If the man is sick he is doing and will continue to do the right thing. If he needs to step back in order to heal, then that's what he'll do. He may be a driven individual, but he is also a very smart guy, and lets not forget, a family man. Whatever happens, one day SJ will step down or step back and when that happens I think it unlikely one single person will take his place. What will happen then is anybody's guess but it will be a very different Apple than we now know. Apple today is very different from the Apple we knew 10 or 20 years ago and whether Steve stays strong at the helm for another 20 years or not Apple will change dramatically. Most of us would like to see Apple become the dominant computing force on the planet. (Yeah yeah, I know... in terms of numbers of units sold, I mean.) Will Apple still be cool and cutting edge then? I'd like to think so but it seems impossible. I can't help but feel that we are living the Apple dream, right now. This is the 'hey day' and it will never be this good again. Long may it last.
I could not agree more. Apple is going strong and still moving up. And although there is an entire company behind him, no one can doubt or undervalue the effects of Steve's leadership and insight upon Apple this past decade. He has forever changed the tech industry and he has inspired people to push the envelope of what is possible. It is because of Mr. Jobs that we are here posting in this forum. He rekindled the flame of Apple lovers. Here's to hoping that his health is on the mend, because an Apple without Steve Jobs is just wrong. Steve, I wish you the very best.
Steve cuts out some calories, adds a few miles per week on his jogs, loses some weight, the share price drops, he buys up a bunch of shares on the cheap, puts the weight back on, the share price goes up - he makes a killing.
Unfortunately my "code translation" of Apple's recent behavior is that Steve is indeed gravely ill.
I wish Steve the very best as he made all of our lives just a little bit better.
But let's face it, the posture of Apple seems to confirm that the man is having major health problems. This would be not only a personal misfortune for Mr. Jobs but also likely a corporate disaster for Apple.
Steve is the spirit of Apple. Apple is nothing without its spirit. They could keep Apple going for another 5 to 10 years, but that's it.
Regardless, maybe Steve has taken his visions as far as they will go. Maybe we can be thankful that he has had the FULL opportunity to bring his amazing ideas to life.
The problem his, Steve continues to make great calls today. Hard philosophical decisions -- of which there are a gazillion in technology -- are Steve's special personal expertise. Without Steve, there is no philosophical center at Apple. They become just another company run by competing small egos, quarterly earnings... Apple today is a product of Steve's singular vision. Most companies have no singular vision and after Steve, Apple would likely be just another Dell, just another Comcast.
Steve, here's to you buddy, supporting you 100%.
I wouldn't go to that extreme because no company is one man. Apple is a major multi-national corporation with thousands of employees and they have created a culture that goes beyond mere products. Others within the culture will continue to uphold the mantle once Steve Jobs passes on whether it be five, ten or fifty years from now or next week.
I also think that people have fallen victim to the reality distortion field and think SJ can do no wrong when Apple, in fact, has made several missteps recently, has publicly apologized for them and made amends.
I don't see Apple ever becoming another Dell. SJ and the Apple team have gone out and found people of like mind, creative people, people with TASTE and people who want to continue the tradition of what Apple stands for. I think Apple will continue to make innovative products and follow the path that has been set out before them because their customers will demand it.
good post. indeed steve is the heart and soul of apple. i surely do not want to bury the guy, but I will be honest with you when I saw him on stage it completely overshadowed the event for me. he did not look good. the thing is when you see someone who has had cancer and then you later see them and they are thin again, it is logical to think the cancer has return. whether that is the case with steve is hard to say because according to press reports, he follows some pretty strict vegetarian diets, which could account for his thin appearance if he happened to catch a bug. there are also some side effects of the procedure he had that could explain the appearance as well. so don't count him out, but with the cancer he had previously, don't be surprised if he is seriously ill again. He is certainly starting to enter the outer limits of survival rates for pancreatic cancer, and to say he has cheated death once is an understatement.
Either way, with steve jobs you are looking at one of the great business people and innovators in the history of the United States. he is right there with Henry Ford or any other name you care to throw out there. He has repeatedly brought to market groundbreaking and innovative products, that as you say, makes our lives a little better. There is no wonder people are in awe at keynotes. They should be. People know they are in the presence of true greatness. People throw around the word "great" often too casually when referring to people. This guy truly is. I don't want you to think I say this as some fanboy, I say that as someone who has a lot of problems with the way steve runs roughshod over people, blogs like this one, and just very ruthless business tactics documented about him over the years. However, I have deep respect for people of great accomplishments and he certainly has accomplished a lot.
With that said, we could be looking at the end of an era coming soon and no doubt apple will not be the same. However, I think they have a lot of innovative folks that will continue to make great products. the one thing they would miss if he left or passed, would be that singular vision to bring it all together.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bwik
Unfortunately my "code translation" of Apple's recent behavior is that Steve is indeed gravely ill.
I wish Steve the very best as he made all of our lives just a little bit better.
But let's face it, the posture of Apple seems to confirm that the man is having major health problems. This would be not only a personal misfortune for Mr. Jobs but also likely a corporate disaster for Apple.
Steve is the spirit of Apple. Apple is nothing without its spirit. They could keep Apple going for another 5 to 10 years, but that's it.
Regardless, maybe Steve has taken his visions as far as they will go. Maybe we can be thankful that he has had the FULL opportunity to bring his amazing ideas to life.
The problem his, Steve continues to make great calls today. Hard philosophical decisions -- of which there are a gazillion in technology -- are Steve's special personal expertise. Without Steve, there is no philosophical center at Apple. They become just another company run by competing small egos, quarterly earnings... Apple today is a product of Steve's singular vision. Most companies have no singular vision and after Steve, Apple would likely be just another Dell, just another Comcast.
there are also some side effects of the procedure he had that could explain the appearance as well. so don't count him out, but with the cancer he had previously, don't be surprised if he is seriously ill again. He is certainly starting to enter the outer limits of survival rates for pancreatic cancer, and to say he has cheated death once is an understatement.
I believe you are just further promulgating FUD. For all intents and purposes, Steve Jobs was cured of his rare, curable form of pancreatic cancer years ago. He almost certainly underwent a Whipple procedure to obtain an absolute cure. A Whipple is major surgery of the digestive tract, though. Little doubt his diet must be watched closely and he is more susceptible and sensitive to viral and bacterial infections of the digestive tract than before. It must be a real pain. Leave him alone.
With a company as Jobs-centric as Apple is, that means a huge risk to investors. <snip> Apple would lose a significant part of what makes Apple Apple if Jobs departs.
I keep going 2 ways with this, but rarely in the middle.
I think Steve does less than what people think - but what he does is incredibly significant. Apple could continue without Steve, but there are dangers and opportunities.
Steve's key strength seems to be a vision that he brutally pushes, and his vision isn't tied to just 2 steps from existing products. His personality traits and abilities can be found elsewhere, but they may not be ALLOWED to exist in his replacements.
For example - if a future head of Apple encourages in his team the development of an amazing new product, all will be happy. But if something isn't working, he may attempt to push for the seemingly impossible and if he doesn't have the same authority as Steve then he might not be able to make his mark. Or if this future head says to abandon a product and go down a new path, others (especially the board or share holders) may want to stick with the product that isn't quite working and make it work. Steve has veto power.
That 'stubborness' (or 'clarity of vision') is one part. Another is his imagination - not many people can let go of an "almost working" design and come up with something totally new. They get caught in their internal representation of the issue and hover somewhere close to their previous idea. Steve doesn't seem to have that problem.... and it also means when he thinks of a new market segment (like a "tablet PC") he doesn't start with existing ideas and fix them, he creates a new idea from scratch.
So a replacement needs clarity in imagination and the authority to pull the plug ... that authority is only earned over time.
The opportunities in a change in leadership are some new ideas that Steve hasn't accepted. One example is opening Apple products to work with competitors better ... which has pros and cons. There are opportunities in the ideas analysts give like "Apple should target the enterprise" etc.... though they may be at the expense of genuinely novel and useful technologies.
I'd like to see Steve stick with Apple. But much more importantly I hope he is healthy.
(1) Apple has historically been very conservative on gross sales and EPS. We've seen this time and time again, so people shouldn't panic.
(2) the lower margins we've just been warned about are likely because Apple intends to revamp existing product line(s) with new hardware technology that costs more (like adding touch) but Apple isn't going to raise its prices. If the gamble pays off, then Apple will have products decidedly unmatched in the marketplace that people will flock to in droves; and the lower (but still hefty 30% or more) margins will be more than offset by a huge gain in market share.
This looks to be Apple's next attempt at market growth and incursion into the vast but vulnerable Windows market. In that case, some or all of touch notebooks, tablets and displays should be expected.
Jobs is a great leader who manages to inspire his very talented crew. I really wish him the best as Apple should not become an exercise in brand marketing (like Porsche & Ferrari).
Since market spectators and speculators are expressing so much concern about how indicators of iLeaders health will materially diminish AAPL share value: why aren't recent public photos available online of iLeader? With potentially Billions of US dollars at risk surely interested observers have taken the modest measure of documenting his public persona.
Celebrity photogs make a mint documenting entertainers so their spread makes all the covers.
If Apple won't provide ILeader for a pony show maybe Munster and his minions will take a digital impression. Or maybe an AppleInsider has easy access to iLeader's frequented haunts? Imagine that example making the rounds. Could be a very valuable asset to ones collection and bank account.
Since market spectators and speculators are expressing so much concern about how indicators of iLeaders health will materially diminish AAPL share value: why aren't recent public photos available online of iLeader? With potentially Billions of US dollars at risk surely interested observers have taken the modest measure of documenting his public persona.
Celebrity photogs make a mint documenting entertainers so their spread makes all the covers.
If Apple won't provide ILeader for a pony show maybe Munster and his minions will take a digital impression. Or maybe an AppleInsider has easy access to iLeader's frequented haunts? Imagine that example making the rounds. Could be a very valuable asset to ones collection and bank account.
Anyone up for it?
I think most of us have more respect for the man than that.
I wish Steve Jobs all the best. He himself knows that he has brought the company and philosophy of Apple to where it is really dependent on the rest of the human race to manage and figure out.
(1) Apple has historically been very conservative on gross sales and EPS. We've seen this time and time again, so people shouldn't panic.
(2) the lower margins we've just been warned about are likely because Apple intends to revamp existing product line(s) with new hardware technology that costs more (like adding touch) but Apple isn't going to raise its prices. If the gamble pays off, then Apple will have products decidedly unmatched in the marketplace that people will flock to in droves; and the lower (but still hefty 30% or more) margins will be more than offset by a huge gain in market share.
This looks to be Apple's next attempt at market growth and incursion into the vast but vulnerable Windows market. In that case, some or all of touch notebooks, tablets and displays should be expected.
As for 2, I think the biggest transition Apple is worried about is the iPhone 3G. As I posited before the call, iPhone 3G mania is probably keeping some Mac buyers away from Apple stores. And since Macs are counted in full the quarter they're sold while iPhone 3G money is spread out over years, we could get a little bump in the road in the current quarter, IMHO. Almost all of Apple's stores worldwide have spent the last roughly two weeks doing little else than selling 1-2M iPhone 3Gs, which could be really bad for the top line in this quarter.
As for 2, I think the biggest transition Apple is worried about is the iPhone 3G. As I posited before the call, iPhone 3G mania is probably keeping some Mac buyers away from Apple stores. And since Macs are counted in full the quarter they're sold while iPhone 3G money is spread out over years, we could get a little bump in the road in the current quarter, IMHO. Almost all of Apple's stores worldwide have spent the last roughly two weeks doing little else than selling 1-2M iPhone 3Gs, which could be really bad for the top line in this quarter.
Very good point on the sustainability of Apple's growth and the iPhone 3G madness the whole of this year.
I'm sorry to say, but the massive volumes and products Apple is going to do for the rest of the year mean brand dilution and customer service that simply cannot keep up.
It's so sad that the Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Authorized Resellers can do so much in this area but not many feel like they want to because of Apple Stores. But there are so few Apple Stores outside the US !!
Comments
If the man is sick he is doing and will continue to do the right thing. If he needs to step back in order to heal, then that's what he'll do. He may be a driven individual, but he is also a very smart guy, and lets not forget, a family man. Whatever happens, one day SJ will step down or step back and when that happens I think it unlikely one single person will take his place. What will happen then is anybody's guess but it will be a very different Apple than we now know. Apple today is very different from the Apple we knew 10 or 20 years ago and whether Steve stays strong at the helm for another 20 years or not Apple will change dramatically. Most of us would like to see Apple become the dominant computing force on the planet. (Yeah yeah, I know... in terms of numbers of units sold, I mean.) Will Apple still be cool and cutting edge then? I'd like to think so but it seems impossible. I can't help but feel that we are living the Apple dream, right now. This is the 'hey day' and it will never be this good again. Long may it last.
I could not agree more. Apple is going strong and still moving up. And although there is an entire company behind him, no one can doubt or undervalue the effects of Steve's leadership and insight upon Apple this past decade. He has forever changed the tech industry and he has inspired people to push the envelope of what is possible. It is because of Mr. Jobs that we are here posting in this forum. He rekindled the flame of Apple lovers. Here's to hoping that his health is on the mend, because an Apple without Steve Jobs is just wrong. Steve, I wish you the very best.
Steve
Unfortunately my "code translation" of Apple's recent behavior is that Steve is indeed gravely ill.
I wish Steve the very best as he made all of our lives just a little bit better.
But let's face it, the posture of Apple seems to confirm that the man is having major health problems. This would be not only a personal misfortune for Mr. Jobs but also likely a corporate disaster for Apple.
Steve is the spirit of Apple. Apple is nothing without its spirit. They could keep Apple going for another 5 to 10 years, but that's it.
Regardless, maybe Steve has taken his visions as far as they will go. Maybe we can be thankful that he has had the FULL opportunity to bring his amazing ideas to life.
The problem his, Steve continues to make great calls today. Hard philosophical decisions -- of which there are a gazillion in technology -- are Steve's special personal expertise. Without Steve, there is no philosophical center at Apple. They become just another company run by competing small egos, quarterly earnings... Apple today is a product of Steve's singular vision. Most companies have no singular vision and after Steve, Apple would likely be just another Dell, just another Comcast.
Steve, here's to you buddy, supporting you 100%.
I wouldn't go to that extreme because no company is one man. Apple is a major multi-national corporation with thousands of employees and they have created a culture that goes beyond mere products. Others within the culture will continue to uphold the mantle once Steve Jobs passes on whether it be five, ten or fifty years from now or next week.
I also think that people have fallen victim to the reality distortion field and think SJ can do no wrong when Apple, in fact, has made several missteps recently, has publicly apologized for them and made amends.
I don't see Apple ever becoming another Dell. SJ and the Apple team have gone out and found people of like mind, creative people, people with TASTE and people who want to continue the tradition of what Apple stands for. I think Apple will continue to make innovative products and follow the path that has been set out before them because their customers will demand it.
Did Ferrari stop being Ferrari when Enzo died?
Either way, with steve jobs you are looking at one of the great business people and innovators in the history of the United States. he is right there with Henry Ford or any other name you care to throw out there. He has repeatedly brought to market groundbreaking and innovative products, that as you say, makes our lives a little better. There is no wonder people are in awe at keynotes. They should be. People know they are in the presence of true greatness. People throw around the word "great" often too casually when referring to people. This guy truly is. I don't want you to think I say this as some fanboy, I say that as someone who has a lot of problems with the way steve runs roughshod over people, blogs like this one, and just very ruthless business tactics documented about him over the years. However, I have deep respect for people of great accomplishments and he certainly has accomplished a lot.
With that said, we could be looking at the end of an era coming soon and no doubt apple will not be the same. However, I think they have a lot of innovative folks that will continue to make great products. the one thing they would miss if he left or passed, would be that singular vision to bring it all together.
Unfortunately my "code translation" of Apple's recent behavior is that Steve is indeed gravely ill.
I wish Steve the very best as he made all of our lives just a little bit better.
But let's face it, the posture of Apple seems to confirm that the man is having major health problems. This would be not only a personal misfortune for Mr. Jobs but also likely a corporate disaster for Apple.
Steve is the spirit of Apple. Apple is nothing without its spirit. They could keep Apple going for another 5 to 10 years, but that's it.
Regardless, maybe Steve has taken his visions as far as they will go. Maybe we can be thankful that he has had the FULL opportunity to bring his amazing ideas to life.
The problem his, Steve continues to make great calls today. Hard philosophical decisions -- of which there are a gazillion in technology -- are Steve's special personal expertise. Without Steve, there is no philosophical center at Apple. They become just another company run by competing small egos, quarterly earnings... Apple today is a product of Steve's singular vision. Most companies have no singular vision and after Steve, Apple would likely be just another Dell, just another Comcast.
Steve, here's to you buddy, supporting you 100%.
there are also some side effects of the procedure he had that could explain the appearance as well. so don't count him out, but with the cancer he had previously, don't be surprised if he is seriously ill again. He is certainly starting to enter the outer limits of survival rates for pancreatic cancer, and to say he has cheated death once is an understatement.
I believe you are just further promulgating FUD. For all intents and purposes, Steve Jobs was cured of his rare, curable form of pancreatic cancer years ago. He almost certainly underwent a Whipple procedure to obtain an absolute cure. A Whipple is major surgery of the digestive tract, though. Little doubt his diet must be watched closely and he is more susceptible and sensitive to viral and bacterial infections of the digestive tract than before. It must be a real pain. Leave him alone.
With a company as Jobs-centric as Apple is, that means a huge risk to investors. <snip> Apple would lose a significant part of what makes Apple Apple if Jobs departs.
I keep going 2 ways with this, but rarely in the middle.
I think Steve does less than what people think - but what he does is incredibly significant. Apple could continue without Steve, but there are dangers and opportunities.
Steve's key strength seems to be a vision that he brutally pushes, and his vision isn't tied to just 2 steps from existing products. His personality traits and abilities can be found elsewhere, but they may not be ALLOWED to exist in his replacements.
For example - if a future head of Apple encourages in his team the development of an amazing new product, all will be happy. But if something isn't working, he may attempt to push for the seemingly impossible and if he doesn't have the same authority as Steve then he might not be able to make his mark. Or if this future head says to abandon a product and go down a new path, others (especially the board or share holders) may want to stick with the product that isn't quite working and make it work. Steve has veto power.
That 'stubborness' (or 'clarity of vision') is one part. Another is his imagination - not many people can let go of an "almost working" design and come up with something totally new. They get caught in their internal representation of the issue and hover somewhere close to their previous idea. Steve doesn't seem to have that problem.... and it also means when he thinks of a new market segment (like a "tablet PC") he doesn't start with existing ideas and fix them, he creates a new idea from scratch.
So a replacement needs clarity in imagination and the authority to pull the plug ... that authority is only earned over time.
The opportunities in a change in leadership are some new ideas that Steve hasn't accepted. One example is opening Apple products to work with competitors better ... which has pros and cons. There are opportunities in the ideas analysts give like "Apple should target the enterprise" etc.... though they may be at the expense of genuinely novel and useful technologies.
I'd like to see Steve stick with Apple. But much more importantly I hope he is healthy.
(1) Apple has historically been very conservative on gross sales and EPS. We've seen this time and time again, so people shouldn't panic.
(2) the lower margins we've just been warned about are likely because Apple intends to revamp existing product line(s) with new hardware technology that costs more (like adding touch) but Apple isn't going to raise its prices. If the gamble pays off, then Apple will have products decidedly unmatched in the marketplace that people will flock to in droves; and the lower (but still hefty 30% or more) margins will be more than offset by a huge gain in market share.
This looks to be Apple's next attempt at market growth and incursion into the vast but vulnerable Windows market. In that case, some or all of touch notebooks, tablets and displays should be expected.
Did Ferrari stop being Ferrari when Enzo died?
Unfortunately they did. Their cars look very juvenile with a playstation inspired interior.
And Porsche became very boyish as well when managers (Wendelin Wiedeking) took over the helmet. The 911 interior is a joke, as is the beefy exterior:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVytpZs2haQ
Jobs is a great leader who manages to inspire his very talented crew. I really wish him the best as Apple should not become an exercise in brand marketing (like Porsche & Ferrari).
Celebrity photogs make a mint documenting entertainers so their spread makes all the covers.
If Apple won't provide ILeader for a pony show maybe Munster and his minions will take a digital impression. Or maybe an AppleInsider has easy access to iLeader's frequented haunts? Imagine that example making the rounds. Could be a very valuable asset to ones collection and bank account.
Anyone up for it?
AND Michael Stipe's been dying of AIDS for about the last 20 years...
yeah yeah yeah, whatever.
I am building coffin right now!
Apple sells off on the news, good or bad, after nearly every event; what else is new?
Unfortunately you are correct. Which is why I always sell off the day before the earnings announcement and buy back in a week later.
Ha.....At Macworld 06, i think, I damn near doubled my freaking money.
Since market spectators and speculators are expressing so much concern about how indicators of iLeaders health will materially diminish AAPL share value: why aren't recent public photos available online of iLeader? With potentially Billions of US dollars at risk surely interested observers have taken the modest measure of documenting his public persona.
Celebrity photogs make a mint documenting entertainers so their spread makes all the covers.
If Apple won't provide ILeader for a pony show maybe Munster and his minions will take a digital impression. Or maybe an AppleInsider has easy access to iLeader's frequented haunts? Imagine that example making the rounds. Could be a very valuable asset to ones collection and bank account.
Anyone up for it?
I think most of us have more respect for the man than that.
I think most of us have more respect for the man than that.
RESPECT?
Jobs does not respect shareholder value.
BIG, BIG money is at stake because of his unwillingness to be truthful with owners of AAPL.
Where's the RESPECT?
As for the guidance from Apple:
(1) Apple has historically been very conservative on gross sales and EPS. We've seen this time and time again, so people shouldn't panic.
(2) the lower margins we've just been warned about are likely because Apple intends to revamp existing product line(s) with new hardware technology that costs more (like adding touch) but Apple isn't going to raise its prices. If the gamble pays off, then Apple will have products decidedly unmatched in the marketplace that people will flock to in droves; and the lower (but still hefty 30% or more) margins will be more than offset by a huge gain in market share.
This looks to be Apple's next attempt at market growth and incursion into the vast but vulnerable Windows market. In that case, some or all of touch notebooks, tablets and displays should be expected.
As for 2, I think the biggest transition Apple is worried about is the iPhone 3G. As I posited before the call, iPhone 3G mania is probably keeping some Mac buyers away from Apple stores. And since Macs are counted in full the quarter they're sold while iPhone 3G money is spread out over years, we could get a little bump in the road in the current quarter, IMHO. Almost all of Apple's stores worldwide have spent the last roughly two weeks doing little else than selling 1-2M iPhone 3Gs, which could be really bad for the top line in this quarter.
RESPECT?
Jobs does not respect shareholder value.
BIG, BIG money is at stake because of his unwillingness to be truthful with owners of AAPL.
Where's the RESPECT?
You can always sell, you know. There are thousands of stocks out there....
As for 2, I think the biggest transition Apple is worried about is the iPhone 3G. As I posited before the call, iPhone 3G mania is probably keeping some Mac buyers away from Apple stores. And since Macs are counted in full the quarter they're sold while iPhone 3G money is spread out over years, we could get a little bump in the road in the current quarter, IMHO. Almost all of Apple's stores worldwide have spent the last roughly two weeks doing little else than selling 1-2M iPhone 3Gs, which could be really bad for the top line in this quarter.
Very good point on the sustainability of Apple's growth and the iPhone 3G madness the whole of this year.
I'm sorry to say, but the massive volumes and products Apple is going to do for the rest of the year mean brand dilution and customer service that simply cannot keep up.
It's so sad that the Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Authorized Resellers can do so much in this area but not many feel like they want to because of Apple Stores. But there are so few Apple Stores outside the US !!
RESPECT?
Jobs does not respect shareholder value.
BIG, BIG money is at stake because of his unwillingness to be truthful with owners of AAPL.
Where's the RESPECT?
You're an idiot. Go away.
You're an idiot. Go away.
agreed
You can always sell, you know. There are thousands of stocks out there....
It's not so easy when you have real money at stake and long position with significant tax consequences.
For some people it's easier when they risk nothing or have no portfolio.