iLounge

Marking the one year anniversary of former CEO Steve Jobs’ untimely passing, Apple this morning posted a brief video tribute and letter on its home page. Describing Jobs’ death as “a sad and difficult time for all of us,” current Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed his “hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.” An embedded video runs for under two minutes, including photos of Jobs and brief audio snippets from several of his most memorable product introductions, overlaid atop a Yo-Yo Ma rendition of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude.

Cook’s letter says that Apple was one of Jobs’ greatest gifts to the world, and that “[n]o company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.” The letter is reprinted in full below.

“A message from Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.

I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for.

Tim”