And Steve is fattening himself up to get ready for work!
Posted on 01/18/2011 6:59:18 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Apple will be fine, again, under veteran COO Tim Cook. But the day will inevitably come when the board will have to a find a permanent replacement for their iconic leader.
Throughout the long, sad, information-deprived debate over the health of Steve Jobs, there have always been two parallel conversations about would happen if the Apple (AAPL) CEO were to leave his job prematurely.
On the one hand is the question of what would happen to Apple in the near term. That matter was more or less laid to rest during the last two medical emergencies that saw Jobs take temporary leaves: Apple hummed along without a hiccup. Yes, the stock price dropped. (As Phil Elmer-DeWitt reports today, the stock is dropping again in Germany on a U.S. markets holiday.) But under the leadership of Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, Apple really didn't miss a beat. It introduced new products, hired new executives, managed complicated product offerings, all while Jobs was in various stages of convalescence.
The bigger question by far is what would happen down the road, after whatever plans Jobs has put in place have played out. The outlook here is far less optimistic. "Anyone who thinks Apple can keep chugging along without Steve is deluding themselves," says a former Apple executive who isn't particularly fond of Jobs but nevertheless stands in awe of the CEO's ability to alternately charm and terrorize his minions.
In thinking the unthinkable, let's pause for a moment and explicate Apple's news release today, a classic example of Apple's singular method of communicating with the world.
There had been whispers in the recent weeks that Jobs had gone AWOL, but the holidays are an easy time to mask an executive's absence.
(Excerpt) Read more at tech.fortune.cnn.com ...
Who is Tim Cook ? A Closer Look at #2 :
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/01/17/tim-cook-taking-closer-look-apples/
EXCERPT:
Cook, 50, is widely respected in the industry and as Apple’s chief operating officer has been Jobs’s trusted No. 2 for years. He also took the reins at Apple in April 2009 when Jobs took a medical leave of absence to receive a liver transplant after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
From an operating standpoint, Cook is as good as it gets as a No. 2. He’s been with Apple for more than a decade — he joined in March 1998 — and has also worked at Compaq, Intelligent Electronics and IBM, where he led its North American manufacturing and distribution functions for PCs.
At the same time, “He doesn’t have the magic or charisma Steve Jobs does. He certainly can’t replace Steve Jobs. Right now Steve Jobs is largely irreplaceable,” Enderle said, comparing him to Walt Disney, the founder of Disney.
Hailing from Alabama, Cook attended Auburn University and went on to receive his MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, in 1988.
He’s more of a big-picture guy, rather than the hands-on, micromanager that is Jobs. Enderle called Cook a “good operational manager” and said he is “very well known and well regarded inside” Apple.
After being recruited by Jobs himself, Cook revamped Apple’s supply chains to ensure the company became more efficient and stock levels were at a minimum.
But he’s not the PR-savvy showman like Jobs, who seems to bask in the glory of the attention his product announcements always have. According to the U.K.’s Guardian, Cook hasn’t even unveiled a new product in front of an audience
I believe Apple just signed up with Verizon to take over V's 3G network with iPhones; this will continue the iPhone revenue growth.
The iPad is the most elegant computer I have ever used (and I started way back with the Univacs).
Here's a short humorous clip to describe the Apple iPhone Madness.
And Steve is fattening himself up to get ready for work!
Most aspects of Apple will continue on as usual. I think the main element thqt Jobs brings is an obsessive desire for elegance, in hardware design and more importantly, user interface. He grinds over how a user interacts with a device. Apple is years ahead in this area.
Apple ping.
Until the Verizon iPhone Launch. He did it.
It’s not that Jobs is indespensible, Apple stock has a built in premium because of him. The stock trades at a higher P/E than justified because he is in charge. The stock will recover at some point after he goes, but that doesn’t mean the stock isn’t overpriced now.
Wozniack ( the other Steve ) On November 18, 2010 gave a speech at the Science & Technology Summit at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague in which he predicted that Android would be dominant over the iPhone market-wise but the iPhone would retain the quality edge.
I believe he left Apple almost 25 years ago. As a shareholder, I wouldn’t mind him coming back if ( God forbid ) Jobs becomes permanently incapacipated.
We lived in Los Gatos when the breakup occurred between these two. I was also a Xeroid (Xerox)when they noticed a few things at the Palo Alto Research Center.
An interesting time in Silicon Valley.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Yesterday a Wall Street analyst said Steve Jobs presence accounts for 25% of AAPL stock price
It seems that everyone is discounting the WOZ. Who knows? He may reappear.
Well if Steve Jobs trusts this guy, what is the worry?
Binger,,,you think if he loses a few lbs he can step in as guru #2?
I haven't "followed" Woz of late, but I imagine his return might not be a bad thing.
Must admit, though: of the two "Steves", Woz is the one I always wanted to meet...
You do have a museum, don’t you?
I would love to see Woz return.
Good morning! He could lose a few. He looks very healthy though. LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.