What follows is a collection of our favorite Jobs moments, which may or may not have to do with technology, but offer a glimpse of insight into one of our greatest modern minds.
Steve says Microsoft has no taste
Jobs made it clear that he respected Microsoft's success, but was saddened by the company's complete lack of taste, in the 1996 PBS documentary "The Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires."
"They don't think of original ideas... And they don't bring much culture into their product," Jobs said. "I don't have a problem with their success... I have a problem with the fact that that they just make third-rate products."
Elegantly cutting down the competition, that's so Steve.
Microsoft's second big Apple save came during Macworld Expo in 1997, when Bill Gates appeared on screen to announce that MS would be investing $150 million in Apple. The audience of Apple fans wasn't exactly welcoming to Gates, but without the Microsoft deal Apple likely wouldn't have been able to rebound as quickly in the late 90's. Yes, you can thank Microsoft that Apple survived long enough to develop the iPod and iPhone.
Having the humility to let his sworn enemies save Apple, that's so Steve.
Being vaguely Orwellian after producing the iconic 1984 Apple ad? That's so Steve.
Steve inspires Noah Wyle's best performance ever
Sure, Noah Wyle may have been quite the actor on "E.R." and "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice", but I think it may have required all of his thespian talents to bring Steve Jobs' personality to life in the 1999 made-for-TV movie "The Pirates of Silicon Valley."
Below, check out the scene where Wyle's Jobs believes that Bill Gates (played by Anthony Michael Hall) stole the idea of a graphical user interface for Windows from Apple. If that's not so Steve, I don't know what is.
As for Android, Jobs said that the notion of it being open is a “smokescreen." He added that “it’s really about fragmented versus integrated. We believe integrated will trump fragmented every time.”
He also had choice words for companies making 7-inch tablets, because he believes that screen size is too small for useful tablet apps. “One could increase the resolution to make up for the difference, but it’s meaningless unless the thing also includes sandpaper so users can sand down their fingers.” Ouch.
Steve knows how to give presentations
It's difficult to write an article about iconic Jobs moments without at least mentioning his product reveals. Below find our favorites.
Thanks to VentureBeat's Jolie O'Dell for the top Photoshopped pic