Steve Jobs last gift to the Internet is pageviews, and an outpouring of creative tributes riffing on the Apple visionary (and logo).

The folks at Next Media Animation are no exception. The Taiwanese group behind all those wacky computer-animated takes on current events put together a poignant tribute to Jobs, reeled alongside a sincere statement that read, in part: "Steve Jobs made the world fall in love with and embrace technology. Much of what Next Media Animation does — indeed what any media company does — would be impossible were it not for Steve Jobs…. Apple and Steve Jobs have featured prominently in our animations. This was not due to enmity or ill will. It was because we admired him."

Indeed, NMA was not always so kind to Jobs, often depicting him as Darth Vader. A look back at some of those animations below.Continue reading...

Apple pre-orders for iPhone 4S will test brand loyalty and new CEO, while Steve Jobs coverage gets special treatment by newsweeklies and Simon & Schuster moves up publication of biography that will reveals his private side.

Alfa Romeo remains on uncertain road.

BMW and other luxury makers offer huge discounts in China, while Mini brand seeks to enlarge market with coupe.

ESPN and Hank Williams Jr. part ways over his "Hitler" remark concerning President Obama.

GE aims to expand lending in Europe as region's banks retrench.

Geely denies interest in Saab though it already owns Volvo.Continue reading...

Apple announced the death of Steve Jobs yesterday with a classy homepage tribute and these words: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

Apple's board added in a separate statement, "Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Among the many other moving tributes to the Apple co-founder's legacy:Continue reading...

During Steve Jobs' time at Apple, the brand came to overshadow all of its competitors in the technology sphere, if not by pure sales then by brand allegiance and influence. Apple's impact on the field of product placement was no different.

In the last decade (2001-today), Apple-branded products appeared in one-third of all number one films at the US box office (124 of the 366). That is second only to Ford (152 of 334) and well ahead of third-place Coca-Cola (96 of 334). In the last three years, 2009-2011, Apple has appeared in more #1 films than any other brand.

As with the tech marketplace itself, Apple's leadership in product placement drove its rivals to play catch-up. In honor of Jobs' legacy, here are some of Apple's greatest product placement accomplishments on the big and small screen.Continue reading...

Sometimes the juxtaposition of two headlines can trigger an a-ha moment. Today news from the east coast shows growing protests against financial institutions as Occupy Wall Steet rolls on, while out west Apple’s visionary genius Steve Jobs has succumbed to cancer and died at 56. 

Steve Jobs built a company that surpassed Exxon this year as the leader in market capitalization. His personal net wealth in 2010 was estimated over $8 billion, making him the 42nd-richest American, according to Forbes. And yet it is hard to picture frustrated activists, union leaders, or downwardly mobile members of the squeezed middle class mustering at 1 Infinity Way in Cupertino to rail against Apple’s profits, or Jobs’s greed. Why?Continue reading...

Steve Jobs is eulogized worldwide as Apple CEO Tim Cook figures out how to carry on.

BBC to cut 2,000 jobs.

Costco raises membership fees.

Friendly's finally files for bankruptcy protection.

Groupon may have to settle for smaller IPO.

HP to forego any more big software acquisitions.

NBC shows rare weakness in the mornings as Today battles Good Morning America on ABC.

Oracle's Ellison embraces the cloud.Continue reading...

There may be no more eloquent tribute to Steve Jobs than Apple's homepage: a black and white photo of the brand's visionary in his classic black turtleneck, and the words "Steve Jobs 1955-2011" ... but we'll defer to his friend and rival, Bill Gates.

"The world rarely sees someone who made such a profound impact," Microsoft's founder tweeted tonight. "For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it’s been an insanely great honor," he added. "I will miss Steve immensely." As will we all.

Tim Cook, new Apple CEO, struck a humble, fanboy tone when he took the stage at his company’s iPhone launch event today. He stated simply, "I love Apple. I consider it the privilege of a lifetime," in his first big product unveiling since he took the reins of the company from co-founder Steve Jobs.

While there was no iPhone 5, Apple instead announced the new iPhone 4S, whose "under the hood" improvements on the current generation iPhone includes a retina display and dual-core processor, doubling the device-speed of its predecessor. Its new A5 processor is touted by Apple as seven times faster at rendering graphics, twice as fast at processing data, and with an 8 megapixel camera that shoots HD and image stabilization, as YouTube awaits your uploads.

One of the coolest new innovations is the virtual personal assistant dubbed "Siri," who takes voice commands and translates speech to text.Continue reading...