A World Without Steve Jobs

As the world mourns the passing of Steve Jobs, former chairman and CEO at Apple, Inc, his influence on technology, social connections and pop culture frame his legacy.

According to CNNMoney, in 2010 70% of incoming University freshmen owned a Mac. Between iPhones, iPods and Macbooks, one can usually find multiple apple product users on campus at any given time.

Following the news of his death, members of the GW community reflected on how Jobs impacted their lives.

"He capitalized on how products have to be aesthetically appealing and technologically sound," said Carl Dickler, second year GW medical student. "He created the cool factor in products."

"I think Apple iPhone hands down impacted the way we interact with each other and the interface with the world," said Lawrence Mann, AV specialist at GW, "I think Steve Jobs set us on a trajectory that will forever change the world that is far better than it would have been if he had never existed."

Jobs was also the former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios and served on The Walt Disney Company's board of directors starting in 2006. In particular to the generation that is currently pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees, Pixar movies bring back many memories

"Toy Story was a very moving force in my life," said David Grabski, second year GW medical student, "It reminds me of Billy Collins' poem 'On Turning 10' and brought me back to my childhood."

Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO in August after years of battling pancreatic cancer. He died from the disease Wednesday at age 56.