Steve jobs passed away 10 years ago, what legacy to this technology icon?

Mathieu Grumiaux 05 October 2021 at 6:3359 p.m.

Emblematic character in the tech universe, this tenth anniversary of his disappearance is an opportunity for us to return to the ten transformations brought by the co-founder of Apple.

On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs succumbed to pancreatic cancer.After almost 20 years spent in total at the head of Apple, the man has changed several industries that continue to take advantage of his innovations but also his obsessions.

The computer for the general public

Steve Jobs did not invent the personal computer but the release of the Macintosh in 1984 was a turning point for the entry of the computer into the households of the world.The mouse and the graphical interface, recovered from Xerox with the consent of then managers, allowed the general public to familiarize themselves with IT.

Microsoft then recovered the best ideas of its competitor to launch Windows and more democratize the PC for the family and the company.Steve Job did not forgive this affront to Bill Gates and the two men were angry for more than a decade.

The concern for design

Steve Jobs liked to be surrounded by artists much more than engineers and spent his life trying to get closer to "perfection".The meeting with Jonathan Ive - a young designer ready to leave Apple a few weeks later - when he returned to the 90s will be a turning point for the brand as for the industry.

Whether or not we like the aesthetic orientations taken by Apple, certain objects like the iPod, the transparent and colorful iMac or the Powermac G4 Cube marked the spirits and imposed the idea that a technological object should notNot only to be functional but also to be beautiful and desirable.

The iPod phenomenon

In the early 2000s, the record industry took the full force of the hacking wave.For his part, Steve Jobs proposed with the iPod a simple and ergonomic way to take "1000 songs in his pocket".

Honded by the brand's historical fans during the first months of its existence, the player was probably the most important product of the second Steve Jobs with nearly 275 million copies sold in total between 2001 and 2010 and nearly 55% of the brand's total turnover at the height of its success.

iTunes Store: the shop that transformed the disc industry

The iTunes Store was one of Steve Jobs' great genius.As early as 2003, Apple offered a simple job shop to all record companies that could offer their entire catalog to the several million iPod owners in the world.

The majors had to eat their hat, with a pricing imposed by Steve Jobs to guarantee the quality of the user experience, but the iTunes Store quickly turned out to be a machine machine for the whole music industry as for theCalifornian manufacturer.Since the record companies have continued their digital transformation, with the adoption of subscription streaming services, including Apple Music and its more than 60 million subscribers.

iPhone: for many the first smartphone

As with the PC, it is not true to say that Steve Jobs invented the smartphone as we know it.However, he found the format and uses that have made a complex object reserved for technology fans a device essential for his daily life.

The multi -tacky touch screen was an ergonomic revolution that has turned the world of telephony.10 years after its death, the iPhone still represents 60% of the brand's turnover and 2 billion mobiles, all brands combined.

The app store: there is an app for everything

Steve Jobs was at the launch of the iPhone particularly hostile to the possibility of installing applications on its latest born.No question of sacrificing the security of iPhone OS.Yet the Webapps touted by the president of Apple will never have the favors of the first users and Steve Jobs will have to resolve to offer development tools and a commercial platform to distribute them: the App Store.

The store will quickly become one of the company's cash machines but also a global cultural phenomenon with the creation of applications like Instagram, Snapchat or WhatsApp to name only these three there among dozens of software now essential.

iPad: the tablet finally comes to life

Long dreamed of SF fans, the touch pad became a reality on January 27, 2010 at the Macworld conference.Steve Jobs spent an hour, seated in an armchair, praising the merits of his new device both to consume content but also read books and newspapers.

The iPad is today the best -selling tablet, far ahead of its competitors.The device itself has evolved quickly and now allows you to create and work and even replaced the personal computer in a large number of households.

Pixar: a turning point for animation cinema

A little distant, although, from the world of new technologies, Steve Jobs also marked Hollywood of his footprint with the acquisition in 1986 of Lucasfilm Computer Division, owned by George Lucas, and which will quickly become Pixar Animation Studios.

No one believed in the success of an animated feature film in summary images until the release in 1995 of Toy Story.The following films of the studio saved Disney from the rout in the 2000s before the latter bought Pixar for more than $ 7 billion.Today animation cinema swears by 3D, for better and for worse.

Keynotes: big American shows

When you think of Steve Jobs, it is the image of one of its famous Keynotes that quickly comes to mind.The man has always thought of his announcements in terms of spectacle and as many shine that marked the spirits.

We could easily cite 10 great moments of Steve Jobs on stage but it is probably the presentation of the iPhone that will remain the most striking Keynote of its presidency.Today Apple's Keynotes are more corseted, more sanitized will say some of them with reason, but there are events expected each year which hold more of the big sound and light show than the simple product presentation.

Technology accessible to all

It may be the most important heritage left by Steve Jobs after his death.Technology is today everywhere.It is in the pockets, the houses but also in cars or on the wrist.

Formerly disseminated understandable by the general public, the smartphone or the tablet are objects in the hands of children and grandparents.Almost everyone knows how to handle these devices today and access content or information.And the obessional perfectionism of Steve Jobs is a little, for something.