Steve Ballmer is to Microsoft as John Sculley was to Apple. You’ve got a test bed for your thesis right there. Care to speculate?
Jobs was called upon when Apple was in the depths of near bankruptcy and he did quite well. How much longer will he last with his borrowed kidney and the other problems associated with transplants?
Apple would have been dead before he was called if it had not been for the publishing industry, which to this day has stuck with them. I for one can’t stand them, but I also have a love/hate relationship with MS.
I would bet that when he is gone that Apple will have problems that may turn out to be terminal in an industry that would be glad to cut Jobs head off. Just as with MS, companies get so big they cannot be innovative and react quickly to trends. And let’s face it, Apple does some very creative and attractive packaging. As well, their PR/advertising campaigns are second to none.