001) — It wasn't the first digital music player with a hard drive, but it was the first successful one. Apple's expansion into portable electronics has had vast ramifications. The iPod's success prepared the way for the iTunes music store and the iPhone.
8. iTunes store (2003) — Before the iTunes store, buying digital music was a hassle, making piracy the more popular option. The store simplified the process and brought together tracks from all the major labels. The store became the largest music retailer in the US in 2008.
9. iPhone (2007) — The iPhone did for the phone experience what the Macintosh did for personal computing — it made the power of a smartphone easy to harness. Apple is now the world's most profitable maker of phones, and the influence of the iPhone is evident in all smartphones.
10. iPad (2010) — Dozens of companies, including Apple, had created tablet computers before the iPad, but none caught on. The iPad finally cracked the code, creating a whole new category of computer practically by itself.
World writes, reads odes to Steve Jobs on Twitter
The death of Apple Inc's visionary leader prompted an outpouring by Apple fans and customers that appeared to dwarf any news ever chronicled on the micro-blogging site.
Twitter users from around the world contributed eulogies of 140 characters or less, supplementing obituaries from nearly every major media outlet.
Whether it was a direct quotation on the musings of Jobs or a misquote with the message intact, thousands of people, if not more, used Jobs' own words to philosophize on death.
"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there & yet it is the destination we all share-Steve Jobs," quoted @SeanABennett on the site.
"Proud to share the same beliefs as steve jobs-follow ur heart&intuition, dream big, love what u do&stay driven.don't let anything stop u," wrote @MarissaNemes, using Twitter's abbreviated argot to fit the Tweet into the limited space.
Others quoted U.S. President Barack Obama, who testified to Jobs' role in building the world's biggest technology empire that brought people the Macintosh computer, iPod, iPhone and iPad.
"There may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented," Obama said.
Tweets came from all corners of the world, celebrating Jobs' sleek designs.
"I have been in love with the world Steve Jobs made ever since my first Apple Mac. He was one of the great architects of the real. RIP," wrote Salman Rushdie, the Indian author of "The Satanic Verses" and the Booker Prize-winning "Midnight's Children."
Multiple Twitter users reported seeing the dreaded "Fail Whale," an image of a sperm whale that means Twitter was not able to handle the amount of messages it received.
Though this happens in many major news events, the amount of 140-character eulogies to Jobs appeared to dwarf many of those incidents.
"You know that somebody important has died when you keep getting the #FailWhale," wrote Mike Shaw, or "@zax2000" on Twitter. "It's the new measure of somebody's influence."
Shortly after the news of Jobs' death, "RIP Steve Jobs" was the top trending topic on Twitter in the San Francisco and New York regions.
As with many big events on Twitter, the love and respect sometimes moved into the realm of the odd and sarcastic.
"You left your mark on our desks, on our ears & in our hands," wrote @darrenrovell, while @_UncleSam replied, "Funny you're tweeting from a blackberry," a device made by Apple competitor Research in Motion.
The deluge of praise at times crested into realms of questionable taste. @supreetkay wrote, "Apparently an apple a day couldn't keep the doctor away," followed by "#isad."
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