tech industry

10/07/2005, 1:30pm, EDT

Friday, October 7th

Could Apple survive without Jobs at the helm?

In a new report, silicon.com asks "What would Apple be without Jobs?." Of course, the article is referring to Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who, after returning from corporate exile, transformed Apple into what it is today. "Dragging the company out of the mire" after his absence, Jobs made Apple into a media company that is dominating the digital music industry. "He crushed the Mac clones, killed the Newton handheld, healed the deep rifts with Microsoft and put the NeXT Openstep technology at the heart of Apple's major operating system overhaul -- OS X." Jobs is also credited for renewing Apple's focus on industrial design. The article questions whether Apple could ever prosper without Jobs: "looking forward, it's hard to imagine Apple continuing on its upward curve without Jobs at the helm."


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Well..
0
10/07, 4:11pm, EDT
There's no denying Job's return to Apple has been good for the company, yet he's far from infallible. In any case. I would hope someone at Apple has learned a few things over the past few years about Apple and its customers. If not, that would truly be sad and speaks tons about the lack of real leadership in corporate America.

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Sad But True
0
10/07, 4:42pm, EDT
Steve Jobs is intertwined with Apple. Their fates are one and the same. His personal growth and journey is reflected through Apple. There will never be anyone like him and it will be hard to find anyone who quite understands Apple that Jobs does. The perfect blend of passion, artistic vision (or thievery), and business savvy--utterly impossible to duplicate.
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Think HP!
0
10/07, 5:08pm, EDT
When you consider that a once highly respected manufacturer of quality instrumentation and test equipment, Hewlett-Packard that is, became an embarrassing purveyor of high-street sh1t doesn't bode well for Apple post Jobs!
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I think so because...
0
10/07, 5:22pm, EDT
While Steve is truely the reason that Apple has made the comback that it has Steve has also been hard at work making sure that in his absence that Apple will still contiue to bring great products to the market. Witness when Steve was out of the helm for 2+ months and Tim Cook took the reigns. I beleive that Tim has what it takes to keep Apple successful and continuing to bring the most innovative products in years. I would have to belive that Steve has been making sure that his vision for the future has to be in at least one other persons head. Also, Jonothan Ive is to be given much credit for the incredible designs like the new iMac G5 the list that he'd have on his resume is too long to list here.

I think it could be done, but I'd hate to have to find out sooner than is to be expected! I hope Steve's here for a long time!
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Re: I think so because..
0
10/07, 6:03pm, EDT
Although I think Jobs pretty much had the company on autopilot when he was gone. One thing is for sure, that stock price is gonna get killed when Jobs finally calls it quits. Although I can't imagine that being for another 10 years at the earliest.
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It's all about Jobs
0
10/07, 7:37pm, EDT
Steve Jobs is unlike any other man in America. He is a true visionary, a true leader. He is the Thomas Edison of our time. Without Steve Jobs, Apple will become just another technology company. There is nobody on the planet like him.
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What about his kids?
0
10/07, 10:17pm, EDT
Steve has four children. One of them might be the heir apparent...
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EVERYONE is replaceable
0
10/07, 10:26pm, EDT
EVERYONE.

Sure, Jobs is a visionary. But there was visionaries before him, there will be visionaries after him.

Apple will do fine after him. May even grow if they license Mac OS and morph from a H/W company to a S/W company....
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imac g5 is award-winning?
0
10/08, 9:28pm, EDT
I don't see how. It is the most unoriginal thing I've ever laid eyes on. iMac G4, iPod.. those are "award winning" designs. iMac G5 is a let-down for those of us who expect something creative and original from Apple. Ive should go back to the better "stuff" ... who else shapes a mouse after a tear drop, or an iMac from a gumdrop?
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