Jon Rubinstein commended for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tech’

53-year old Rubinstein may not have as many years behind him as other luminaries such as Bill Gates, but in 2009, he finally achieved the recognition and fame he deserved after years toiling at Apple, with the launch of the Palm Pre.
 
Joining Palm in 2007, he helped turn the once market-leading company around after they fell on their feet, leading their R&D department in the creation of the Pre and its webOS platform. Credited as one of the most important launches of the year – the Pre was nominated in the Gadget of the Year, Launch of the Year, Phone of the Year, and Innovation of the Year awards categories – Palm has been a veritable phoenix rising from the ashes, with Rubinstein leading the way.
 
Prior to the Pre hitting shelves, he was Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, and responsible for the G3, G4 and G5 desktops, colourful iMac (with a then-controversial USB port), and finally, the iPod.