Steve Jobs, the man synonymously linked with Apple Computers, passed away today. It was a bit odd, really, the moment that I saw it splash across the social media world. I had actually briefly visited Apple’s site only moments before they changed its homepage. It was literally only yesterday when Apple announced it’s upcoming new releases. And it was only a month or so since Steve Jobs said, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” It hurts my heart to know that at the age of 56 the world has lost a true visionary. Where would we all be had it not been for the introduction of the Apple II in 1977? The iPod and iTunes in the 2000s? The iPhone in 2007? The iPad in 2010?

Despite being having at one point resign from the company that he co-founded in 1976, under the militant guidance of Steve Jobs Apple computers has become the “most valuable publicly-traded company in the world, surpassing ExxonMobil’s market capitalization in August 2011.” In a speech given to Stanford graduates in 2005 Jobs reflected on his battle with pancreatic cancer stating, “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” A former colleague says of Steve, “Simplifying complexity is not simple. It is the greatest, greatest gift to have someone who has Steve’s capabilities as an editor and a product designer edit the crap away so that you can focus on what you want to do.”

“In addition to introducing us to desktop publishing and computer animated movies [Pixar], Jobs should be credited with creating the first commercially successful computer.” What I’ll remember most of his life and his unfortunate passing is that I was at work, my iPhone sitting beside me, using my Apple Computer when Steve Jobs passed away and that’s the best way to

Quotes obtained from NPR and CNET.