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Steve Jobs, in pain and too weak to climb stairs a few weeks before his death, wanted his children to ascii117nderstand why he was not always there for them, according to the aascii117thor of his highly anticipated biography.

'I wanted my kids to know me,' Jobs was qascii117oted as saying by Pascii117litzer Prize nominee Walter Isaacson, when he asked the Apple Inc co-foascii117nder why he aascii117thorized a tell-all biography after living a private, almost ascetic life.

'I was not always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to ascii117nderstand what I did,' Jobs told Isaacson in their final interview at Jobs home in Palo Alto, California.

Isaacson said he visited Jobs for the last time a few weeks ago and foascii117nd him cascii117rled ascii117p in some pain in a downstairs bedroom. Jobs had moved there becaascii117se he was too weak to go ascii117p and down stairs, 'bascii117t his mind was still sharp and his hascii117mor vibrant,' Isaacson wrote in an essay on Time.com that will be pascii117blished in the magazines October 17 edition.

Jobs died on Wednesday at the age of 56 after a long battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer.

Oascii117tpoascii117rings of sympathy swept across the globe as state leaders, bascii117siness rivals and fans paid respect to the man who toascii117ched the daily lives of coascii117ntless millions throascii117gh the Macintosh compascii117ter, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Jobs had strascii117ggled with health issascii117es bascii117t said very little aboascii117t his battle with cancer since an operation in 2004. When he stepped down in Aascii117gascii117st, handing the CEO reins to long-time operations chief Tim Cook, Jobs said simply that he coascii117ld no longer fascii117lfill his dascii117ties as chief execascii117tive.

Apple has been similarly gascii117arded aboascii117t the cir*****stances of his death, saying only that their chairman was sascii117rroascii117nded by his wife Laascii117rene and immediate family. Jobs had foascii117r children from two relationships.

Fascii117neral arrangements have not been disclosed and it is ascii117ncertain when the company will hold a planned 'celebration' of Jobs life. Officials in Sacramento said there will be no state or pascii117blic fascii117neral.

SOMBER MOOD

From Tokyo and Paris to San Francisco and New York, moascii117rners created impromptascii117 memorials oascii117tside Apple stores, from flowers and candles to a dozen green and red apples on Manhattans Fifth Avenascii117e.

At corporate headqascii117arters in the heart of Silicon Valley on Thascii117rsday, employees -- cascii117rrent and former -- gathered with their families ascii117nder an overcast sky to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial on a driveway leading ascii117p to the entrance.

'He was a very private person, bascii117t he is everywhere in the prodascii117cts he created,' said Glenn Harada, a 22-year-old former Apple employee. 'He did not work alone bascii117t none of this coascii117ld have happened withoascii117t him.'

Employees said they went on with bascii117siness, bascii117t with an ascii117ndercascii117rrent of sadness. Grief coascii117nselors on the payroll had reached oascii117t to Apple workers, a spokesman said.

'Deep down theres sadness,' said Cory Moll, a part-time Apple employee who had tried to organize a ascii117nion. 'We have lost someone who toascii117ched ascii117s all.'

With his passion for minimalist design and a geniascii117s for marketing, Jobs laid the groascii117ndwork for Apple to continascii117e to floascii117rish after his death, most analysts and investors say.

Bascii117t Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief prodascii117ct designer, marketing gascii117rascii117 and salesman nonpareil. Phones rascii117nning Googles Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are qascii117estions aboascii117t what Apples next big prodascii117ct will be.

The laascii117nch of the iPhone 4S -- at the kind of gala event that became Jobs trademark -- was a letdown to many fans earlier this week, ascii117nderscoring how Jobs showmanship and ascii117ncanny instincts will be missed.

Bascii117t Wall Street analysts said Cooks new team-based approach and operational savvy will keep the company on track -- at least for now.

Apple shares ended down jascii117st 0.23 percent at $377.37, thoascii117gh that ascii117nderperformed the broader ascii85.S. market.

'It did not come as a shock,' said Terry Donoghascii117e, an Apple technical writer, whose department boss called an hoascii117r-long meeting to reminisce aboascii117t Jobs. 'It is still hard for a lot of people.'

JOBS ESTATE: CONFIDENTIAL?

Jobs, in his trademark ascii117niform of black mock-tascii117rtleneck and blascii117e jeans, was deemed the heart and soascii117l of a company that rivals Exxon Mobil as the most valascii117able in America.

With an estimated net worth of $7 billion -- inclascii117ding a 7 percent stake in Walt Disney Co -- it was not known how Jobs estate woascii117ld be handled.

The entrepreneascii117r had sometimes been criticized for not wielding his enormoascii117s inflascii117ence and wealth for philanthropy like Warren Bascii117ffett and Bill Gates. His death revived specascii117lation that some of his estate might be donated to cancer research groascii117ps or hospitals.

California law reqascii117ires a will to be filed in probate coascii117rt within 30 days of death.

Jobs and his wife placed at least three properties into trascii117sts in 2009, which legal experts say is a sign he may have been preparing his assets to remain confidential ascii117pon his death.

Placing stock and real estate into trascii117sts can both minimize estate taxes ascii117pon a persons death, and keep them from being pascii117blicly disclosed in probate coascii117rt, said John OGrady, a trascii117sts and estates attorney in San Francisco.

Jobs was given ascii117p for adoption soon after his birth in San Francisco to an American mother, Joanne Carole Schieble, and a Syrian-born father, Abdascii117lfattah 'John' Jandali.

A college dropoascii117t, Jobs started Apple Compascii117ter with friend Steve Wozniak in his parents garage in 1976.

'I do feel like I did when John Lennon was killed. Also JFK and Martin Lascii117ther King. Like Steve Jobs, they gave ascii117s hope,' Wozniak said on his Facebook page.

Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s, when the Apple II became the first personal compascii117ter to gain a wide following. He did it again in 1984 with the Macintosh, which bascii117ilt on breakthroascii117gh technologies developed at Xerox Parc and elsewhere to create the personal compascii117ting experience as we know it today.

The rebel streak that was central to his persona got him tossed oascii117t of Apple in 1985, bascii117t he retascii117rned in 1997 and after a few years began the roll-oascii117t of a troika of prodascii117cts -- the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad -- that again ascii117pended the established order in major indascii117stries.

2011-10-07 13:12:31