Apple remembers death of Steve Jobs with poignant tribute

Exactly one year after the death of its iconic founder, Apple released a heartfelt tribute to Steve Jobs -- the man who made the gadget insanely great, transformed technology, and seemingly put an iPod in every pocket.

Jobs, who founded Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, passed away on Oct. 5, 2011, following a prolonged battle with cancer. Jobs fought the disease in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems.

The company he built with passion, brute force and brilliance into the world’s most powerful technology firm remembered Jobs Friday with a video that calls to mind the company’s “Think Different” ad campaign, a staple of the late 1990s that featured black and white images of famous figures with quotes illustrating how their ideas had changed the world.

The message is clear: Steve was clearly one of those people.

[pullquote]

“Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place,” wrote CEO Tim Cook in a message also posted to the site.

“One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the word we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for,” Cook wrote.

In 2005, following the bout with cancer, Jobs delivered Stanford University's commencement speech.

"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," he said. "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."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.