Passing of a legend

Steve Jobs has died: A tech revolutionary

Steve Jobs
Photo via International Business Times
The front page of the Apple.com website

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple has died. He was 56 years old.

The Apple website announced his death with this statement, "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

Less than two months ago the enigmatic and iconic founder of Apple Inc. resigned as the company’s chief executive officer, being replaced by COO Tim Cook.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," said Apple in a release. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely." —Bill Gates

Jobs ushered in the era of the personal computer founding Apple in 1976. After leaving the company due to disagreements with the Board, he returned as CEO in 1997, and served as the guiding force behind the tech giant’s rise to success with the most popular tech gadgets—iPhone, iPod and iPad—and a revolutionary computer operating system. It’s now hard to imagine a world without these things. we have Steve Jobs to thank for them.

But his influence would extend even beyond computers to revolutionizing the worlds of music and movies.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman and CEO of DreamWorks, calls Jobs as "the Thomas Edison of our time. And in the way that Edison affected so many businesses, so did Steve Jobs."

Jobs fought a long battle against pancreatic cancer, but even during treatment, he would still get on stage to present Apple's next big thing. In June of this year he introduced iCloud and the new MacOS called Lion. Yesterday Apple launched the new iPhone 4S. It was the first time Jobs was not on stage for a major announcement.

Jobs' story is in many ways an all-American success tale. He dropped out of college, but ended up being regarded as "The Father of the Computer Revolution" by age 29.

Soon the tributes would come rolling in at the speed of the technology Jobs helped create.

"I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death," Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in a statement. "Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."

Jobs owned a larger-than-life personality and a lot of black turtleneck sweaters, his iconic dress with a pair of jeans. Apple might be known for shiny products, but the black turtleneck was just as emblematic.

Apple invites you to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences by sending an email to rememberingsteve@apple.com.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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