Steve Jobs a Man of 'Stunning Breadth'

Steve Jobs "was a historical figure on the scale of a Thomas Edison or Henry Ford," writes tech guru Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal; but, more than that, he was also a man of "stunning breadth" who loved to talk about his "sweeping ideas for the digital revolution." Soon after Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he started calling Mossberg at home on Sunday night for long talks. "I'm not calling to complain about today's column," is how Jobs would always begin his call, "but I have some comments, if that's OK."

Mossberg also recounts a story from just after Jobs' liver transplant. Jobs invited Mossberg to visit his home, and in the middle of their meeting, Jobs decided they should take a walk to a park 1 1/2 miles away. He was still recovering from the surgery, so the trip was very tough, but Jobs would not give up: "The park was his goal for the day," Mossberg recalls. "He sets goals and goes after them." He knew that Jobs had many different sides, but, Mossberg says, "the dominant tone he struck was optimism and certainty, both for Apple and for the digital revolution as a whole." Check out one of Jobs' neighbor's fond words from a blog last month. (More Steve Jobs stories.)