In the big picture, Schiller’s Macworld keynote a big deal for Apple

“There are two ways to view Philip Schiller’s keynote at Macworld Tuesday: It was either a respectable effort by one of Steve Jobs’ understudies or a bummer since the main attraction wasn’t on stage and the announcements left a lot to be desired. Both would miss the big picture,” Larry Dignan blogs for ZDNet.

“The big picture is this: For the long-term health of Apple the company needs to prove that it is more than just Steve Jobs. Jobs could stay at the helm of Apple for 10 months or 10 years. It doesn’t really matter. At some point in the future, Apple will have to get along without Jobs,” Dignan writes.

“That’s why Schiller’s keynote, which probably benefited from low expectations, is more important than it initially appears. Apple is putting executives such as marketing guru Schiller and operating chief Tim Cook in the limelight to show it has a bench. The transition from Jobs is a gradual process that will take years to unfold if Apple is lucky,” Dignan writes.

“The truly successful and unique companies–Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines come to mind–have managed to capture their founders’ DNA in a bottle and carried it forward no matter who was in charge. That’s Apple’s challenge,” Dignan writes. “Jobs’ challenge is to solidify Apple’s culture so the company carries his zeitgeist for decades to come.”

Full article here.