The Computing Technology Industry Association has named Apple CEO Steve Jobs one of the top most influential personalities over the past 25 years in the IT industry. Mr. Jobs took second place on the list behind Microsoftis Bill Gates.

The list was comprised from a poll of IT industry professionals. 73 percent of the 473 respondents named Mr. Jobs as the most influential, while 84 percent named Mr. Gates. PC maker Michael Dell came in third, and Linux creator Linus Torvalds took fourth place.

Mr. Jobs is credited with revolutionizing the PC market first with the Apple II, and then later with the Macintosh. He has also been seen as the driving force behind Appleis growth and innovative product line since his return to the company.

The Apple II took made computers affordable and accessible to average people, and he Macintosh introduced computer users to the graphic interface and also to the mouse. Appleis trend-leading product decisions have helped to shape the PC industry in many ways including mainstream use of USB and FireWire, easy to implement wireless networking, and the demise of the floppy disk drive.

Apple is also the company behind the iconic iPod and the still-new iPhone. The iPod has become the most popular portable digital media player in the market, and Appleis iTunes Store is the single largest legit music download service.

Mr. Jobs and Appleis influence in the technology arena can be seen in competitor products, to, ranging from operating system interfaces to media players, and even industrial designs outside of the computer and electronics industries.