2011's top stories: Steve Jobs

Earlier this year, the world witnessed a huge loss, there will never be a man quite like Steve Jobs, and not surprisingly, many of our most read stories this year were about the man behind Apple.

Following the tragically premature death of Apple co-founder and Chairman, Steve Jobs, at 56, many tributes appeared. Perhaps the most symbolic and understated of those was the edited Apple logo created by Hong-Kong design student, Jonathan Mak. Mak created the image, replacing the bite out of the apple with a silhouette of Jobs, when Jobs resigned from the company in August. Only after Jobs' death was it acknowledged. The strength and thought-provoking qualities in the design led to job offers for Mak.

It is exactly this combination and balance of simplicity and innovation in design that Steve Jobs spent his whole life working on. He led technology forward, not only through the development of Apple but also his work in animation at the Pixar studios and founding NeXT, which became the basis for Mac OS X when it was later bought by Apple.

Jobs' whole career, illustrated by this popular story, showing his life documented through photographs, was highly significant in the revolutionising of the personal computer age we have arrived in today.

Not only is Jobs' success a pinnacle for entrepreneurs worldwide to aim for - his work ethic and determination were qualities which offer inspiration for all. Jobs never stopped achieving and even in the final few months of his life, during his battle with cancer, he still went to work as often as he could and remained Chairman of Apple until his death.

Jobs' authorised biography, written by Walter Isaacson, reveals all about the icon's life and is described as, "[chronicling] the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionised six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing." While the biography is an interesting and compelling read which provides full insight into Jobs' career and life, interviews from years gone by offer immediate access to a Jobs of the past. The biography was written over two years through interviews between Jobs and Isaacson, so reading from different points in Jobs' life will give you much more rounded information and the opportunity to compare the Jobs from the start of his career and the later stages. In addition, looking at interviews from when Jobs wasn't at Apple, such as this one from 1995 during his time at NeXT show a different side to Jobs and give so many more added details. Whilst Apple was certainly at the centre of Jobs' life and success, he did so much more which should be more widely celebrated.

Celebrity seems like the wrong word to describe Jobs. He was famous, certainly, but to call him a celebrity would mean having to share a title with many who have done nothing whatsoever for their recognition. Jobs worked for every scrap of success he ever got, and looking at the value of Apple inc. today - $368.46 billion (according to Yahoo! Finance), is enough evidence that Jobs never stopped working and striving to make Apple the best. Jobs attained what so many today in the public eye have sadly lost, integrity, intelligence and individualism and should be considered an example to everyone.

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