If Steve goes, so does Apple, it's happened before and will happen again. ...
Get a grip man. Do you have a life-size gold statue of him in your bedroom or something?
This is quite the different situation than what happened before when he left. Those that were around at the time might remember he was actually forced out after a series of bad news events that happened while he was still there. He was by all accounts an arrogant jerk who was leading the company (in some ways) in the wrong direction.
IMO the time at Next sobered him up and made him into the guy he is today. Also, Apple was doing poorly while he was gone, but it wasn't like every employee was going around running into door jambs or something. The company was in dire straights when they finally got rid of him and suffered through a series of crappy moves for quite a while afterwards. Kind of like the situation Palm has been in for the last ten years or so. When they finally invited him back, they were at deaths door and had no other option. Most people (the way I remember it at least), thought it was probably a bad idea to have him back in charge, but there were no other choices waiting in the wings so they took a chance.
This time, he is leaving (temporarily) a company that is doing fantastic and with no bad feelings. The people he is leaving in charge are also far more capable, and far more experienced than any of the bozos that took over the first time. It's a completely different situation in almost every way, but you won't hear any of that from the tech press.
It does make me wonder. If Steve is admitting it now that the reins have change to Tim, was Steve even involved with the iTunes negotiations? I am beginning to think not since it went against his well known adamant stance.
His stance was adamant but in the context of DRM. The removal of DRM is a major victory for digital distribution and was well worth the compromise. I see no inconsistency.
I have been suspecting that this is the case for quite some time. We recently had a family member pass away from pancreatic cancer and all the stuff that Mr. Jobs is going though mirror my aunts experience.
She was also one of the "fortunate" ones who have the operable form of pancreatic cancer. She passed away 2 years after her first operation. The fact is that when the pancreas does not work properly the body can not process food properly and store fat. Before my aunt lost her appetite for food she could eat 6000+ calories of food per day and live a sedentary lifestyle and still lose weight. She could eat ice cream all day and lose weight.
Mr. Jobs has much more money than my aunt did so maybe his doctors have found out a way to extend his life a little but without a working pancreas his passing will be soon.
This is a very sad reality as I have been following the career of Mr Jobs for years. My life has been greatly impacted by the products he as made and the movies he produced through Pixar. If he does pass within the next 6 months it will be too soon and a shame.
To read more about the potential issues that Mr. Jobs is facing anyone can find the info on wikipedia
on a positive note, if/when he returns in june apple will probably announce some incredible new stuff. his return will get tons of press, and what better way to promote a bunch of new products? netbook? mini? updated apple tv? iphone nano?
not to say these "complex medical issues" are a marketing ploy...
Most people (the way I remember it at least), thought it was probably a bad idea to have him back in charge, but there were no other choices waiting in the wings so they took a chance.
I don't know any Apple fan who thought that. Perhaps you mean the business pundits? They never understood Jobs or Apple to begin with, so I never paid attention to them.
If Steve goes, so does Apple, it's happened before and will happen again. There will be nobody for Microsoft to chase and computers will be stuck with either whatever Windows version was the last to take inspiration from an Apple product for 20 years, or one of the many pernickety Linux distros.
Let's put things in perspective.
Steve Jobs v1 messed up Apple III and Mac launches. That was why he was forced out. During the years of John Sculley, Apple did extremely well, until 95 (Windows 95). During those 10 years, Apple had way more innovative products - SCSI, ADB, 32-bit OS, Newton, laptop etc. Apple was a real leader in hardware design. Unfortunately, Copland was going nowhere and that's what was killing Apple after 95.
Steve Jobs v2 brought in OpenStep and a huge pool of talented engineers. It saved Apple, but don't forget, it saved SJ too (NeXT was losing huge amount of $ too).
Actually, during the last 12 years, Apple hardly had any real hardware innovation. However, being a perfectionist, Steve Jobs really helped Apple to produce hit products, from OSX to iPod to iPhone. Certainly, a big factor was that Microsoft's misstep with Vista.
My point is that Steve Jobs had some extremely important leadership quality. However, please don't make it sound that Apple was a totally mess before he went back. Apple was in a big mess from 95 to 97, but was making a killing from 85 to 95.
By the way, in 1995, Apple's market share in US was close to 20%. (it is about 6% today).
Nevertheless this is bad news no matter when it occurs.
I can't help noticing the parallels with similar events behind the Iron Curtain, particularly recently in Cuba and North Korea.
The Cult of Personality has been turned into a tool of Capitalism. Unfortunately it is a double edged sword, as we are all mortal. If greatness is possessed by only a certain individual then when that individual goes there is a lot of explaining to do.
Just how quickly can the followers do their double think to catch up with the double speak?
Judging on past performance, most Apple supporters will turn on a dime, if told to.
I dont think Apple as a company will die with out steve jobs. What will die though is the service and culture that made Apple what i is. The reason for this is many people that work Apple work there because of Steve's leadership, personality and vision. With out those things leading the way any more I dont think people are going to go the extra mile. When a company, group, culture or anything has a great leader, The people who work for that leader are willing to go above and beyond and do the impossible. When that leader sucks, all those things go out the window.
Apple's great service and innovation are a result of the passion.
I think with this happening Apple has officially become a Retailer. The excitement will be lost. Just look at how boring that last Keynote was.
It's probably not so bad and Steve decided, that he has a great team around him, that can cover daily business and he can concentrate on his own health. He will still be making the most important strategic decision, but all this other day to day business can be done by Tim Cook.
He should not worry about stuff like:
"Shall we add a 32 GB iphone to the line at a higher price point or should we simply double the storage at existing price points."
"shall the new iPhone Nano be available in 4 or 8 colors?"
"shall we add a 27" iMac to the line"
"should we allow a built to order non-glossy MacBook Pro 15"?"
I wish Steve the time and space to fully recover his health. Unfortunately, this was written on the wind. My lying eyes didn't fool me when I tried to believe Steve's explanation.
I own a few AAPL shares but they were already in a slump on rumors of Steve's denial over his medical deterioration. I actually think Job's health saga will be good for Apple in the long run. While it's true there would be no Apple without Steve Jobs the company has grown beyond that era.
The iPhone expansion for example has Tim Cook's imprint all over it and the unibody Macbook is the invention of Jony Ives. This respite from Steve, and I hope it is only a respite, will prove that Apple has moved beyond one man. It is only then that the stock will recover.
The cruelness expressed by some of the immature little boys in this thread is really unbelieveable.
The stock probably will take a temporary big psychological hit because of "the cult of Steve". Part of that is Apple's and Steve's own doing. But in the long term, the stock will properly reflect price/earnings ratios and other normal performance indicators.
Because of Steve's persona, people seem to think that he single-handedly sits there and designs computers and products, which is an absurd notion. When Jobs still owned Pixar, he wasn't even at Apple full-time.
The fact is that Jobs should NOT be involved in day-to-day decisions whether his health is good or bad. He should be involved only in the big strategic decisions. They should have let other people shine before now, but they'll be forced to let the other senior executives have a more public persona now.
Hopefully, Steve will be able to recover from his illness and return to Apple. But if not, there's plenty of talent there (although maybe not anyone senior with Steve's communication skills) and they'll continue to attract great talent as they move forward. Even before Steve came back, when Apple was in deep trouble, they still did some great things.
Comments
Steve Jobs c/o Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
I called Apple and they confirmed the address of where to send it. I am making my card using my Mac.
LOL.
Some people in this thread are emotionally shattered by the news that Jobs will be dead pretty soon, pushing up daisies.
They lost their Messiah.
My comment was on the self deception that surfaces so rapidly here, but you seem to be positively gleeful at the bad news.
If Steve goes, so does Apple, it's happened before and will happen again. ...
Get a grip man. Do you have a life-size gold statue of him in your bedroom or something?
This is quite the different situation than what happened before when he left. Those that were around at the time might remember he was actually forced out after a series of bad news events that happened while he was still there. He was by all accounts an arrogant jerk who was leading the company (in some ways) in the wrong direction.
IMO the time at Next sobered him up and made him into the guy he is today. Also, Apple was doing poorly while he was gone, but it wasn't like every employee was going around running into door jambs or something. The company was in dire straights when they finally got rid of him and suffered through a series of crappy moves for quite a while afterwards. Kind of like the situation Palm has been in for the last ten years or so. When they finally invited him back, they were at deaths door and had no other option. Most people (the way I remember it at least), thought it was probably a bad idea to have him back in charge, but there were no other choices waiting in the wings so they took a chance.
This time, he is leaving (temporarily) a company that is doing fantastic and with no bad feelings. The people he is leaving in charge are also far more capable, and far more experienced than any of the bozos that took over the first time. It's a completely different situation in almost every way, but you won't hear any of that from the tech press.
The investors agree. AAPL down 10% in after-hours.
Wow, you really are a fucking idiot.
Uhhhh, overreact much? Chill out.
He's right, you ARE an insensitive bastard!
It does make me wonder. If Steve is admitting it now that the reins have change to Tim, was Steve even involved with the iTunes negotiations? I am beginning to think not since it went against his well known adamant stance.
His stance was adamant but in the context of DRM. The removal of DRM is a major victory for digital distribution and was well worth the compromise. I see no inconsistency.
She was also one of the "fortunate" ones who have the operable form of pancreatic cancer. She passed away 2 years after her first operation. The fact is that when the pancreas does not work properly the body can not process food properly and store fat. Before my aunt lost her appetite for food she could eat 6000+ calories of food per day and live a sedentary lifestyle and still lose weight. She could eat ice cream all day and lose weight.
Mr. Jobs has much more money than my aunt did so maybe his doctors have found out a way to extend his life a little but without a working pancreas his passing will be soon.
This is a very sad reality as I have been following the career of Mr Jobs for years. My life has been greatly impacted by the products he as made and the movies he produced through Pixar. If he does pass within the next 6 months it will be too soon and a shame.
To read more about the potential issues that Mr. Jobs is facing anyone can find the info on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer
Seems absolute denial by the KoolAid gang didn't work.
Onto Plan B.
You hit that nail right on the head.
Nevertheless this is bad news no matter when it occurs.
not to say these "complex medical issues" are a marketing ploy...
just get better steve!
Most people (the way I remember it at least), thought it was probably a bad idea to have him back in charge, but there were no other choices waiting in the wings so they took a chance.
I don't know any Apple fan who thought that. Perhaps you mean the business pundits? They never understood Jobs or Apple to begin with, so I never paid attention to them.
LOL.
Some people in this thread are emotionally shattered by the news that Jobs will be dead pretty soon, pushing up daisies.
They lost their Messiah.
Worst troll ever.
If Steve goes, so does Apple, it's happened before and will happen again. There will be nobody for Microsoft to chase and computers will be stuck with either whatever Windows version was the last to take inspiration from an Apple product for 20 years, or one of the many pernickety Linux distros.
Let's put things in perspective.
Steve Jobs v1 messed up Apple III and Mac launches. That was why he was forced out. During the years of John Sculley, Apple did extremely well, until 95 (Windows 95). During those 10 years, Apple had way more innovative products - SCSI, ADB, 32-bit OS, Newton, laptop etc. Apple was a real leader in hardware design. Unfortunately, Copland was going nowhere and that's what was killing Apple after 95.
Steve Jobs v2 brought in OpenStep and a huge pool of talented engineers. It saved Apple, but don't forget, it saved SJ too (NeXT was losing huge amount of $ too).
Actually, during the last 12 years, Apple hardly had any real hardware innovation. However, being a perfectionist, Steve Jobs really helped Apple to produce hit products, from OSX to iPod to iPhone. Certainly, a big factor was that Microsoft's misstep with Vista.
My point is that Steve Jobs had some extremely important leadership quality. However, please don't make it sound that Apple was a totally mess before he went back. Apple was in a big mess from 95 to 97, but was making a killing from 85 to 95.
By the way, in 1995, Apple's market share in US was close to 20%. (it is about 6% today).
You hit that nail right on the head.
Nevertheless this is bad news no matter when it occurs.
I can't help noticing the parallels with similar events behind the Iron Curtain, particularly recently in Cuba and North Korea.
The Cult of Personality has been turned into a tool of Capitalism. Unfortunately it is a double edged sword, as we are all mortal. If greatness is possessed by only a certain individual then when that individual goes there is a lot of explaining to do.
Just how quickly can the followers do their double think to catch up with the double speak?
Judging on past performance, most Apple supporters will turn on a dime, if told to.
Apple's great service and innovation are a result of the passion.
I think with this happening Apple has officially become a Retailer. The excitement will be lost. Just look at how boring that last Keynote was.
I hope Steve Jobs returns to health.
"Gute Besserung, Steve"
It's probably not so bad and Steve decided, that he has a great team around him, that can cover daily business and he can concentrate on his own health. He will still be making the most important strategic decision, but all this other day to day business can be done by Tim Cook.
He should not worry about stuff like:
"Shall we add a 32 GB iphone to the line at a higher price point or should we simply double the storage at existing price points."
"shall the new iPhone Nano be available in 4 or 8 colors?"
"shall we add a 27" iMac to the line"
"should we allow a built to order non-glossy MacBook Pro 15"?"
I own a few AAPL shares but they were already in a slump on rumors of Steve's denial over his medical deterioration. I actually think Job's health saga will be good for Apple in the long run. While it's true there would be no Apple without Steve Jobs the company has grown beyond that era.
The iPhone expansion for example has Tim Cook's imprint all over it and the unibody Macbook is the invention of Jony Ives. This respite from Steve, and I hope it is only a respite, will prove that Apple has moved beyond one man. It is only then that the stock will recover.
This is a dark day. At least he can afford the best doctors and advice.
Money is never enough. He needs luck and divine intervention if he is that bad off. Cancer hits rich and poor the same.
The stock probably will take a temporary big psychological hit because of "the cult of Steve". Part of that is Apple's and Steve's own doing. But in the long term, the stock will properly reflect price/earnings ratios and other normal performance indicators.
Because of Steve's persona, people seem to think that he single-handedly sits there and designs computers and products, which is an absurd notion. When Jobs still owned Pixar, he wasn't even at Apple full-time.
The fact is that Jobs should NOT be involved in day-to-day decisions whether his health is good or bad. He should be involved only in the big strategic decisions. They should have let other people shine before now, but they'll be forced to let the other senior executives have a more public persona now.
Hopefully, Steve will be able to recover from his illness and return to Apple. But if not, there's plenty of talent there (although maybe not anyone senior with Steve's communication skills) and they'll continue to attract great talent as they move forward. Even before Steve came back, when Apple was in deep trouble, they still did some great things.