For the music industry in particular, he was unquestionably the most important figure of the past two decades. The shadow he casts is endless and his impact (driven by his passionate perfectionism) will be felt for many, many years to come.

There is huge symbolism that his passing coincided with the 10th anniversary of the iPod. With this one device, he set in effect a rapid-fire process of development and innovation that changed the record business in more ways than ...