Steve Jobs has died aged 56

The news is dominated today by the passing of Steve Jobs, a man who has influenced most people's lives either directly or indirectly. As a business man he was a visonary, and the fact Apple's share price is now fighting with Exxon for top spot in the markets is a clear sign of that. Under his leadership Apple's share price went from $10 to $400.

If you own an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac, then you have Steve Jobs to thank for that. But equally so, if you own a smartphone, a thin and light laptop, or a digital music player that fits in your pocket, regardless of the brand it carries, Steve Jobs had a hand in creating it purely by pushing Apple's competitors to try and outdo the company's own products.

His final gift to the world hasn't actually been created yet. It's a building unlike any other that has no straight lines. A 150-acre curved, doughnut-shaped new headquarters for Apple in Cupertino that is not only meant to be the best working environment for those people contained within it, but an area rejuvinated and promoting nature next to the technology it will allow great minds to create.

Steve Jobs has had a major impact on the technology we choose to carry in our pockets today, and will continue to do so for many years to come. The fact he died at 56 robs us of what other ideas he had forming in his mind and probably a couple of decades of further innovation.

Our thoughts are with his friends and family.