Business & Tech

Flowers—and Apples—Left for Steve Jobs

Apple's headquarters had a steady stream of visitors and media the night his death was announced.

Hugs are exchanged, tears shed, flowers and apples placed in remembrance of the tech icon the world has come to know as Steve Jobs, the face of Apple; but to Cupertino he is a son.

The passing of Jobs on Wednesday is the passing of a giant, say his admirers. 

“He’s like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney,” said to a bevy of reporters that gathered in front of Apple’s headquarters at One Infinite Loop, off of De Anza Boulevard.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

From the time the announcement came in the afternoon to late in the evening the main Cupertino campus had a steady flow of visitors; the curious, the respectful, the mourning, and the employees who could be found taking pictures of the half-mast flags in front of the building as if they were tourists themselves.

Some who came to visit were so moved by Jobs’ death tears flowed freely. Cameras—many in the handheld version of the iPhone—snapped photos of the scene before them, the media frenzy and the others who came to pay their respects, and the bench that was being covered with flowers, mementos, and love.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Scoble lives in Half Moon Bay now but was raised in Cupertino and attended Hyde Middle School.

“I used to steal apricots on this land,” he said.

Apple wasn’t always the powerhouse employer it is now, and in the early days turned to the community for short-term labor help, he said.

“My mom and I used to build motherboards for the Apple 2 in our house,” he said.

He writes a tech blog Scobleizer and says though Jobs is legendary he’s still a man.

“We almost expect him to be super human, but he’s not,” he said.

From people as large as President Barack Obama who issued a formal announcement to 24-year-old small businessman Ben Tseitlin who dropped by the campus to pay his respects, it's clear Jobs had a worldwide ripple effect.

Respect, admiration, nearness, and wonder were all driving factors that drew a quiet, but steady flow of visitors to Cupertino's main Apple campus Wednesday.

“I was curious,” Tseitlin said. “I’ll probably come back later and leave something [at the makeshift memorial]. I have some old Apple boxes, maybe I’ll bring one of those back.”

He still has the box in which his first Apple product was held--the PowerMacG3. Bringing it to the site may be a nice tribute he thought.

Tseitlin, who has a chocolate company, Benchic, and teaches chocolate making, grew up in Cupertino says he learned the news of Jobs' death the same way many did—someone texted him.

He’s been a fan of the company and the products since his days at Lincoln Elementary School, which had Apple 2’s in his kindergarten classroom.

“I think the company will keep the legacy of what he was all about,” he said.

Throughout the afternoon and evening people stood in reverence, and in respect, for the man Obama said "exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here