Timeline: Steve Jobs's amazing innings at Apple

"I was lucky to get into computers when it was a very young and idealistic industry. There weren't many degrees offered in computer science, so people in computers were brilliant people from mathematics, physics, music, zoology, whatever. They loved it, and no one was really in it for the money."

Steve Jobs' resignation is biggest blow to Apple Inc, which is at the peak of its success.

His decision comes at a time when Apple is set to be crowned the world's most valuable firm as well.

Starting from 1976 to 2011, it has been an incredible journey for Steve Jobs steering it successfully through its up and downs.

Here's a look at the Apple's historic timeline...

1976: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Inc.

1980: Initial public offering of Apple; market value of company rose to $1.2 billion; Apple III introduced with eight applications, including text and graphics.

1984: Apple launches the Macintosh computer.

1985: A turning point for the company as Wozniak quits, while Jobs is forced leave by chief executive John Sculley and the board. Jobs went ahead to start computing firm NeXT.

1991: Apple launches the Powerbook laptop.

1996: It's a comeback for Jobs after Apple's stock slips to an all-time low. After Apple acquires NeXT, Jobs gets back to Apples.

1997: A year later, Jobs take up the top job of as the chief executive.

1998: Under Jobs' leadership, iMac desktop computer is launched, followed by the iBook in 1999.

2001: Apple brings forth a revolution in the music industry with the the iPod digital music player, one of the company's biggest hits.

2003: The most unfortunate twist in Jobs' life as he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

2007: The iPhone was launched. Backed by strong sales of iPhones and iPads, Apple Inc reported an over two-fold growth in net income to $7.31 billion for the April-June quarter of 2011.

December 2008: For the first time, Jobs refrains from giving the keynote address at the Macworld show in January. This led to several rumours about his deteriorating health.

January 2009: Finally, on January 5, Apple announced that his weight loss was due to a hormone imbalance. Jobs goes on a long leave.

20 June 2009: Steve Jobs undergoes a liver transplant and extends his leave.

January 2010: Apple unveils its latest innovation, the iPad. Its sales crossed 25 million in just 14 months.

January 2011: Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple, assigns charge to Tim Cook.

June 2011: Apple unveils iCloud. iCloud is a music-streaming service that the company hopes will power its next stage of growth and popularise Web-based consumer services

Jobs also unveiled his grand plan for a new spaceship campus.

24 August 2011: It is the end of over 3 decades of Steve Jobs' trials and tribulations at Apple. He resigns as CEO of Apple and appoints Tim Cook as CEO.