Apple Employees Honor Steve Jobs With Secret Memorial Service
Apple Inc hosted a private memorial service to honor Steve Jobs from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at an outdoor amphitheater at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino. Apple Stores were closed across the country for the duration as Apple employees commemorated the fallen technology legend by viewing a company-wide live broadcast of the event.
Anonymous employees confirmed that singer Norah Jones and British rock band Coldplay performed live. They also said Coldplay front man Chris Martin told everyone to get back to work after the performance because that’s what Steve Jobs would have wanted.
Coldplay reportedly played their hits “Yellow” and “Fix You.” Giant banners of Jobs were hung around the space where hundreds of employees stood in honor of their leader’s life.
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Speakers included Tim Cook, Apple’s chief designer Jony Ive and former Vice President Al Gore who evoked their experiences with Steve Jobs and Apple during the special ceremony, which participants reported, was festive and not somber.
CEO Tim Cook sent an e-mail on Oct. 10 to let employees know about the service.
In Manhattan, one Apple store posted a sign outside during the service that read, “The Apple Store is temporarily closed. We’ll reopen at 3 p.m.”
At some Apple locations in Northern California, white curtains were draped across the windows to block the view from outside.
The employee service follows a private event for the late tech visionary held at Stanford University attended by Silicon Valley luminaries, politicians and celebrities.
International employees also participated. A re-broadcast will be available across Asia and Australia.
According to Business Week, analyst Stephen Baker who tracks consumer electronics sales for research group NPD, said Apple sales wouldn’t be affected by the services held. However he did predict a customer or two might be unhappy when finding a store closed when they wanted to shop.
Steve Jobs passed away on Oct. 5 at the age of 56 after a long battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer.
