MERSEYSIDE’S creative community has paid tribute to Apple’s “visionary” co-founder Steve Jobs, and the way he revolutionised the technology world.
The pioneering former Apple chief executive, who launched the iPod and iPhone, died on Wednesday surrounded by his family, after battling pancreatic cancer.
Mr Jobs, who was 56, stepped down from his post as Apple’s chief executive in August. But, in his time at the technology giant, he saw it become one of the world’s biggest companies – while he enjoyed levels of adulation more commonly seen by rock stars than business leaders.
At the Apple Store, in Liverpool One yesterday, a picture of Mr Jobs was posted in the window, with flowers beneath.
Liverpool-based website Screencasts Online, which offers video tutorials in how to use Apple’s Mac computers and software, has turned its homepage into a tribute to Jobs. Don McAllister founded ScreenCasts Online in 2005, after he was inspired to switch from PCs to Macs by Jobs himself.
Mr McAllister said: “I stumbled on Macs because I was disillusioned with PCs. It was a Steve Jobs keynote speech that touched me.
“At the MacWorld conference, in 2005, he showed off the Mac Mini, the gateway Mac for people to switch to. It captivated me. So I got one when it launched in the UK, and I’ve never looked back.
“Moving to Macs revitalised my interest in computing. The design aesthetic, the way the software worked – everything was perfectly tuned.
“Apple’s hardware and software are perfectly matched. Its products are a pleasure to use.”
Mr McAllister travelled to the US to see several of Mr Jobs’s annual keynote speeches, and attended the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June this year which saw Mr Jobs give his final speech. He said: “I could tell he had deteriorated quite significantly and he wasn’t a well man.”
Mr McAllister said he believed Apple would continue to thrive, even after the death of its figurehead.
He said: “In the last few years, as well as developing new products, Steve Jobs has been developing the corporate culture of the organisation.
“Apple is most profitable company in the world at the moment. It’s not just one man.
“He built a fantastic team around him that hopefully will be able to continue the work he started.”
