Steve Jobs 'difficult bugger to work with'

A SAD DAY: Peter Fitchett, of the Apple User Group of Canterbury, with Apple computers from the 70s and 80s. He said Jobs was an inspiration.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was a "difficult bugger to work with", says a Christchurch man who once worked with him.

Jobs, a billionaire visionary who transformed the computing, communications, music and movie industries with a suite of innovative products, has died at the age of 56.

Les Chapman worked at Apple in Silicon Valley, California, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He said Jobs was "pretty intense". "He was certainly a clever guy. He was pretty much a perfectionist. He was a difficult bugger to work with at times.

"He was very intense and focused and wanted things delivered that were nigh on impossible at the time, but that's not to say that there is anything wrong with aiming high.

"He had no time for, and absolutely hounded, those who he considered to be fools or [who] did not understand what he wanted, even though these folk were of themselves very clever and, over time, delivered things that actually worked. To be fair, nobody put in more hours than him."

Tributes poured in from around the world for Jobs yesterday, and from Christchurch enthusiasts.

Apple enthusiast Peter Fitchett of Christchurch said Jobs' death was a "sad day for a lot of people". Fitchett, a committee member for the Apple Users Group of Canterbury, bought his first Apple computer in the 1970s and has been a fan ever since. He has "about a dozen" Apple II computers in his garage.

Fitchett said Jobs was an inspiration.

"He had a determination to make sure what can be achieved was achieved perfectly. He worked hard and he achieved a lot.

"He had a consistent vision for what the future can be. There is no easy way to sum up what he has achieved. There is a consistent thread of taking technology, putting it in a form that people can use and enhancing their lives with it."

Fitchett bought his first Apple II computer for about $6000 to replace his mechanical accounting machines.

"The Apple II was the only computer available in New Zealand at the time."

He said the Apple II computer would be remembered by many New Zealanders as they were widely used in schools in the 1980s.

He was not sure how Christchurch Apple enthusiasts would pay tribute to Jobs' passing. "Maybe we should have a Steve Jobs day and everyone can wear black turtleneck sweaters."

- The Press