RIP sjobs.
I think he was awesome and hope he will rest in peace......
The personal computer
The mp3 players
The graphical user interface
Online music stores
Tablet computers
and more...
I'll give him (alongside Woz) the personal computer - but as you say the actual term 'personal' indicates bringing the computer to the mass market.
What he was good at was recognising technology and concepts that could be used to improve computing for everyone, and take that very rough technology or concept and making it work for the mass market in a simple, intuitive manner.
The iPod was simply a breath of fresh air over MP3 players that were out before - and most of those released since!
The Music Store resurrected the dying music industry and made it easy to get music. The bigger achievement was dragging the music industry into the 21st century and getting them to actually allow it to happen.
The iPad changed tablet computers from ugly barely functional devices running unsuitable software into desirable, popular devices overnight. Which is why all the other tablets are nowhere. Kindle Fire will do well, but it's cheaper and needs the backing of two brands to get it to sell well - Amazon and the existing Kindle... and needless to say 18 months after the iPad came out.
I used to hate Macs, but they really improved after 2000. Expensive still, and until recently rather useless for gaming, but very good hardware - even with the Intel transition.
I guess he was lucky to get seven more years after the cancer treatment in 2004, given that cancer survival rates don't mean 'survive', they mean 'chance of surviving for 1/2/3/4/5 years after the fact'.
