Apple CEO Jobs on successor, reiterates goal of 10 million iPhones this year

69 Comments

At Apple’s annual shareholders’ meeting today, “Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who returned a decade ago to lead the computer company he helped found, said he sees many potential successors among Apple’s current executives,” Connie Guglielmo reports for Bloomberg.

“‘We’ve got great talent, and I think the board would have really great choices,’ Jobs, 53, said today at a shareholder meeting at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. Possible successors include operations chief Timothy Cook and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, he said,” Guglielmo reports.

MacDailyNews Take: Right now, it looks like Apple’s best hope, and a very good one at that, is Jonathan Ive… He seems to work well with the engineers responsible for the hardware. He is obviously a meticulous genius. And he has “that certain something” which, importantly, comes across on camera and in person. Whether he has the extremely rare “vision thing” that Jobs possesses; well, that’s still an open question…

Watch Ive in the Power Mac G5 intro video. Ive first appears about 40% in, at the 2:50 mark of the 6:33 minute video. Note that he is almost wearing a black mock turtleneck already. Contrast his presentation style and enthusiasm with the other Apple presenters. Can you sense the almost Jobsian, call it Junior Jobsian, aura? Ive has “it” while all of the other Apple employees in the video are just nice people talking about a computer. And Ive should only get better with time. Could we be watching Steve Jobs’ successor, Apple’s future CEO, in the 31-year-old Ive?

Jonathan Ive, Apple Computer CEO circa 2025. It has a pretty nice ring to it, doesn’t it? You heard it here first. I think Mr. Ive could pull it off. And I think Jobs thinks so, too; in about twenty years… – SteveJack, August 20, 2003 (What happens when Steve Jobs dies?)

Guglielmo continues, “Jobs also “reiterated his goal of selling 10 million iPhones this year, including in new markets in regions such as Asia. He declined to say specifically when Apple would start selling the phone in China.”

Full article here.

Scott Hillis reports for Reuters, “Jobs also was asked if the company planned to start a dividend or stock buybacks. ‘At this time, we have no plans to do either,’ he told shareholders.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: As many media outlets (MarketWatch and CNBC, among others) continue to get this wrong even today, to clarify: Apple’s publicly-stated goal is 10 million iPhone units in 2008 alone. iPhone units sold in 2007 do not count towards the 10 million goal.

Apple’s goal has been consistent since it was first mentioned (as usual, it’s become FUBAR thanks to incompetents in the media):
• Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in his Macworld Expo 2007 keynote address that Apple would set the goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008, the first full year on the market. Jobs, standing in front of a 20-foot tall slide, no less, that said, “1% market share = 10M units in 2008,” stated, “1% market share = 10 million units. This is exactly what we’re going to try to do in 2008, our first full year in the market, is grab 1% market share… We’re going to go for it and see if we can get 1% market share, 10 million units in 2008 and go from there.” (Macworld Expo 2007 iPhone Introduction: Jobs’ remarks on iPhone goals begin at 1:15:52 into the QuickTime video).
• On July 25, 2007, during Apple’s conference call discussing Q3 – 2007 financial results, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer reiterated Apple’s goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008.
• On January 22, 2008, during Apple’s Q1 08 financial results conference call Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer again reiterated Apple’s goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008.
• Just last week, Apple COO Tim Cook once again reiterated the goal and stated publicly that Apple is confident that the company is on track for hitting their goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008.

Related article:
Apple shareholders pass proposal calling for annual executive compensation ratification – March 04, 2008

69 Comments

  1. I’m content to wait until the end of 2008 and see what the story is at that time. I’m not refuting any of those guys, because MDN is referencing Steve’s 2007 keynote where he also discusses market share. What if Apple obtains 1% of market share, but sells less than $10 million? Does that mean Steve met or failed to meet his projection? I’m just reminding everyone that there was more to Steve’s objectives than dollars only. The world economy could break and smartphone sales tank, while the iPhone still obtains 1% of the market. Believe me that I will not be disappointed if Apple far exceeds $10 in 2008 alone.

    Reply

  2. Al Gore is next in line. (Then I’ll switch to M$).

    Al worse than Ballmer? Please. I’m a hardcore red-stater and even I ran Al higher than that. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

    As for switching if Al got the nod? Maybe to Amish, NEVER to MS.

    Reply

  3. MDN, how the hell would you know anything about how well Jonathan Ive works with anyone at Apple. You don’t probably know more than 5 people outside of the Apple Retail stores you obviously pester relentlessly! Tim Cook would be a excellent replacement for SJ and so would Peter O! These is another example of how you guys think you know so much about what Apple or SJ should do when you don’t have nearly enough facts to make any sort of call on something this immense!

    Reply

  7. Hey MDN, I was just reading what you said about 10 Million iPhones. I think it’s debatable.

    The confusion comes from the beginning:

    “This is exactly what we’re going to try to do in 2008, our first full year in the market […]”

    In 2008, Apple’s iPhone will have been on the market for a full year (June 2007 to June 2008). If so, we can look at how many iPhones Apple has sold and see how close they are to their goal.

    Also, in regards to the conference calls with Tim Cook, remember that Apple’s 2008 Fiscal Year started back in October. Apple’s Q1 2008 is October to January. That is also a “full year.” Which means we would discount the number of iPhones sold between June and October.

    And then there’s the calendar year, January to December 2008, which is also a “full year.” In that case, the count is at zero until Apple reports second-quarter results (January to March).

    So, which is it? Hopefully, somebody will ask that in a conference call…

    Reply

  9. I know plenty of people are pulling for Jonathan Ive, thinking that Apple philosophy is mostly about form over function, and that’s the Job’s way. I disagree with this notion.
    Just giving zen presentations or being overbearing with the engineers and making outrageous demands or being anal about perfectionism in design minimalism is not what makes a Steve Jobs. There’s more to the man than meets the eye still, and plenty of biased publications (Apple Confidential 2.0 etc) painted a silly, arrogant, humbug, egotistical image of a man who is but an ‘accidental millionaire.’
    Even Woz took some public low swings at Jobs over the years. And yet, there are no public rebuttal offered from Jobs’ end. Most of the foreign press ate up all the negative press and decided for themselves what is true and myth, creating their own RDF.
    I won’t try to defend Jobs, not my job, but all this Ive talk is reminiscent to me of Jay Leno and how his publicist leaked an early retirement rumour of Mr. Carson that ultimately ended with him leaving sooner than he himself expected.
    I know a lot of English press is rooting this Ive campaign, and I have read a few since last year soon after Jan 9. But there is that something about a giant Jobsian footstep that I just don’t see anyone close to filling it. A pretty boy presentation is certainly one dimensional footprint, IMHO.
    In the darkest days of Apple, much of the 90s, we all rooted for it, not because of Scully et al that were in charge. Jobs is Apple, and Apple Jobs. After that, I think I may move on, don’t know about you. It just won’t be the same. Just not cricket.

    MDN magic word: ‘men’ as in there are a few.

    Reply

  11. Jonathan Ive?

    The man is brilliant.

    And he’s right where he needs to be. There are so many facets involved with running a company that he’d be distracted from what he does best. I’m sure Ive provides plenty of input and direction to Apple as Senior Vice President of Industrial Design.

    Has anyone even asked Ive if he’d want to run Apple?

    There’s nothing saying he couldn’t be the Keynote speaker for MacWorld, etc. But please don’t take him from an area in which he excels and bog him down in daily business affairs.

    All those suggesting Ive as CEO need to go visit some Microsoft Fan sites, they’ll fall more inline with your ideas of mis-appointing company executives.

    Reply

  13. And MDN.

    You really need to put the successor bit in context. It wasn’t brought up by anyone inside Apple.

    “An investor noted that the media often equates Jobs with Apple, and asked what would happen to Apple without Jobs. He responded by noting that the board already has several well qualified options to draw upon were he to be ‘hit by a bus,’ and expressed confidence in his executive team.” – Prince Mclean, who actually attended the shareholder meeting.

    Now if Jobs plans on getting hit by a bus, that’s another story.

    Reply

  16. Chrissy One… “Pole extensions in Ohio”

    please, lets leave sex out of this. We’re talking about Burl Ives here. And his success with Rudolph, Olive and Frosty.

    Or am I mixing my metaphores?

    Reply

  25. ChrissyOne, Cindy McCain is an airhead valley girl.

    I saw her on TV with her parents and I could they wanted to crawl under a rock they were so embarrassed with her.

    But she is a MILF for sure…now where did I put that roll of duct tape?

    Reply

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