Steve Jobs, the charismatic leader of Apple who is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential chief executives in American business, has died. He was 56 years old.
TelecomLead.com is sharing few comments from the industry about Steve Jobs who created iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, AirBooks and iMacs. Jobs alone has more than 300 patents to his name. Apple continues to develop new, market-leading products that make all of our lives better.
AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson
We are saddened by the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was an iconic inventor, visionary, and entrepreneur, and we had the privilege to know him as partner and friend. All of us at AT&T offer our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife, family, and his Apple family.
Robert A Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company
Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an original,” with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.
John Lasseter, chief creative officer & Ed Catmull, president, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.’ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.
National Retail Federation president and CEO Matthew Shay
The National Retail Federation and the entire retail industry mourn news of the passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs, one of the most innovative leaders of our time who created an iconic retail brand through innovation and design. In a challenging economy, Jobs and the entire Apple team invented discretionary products that many Americans now consider necessities, from the iPod to the iPhone and the iPad. As a prime example of modern day ingenuity and creativity, Steve Jobs offered the world an inside look at what the future of consumer electronics can and will become, with generations of consumers now able to thank him for his brilliant innovations. He leaves behind a legacy that will inspire retail companies for decades to come.
As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF’s global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents an industry that includes more than 3.6 million establishments and which directly and indirectly accounts for 42 million jobs – one in four U.S. jobs. The total U.S. GDP impact of retail is $2.5 trillion annually, and retail is a daily barometer of the health of the nation’s economy.
Nadir Mohamed, president and CEO, Rogers Communications
Steve Jobs was one of the greatest innovators of our time. He revolutionized how we consume entertainment, access information and stay in touch by making iconic devices that are brilliantly designed, intuitive and easy to use. He had a clear vision for what technology should deliver to consumers and his focus on the customer was relentless. He will be sorely missed. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, his friends and to all the employees at Apple.
Jan Dawson, chief telecoms analyst, Ovum
Steve Jobs was an iconic figure, and one whose impact on the technology industry and the world at large are hard to measure. In just the last four years, he has reinvented the smartphone and the tablet computer, and previously he had also changed the music industry dramatically with the introduction of the iPod and iTunes. His death will be felt deeply at Apple, the company he founded and recently led for fourteen years, but also throughout the industry.
