As far as I’ve read, Steve Jobs wasn’t an inventor in the mold of Thomas Edison, and I hadn’t heard of him being a noted “engineer”, hardware or software, until I saw this thread, but he was a brilliant conceptualizer, that was his greatest strength, an idea man, and yes, a marketer of those ideas, and don’t let the fanatical fanboys here call you a “hater”. Pathetic and insecure seekers of superiority when a great man dies.
RIP.
Id have to classify Steve Jobs as an engineer. I’ve been working as an engineer for a mere 13 years now. You need that vision Jobs had to create successful products. Engineering isn’t all about knowing details of VHDL/Verilog or C ... its about realizing ideas playing the cards you’re dealt. Granted, he didn’t have the raw talent a Steve Wozniak had, but what he did have was vision to integrate technology into everyday life ... something few engineers have.
Now the cultist lunatics that worship him on FR for various reasons are another story :) ... those and their ilk are the reason I didn’t go crazy over Apple (aside from their stock) in the early 2000s. I recall one of those involents questioning my “skills” and trashing me since I didn’t create an iPod like device this early in my career ... those people are the ones that drive me away from Apple products ... still, last I checked, my lack of support has had no impact on that company :).