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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
An apple with a heart and Steve Jobs' name written on it is placed in front of a small memorial in San Francisco.

Apple's super-secretive chief Steve Jobs agreed to his biography being written by Pulitzer prize nominee Walter Isaacson because he wanted his children to know him and understand why he was not always there for them.

In his final weeks, a severely ill Jobs had met Isaacson, the author of his biography Steve Jobs at his Palo Alto, California home.

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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
An iPad displays a burning candle in memory of Apple co-founder and former CEO Jobs is placed outside an Apple Store in Hong Kong.

Isaacson says Jobs was in severe pain and was in a downstairs bedroom as he was too weak to climb the stairs of his home.

Isaacson had asked Jobs why had he, a stickler for privacy, agreed to be interviewed for a book.

"I wanted my kids to know me," Jobs replied, according to an essay Isaacson wrote on Time.com.

"I was not always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did."

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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
Walter Isaacson.

Isaacson had visited Jobs for the last time a few weeks ago, around the time the Apple co-founder had stepped down as chief executive officer in August.

"His mind was still sharp and his humour vibrant," Isaacson says.

Jobs lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and other health issues and passed away at age 56 on Wednesday.

His biography also says that Jobs knew weeks ago that he was going to die soon.

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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
Flowers and a photograph of Steve Jobs are placed against the window outside the Apple store in Boston, Massachusetts.

"Jobs indicated at that time that he knew he was going to die soon. The scene will appear at the end of the book," the biography says.

Isaacson's book will now hit the stands on October 24, almost a month before the earlier release date of November 21.

The book was initially titled iSteve: The Book of Job' and scheduled for a spring 2012 release.

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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
SteveJobs with wife Laurene Powell arrive at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Isaacson conducted more than 40 interviews with Jobs over two years, besides talking to his friends and families.

Isaacson is the chief executive of Aspen Institute and was the former managing editor of Time magazine.

He is the author of bestselling biographies of Albert Einstein and Ben Franklin.

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Jobs agreed to biography as he wanted his children to know him

Last updated on: October 7, 2011 11:41 IST
Steve Jobs.

The publisher has said that Jobs did not control the contents of the book, and spoke 'candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against.'

Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene Powell Jobs and three children. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Jobs' wife is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has worked in investment banking before founding a natural foods company.

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