i dont think there will be much of a change in those six months - all of whats gonna be released in those few months is well mapped out in advance.
i guess its the behind the scences in apple where he will be missed the most, but we dont know much about that at present so there might not be much of a change.
but the headline of no jobs in charge for six months is sure to make a lot of news and draw even more attention and speculation. everything that apple do until june will be scrutanised even more and the reactions to things released will be "would it be different if jobs was there?" (which of course it wouldnt be...)
If Jobs is only taking leave, then Apple will survive fine. If this turns into something more permanent, there needs to be a visibly strong leader appear, someone with a force of will and personality to be the charismatic asshole leader type, someone with a strong vision for the future.
Their COO has 6 months to basically audition for the CEO job. If he does well enough with a bare minimum of guidance from Jobs then I don't think Jobs will bother coming back.
This could potentially be positive if it leads to an Apple that's more willing to partner with other companies and build an eco-system where other vendors can thrive. The only real risk is if they spend the next 6 months being cautious and second-guessing themselves by asking "what would Steve do?"
I have the feeling this is going to be permanent. Jobs has a history of 'interim' announcements becoming permanent (remember when he came back as Apple's "iCEO") and he doesn't let go of power lightly. His health concerns must be quite serious.
When he's away, he's still going to be pulling the strings like Putin in Russia though. It's still his company, it'll be his company as long as he's around. That shadow leadership could cripple the acting CEO.
That seems likely to me. I'm betting that it was only announced as an interim move, to prevent the utter stock chaos that would result from him announcing his retirement.
He's gonna be a hard man to replace, both within the company and as the external face of Apple.
(Sorry for Jaiku Mobile users to send this twice, I had to delete my first post for typos.)
I believe more harmful is and has been this speculation that's been going around for months this year, and for years in the past.
Those who've seen Jobs live say he looks sick. Those who've watched MacWorld keynotes and other video presentations have been sure Jobs looks sick. But they keep saying everything's OK.
Even now Apple doesn't want to tell what's going on, so rumours will go on.
Perhaps it's now worth someone worth setting up a Steve Screen-Based Diagnosis site as Apple have been so unforthcoming. I hope he recovers now he is off-duty.
10 comments so far
Stocks plummet immediately. That's the immediate reaction. Long term...who knows? Will Jobs survive until June when he's supposedly coming back?
1 year ago by edythemighty
i dont think there will be much of a change in those six months - all of whats gonna be released in those few months is well mapped out in advance.
i guess its the behind the scences in apple where he will be missed the most, but we dont know much about that at present so there might not be much of a change.
but the headline of no jobs in charge for six months is sure to make a lot of news and draw even more attention and speculation. everything that apple do until june will be scrutanised even more and the reactions to things released will be "would it be different if jobs was there?" (which of course it wouldnt be...)
1 year ago by dw
It would be more turtleneck-filled! ;)
1 year ago by edythemighty
If Jobs is only taking leave, then Apple will survive fine. If this turns into something more permanent, there needs to be a visibly strong leader appear, someone with a force of will and personality to be the charismatic asshole leader type, someone with a strong vision for the future.
1 year ago by malach
Their COO has 6 months to basically audition for the CEO job. If he does well enough with a bare minimum of guidance from Jobs then I don't think Jobs will bother coming back.
This could potentially be positive if it leads to an Apple that's more willing to partner with other companies and build an eco-system where other vendors can thrive. The only real risk is if they spend the next 6 months being cautious and second-guessing themselves by asking "what would Steve do?"
1 year ago by adewale
There's a whole shitload of working hours in his future, if he wants that gig. I'm not sure I'd be keen.
1 year ago by malach
I have the feeling this is going to be permanent. Jobs has a history of 'interim' announcements becoming permanent (remember when he came back as Apple's "iCEO") and he doesn't let go of power lightly. His health concerns must be quite serious.
When he's away, he's still going to be pulling the strings like Putin in Russia though. It's still his company, it'll be his company as long as he's around. That shadow leadership could cripple the acting CEO.
1 year ago by jyri
That seems likely to me. I'm betting that it was only announced as an interim move, to prevent the utter stock chaos that would result from him announcing his retirement.
He's gonna be a hard man to replace, both within the company and as the external face of Apple.
1 year ago by malach
(Sorry for Jaiku Mobile users to send this twice, I had to delete my first post for typos.)
I believe more harmful is and has been this speculation that's been going around for months this year, and for years in the past.
Those who've seen Jobs live say he looks sick. Those who've watched MacWorld keynotes and other video presentations have been sure Jobs looks sick. But they keep saying everything's OK.
Even now Apple doesn't want to tell what's going on, so rumours will go on.
1 year ago by terolehtt
Perhaps it's now worth someone worth setting up a Steve Screen-Based Diagnosis site as Apple have been so unforthcoming. I hope he recovers now he is off-duty.
1 year ago by lifesized