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Steve Jobs steps down as Apple's CEO. His resignation is a surprise and a shock. His battle with cancer is well-known, but many hoped he would remain at Apple's helm for many more years. After all, the iPhone and iPad seemed to be just getting started.
Tim Cook is named as Jobs' successor. Cook is the former Chief Operating Officer and a 13-year veteran of the company. As COO, he was the de-facto CEO, responsible for Apple's day-to-day operations. He also previously acted as temporary CEO during Jobs' medical leaves of absemce.
All over the world, the media is asking the same question: Will Apple be OK?
Tim Cook starts responding to customer emails just like Steve Jobs did. Jobs was known for frequently emailing back and forth with Apple fans and customers from his public sjobs@apple.com address. It looks like Tim Cook is picking up the mantle and doing the same.
Another iPhone prototype is lost in a San Francisco bar. This time, it's a test prototype of the iPhone 5. In 2010, an Apple employee lost an early iPhone 4 prototype then sold it to Gizmodo. The latest lost iPhone 5 was lost at a tequila lounge called Cava 22 in San Francisco’s Mission District.
One of the first things Cook implements as CEO is Apple’s new charitable donations program. The company will match employee donations to non-profits of up to $10,000 per year. Steve Jobs never publicly gave money away or promoted charity.
Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 4S at Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event on October 4, 2011, on the Apple Campus in Cupertino, CA. The keynote is the first led by Cook following Jobs' death.
Steve Jobs dies at his home in Palo Alto, CA, after a long battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer that publicly surfaced for the first time in 2004. He died with his wife, children and sister at his side. In April of 2009, Jobs underwent a dangerous liver transplant after taking his first leave of medical absence earlier that year. He continued to battle cancer while intermittently serving at Apple until his formal resignation in August 2011. His last words were reportedly: ""Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow." Tim Cook sends out an email to Apple employees and flies the flags on campus at half-mast. Prominent Silicon Valley businessmen, President Obama, and countless others offer their condolences about Jobs.
iCloud becames available to use via an iTunes update. iCloud has 20 million users in less than a week after launch.
A private memorial is held for Steve Jobs memorial at Stanford Memorial Church. It attracts a huge number of luminaries, who came to pay their respects to Apple’s former CEO and co-founder. Among them were a long list of celebrities, musicians, CEOs, and the former president Bill Clinton.
