“As a design engineer by training, I love Apple products. I appreciate how well they work, how well they’re made and how well they look,” Phil Baker writes for The Atlantic. “The company has raised the standards for consumer electronic products around the world, due mostly to the fanaticism that Steve Jobs has brought to the product design process. He’s innovated not only in the software and user interface, but with new materials, new form factors, new manufacturing processes, new hardware, and new packaging. No detail was too small that he didn’t improve upon; even replacing the tie wraps on the cables with easy-to-remove clear ribbons. While he may not have done everything himself, he was responsible for setting the tone and expectations of his team.”
Baker writes, “With Jobs now taking an indefinite leave, there’s been speculation about what this will mean for the future of the company. If Jobs doesn’t return, will Apple be able to continue its growth and continue to innovate with new products? While many analysts are optimistic that Apple’s growth will continue on the same trajectory as it’s on today, I think there’s an equal likelihood that the company will go through some significant upheaval and struggle to recover from Jobs’s absence… It will be fascinating to watch how this plays out and to see if Apple can maintain its momentum for years to come. I personally think we may be seeing Apple hitting its peak over the next year or two and then going through some turbulent times.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iCal’ed for good or bad. Writing “if,” but then assuming that Steve Jobs won’t return isn’t a leap we’re willing to take right now. Steve Jobs is still Apple’s CEO and he remains involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
50/50 chance, Apple will either get better or worse.
I’ll take better as my prediction. iCal it.
New development ideas are surely already in the pipeline for several years out. Also, Steve is more than likely leaving his thoughts on future developments as far out as he can see.
Hopefully he returns and all of this speculation is idle chatter anyway.
Apple is doing so well, that “turbulent times” might just represent a small step down from insanely great to terrific. In fact, Apple is doing so well that I would wager that most companies would take Apple’s “worse” outlook over anyone else’s “better” outlook. It’s all a matter of perspective, and Apple’s perspective is kilometers above the rest.
As with Pixar, Jobs surrounded himself with excellent people, created the perfect environment for them and set the tone for success. Pixar didn’t suddenly fold up after swallowing Disney whole, er, being bought by Disney.
First thing let’s send Steve good vibes and that he takes more time than he needs to recover. Let’s just hope that he simply overworked himself. His immune system is shot because of the medication he needs and a person in his condition simply can’t work a full day.
Steve Jobs has probably the best management team in the world. He has the best design team in the world. That will continue to be the case but the real one thing lacking is vision or genius. You simply can’t replace that easily. And if Steve for health reasons can’t come back than that will be a tremedous void. Worst is that their will be too many talking heads making decisions thus bringind down quality. Think about for one second. The iPod, iPhone and iPad have all been out for some time and yet no and I mean no one has come close to coping the overall experience. That is how genius Steve is. He is beyond EPIC.
So let’s hope that eventually Steve can come back at least part-time and during that time he scouts the world for his younger self.
In the meantime while Steve is out. Apple needs to bring back the other co-founder Steve Wozniak and be the face of Apple. Promoting the products and doing the presenations for Apple. Cuz the other guys although super smart just don’t cut it.
Let’s hope takes at least a year off and than slowly comes back.
There is a reason why Mac OS X is named after cats. They always bounce back from dangerous times. Nine Lives baby!
Neo: Nice analogy.
First thing let’s send Steve good vibes and that he takes more time than he needs to recover. Let’s just hope that he simply overworked himself. His immune system is shot because of the medication he needs and a person in his condition simply can’t work a full day.
Steve Jobs has probably the best management team in the world. He has the best design team in the world. That will continue to be the case but the real one thing lacking is vision or genius. You simply can’t replace that easily. And if Steve for health reasons can’t come back than that will be a tremedous void. Worst is that there will be too many talking heads making decisions thus bringind down quality. Think about for one second. The iPod, iPhone and iPad have all been out for some time and yet no one and I mean no one has come close to copying the overall experience. That is how genius Steve is. He is beyond EPIC.
So let’s hope that eventually Steve can come back at least part-time and during that time he scouts the world for his younger self.
In the meantime while Steve is out. Apple needs to bring back the other co-founder Steve Wozniak and be the face of Apple. Promoting the products and doing the presenations for Apple. Cuz the other guys although super smart just don’t cut it.
Let’s hope Steve takes at least a year off and than slowly comes back.
There is a reason why Mac OS X is named after cats. They always bounce back from dangerous times. Nine Lives baby!
I hope that Steve Jobs’ greatest creation is a company that will thrive in his absence, temporary or otherwise.
I’d love to learn – down the road – that his vision had become a shared vision, and that there were smart, industrious people in place to carry it on with the same excellence and attention to the user experience that has characterized the last few years.
I personally believe that Apple has become a company greater than the doubters seem to think it is; that it will be his legacy, not the iPad or iPhone or iMac.
That said, though, I’d love to hear that Steve Jobs is once again healthy and returning to work.
I too am optimistic that Apple will continue to do perfectly fine. Steve didn’t do it alone he and surrounded himself with smart, creative people. If it turns out that Steve isn’t just a great designer, but a great leader as well, then there’s no reason why the people left in charge can’t continue the success.
If you bring back the Woz, then what would Phil Schiller get to do?
I have faith in Cook.
Besides, Apple will eventually transfer Job’s consciousness to a super computer, and allow him to continue innovating forever.
Whats next?
• converting the whole MacBook Pro line to SSD (like MBA) and thin-wedge design
• LTE 4G in everything portable – iPhone/iPad/MBA/MBP
• Large swivel-down iMac touch-screens
• Move to fastest Intel processors across the board
• Move AppleTV interface to Lion to replace FrontRow
• AirPlay from Mac to iPad/AppleTV
• MacPro mini-tower?!
• Apps for AppleTV with control and motion-detection from iPhones
• Social Gaming/Photos/Music/FaceTime/File-transfer
• Game Centre for Mac
@KenC
Look thinner.
^^^ *spit take*
He has given the growing Apple community a great legacy. I hope he recovers and has peace and comfort. If we judge a man by what he has done for others, even in the world of commerce, than he rates very highly.
I am sure that Apple has a plan in place incase Steve does not return. But rest assured Steve will come back to us who cares a loves him. All the best Steve for a speedy recovery!!!!!
I predict that Apple will either get better or worse.
Baker is far to premature…
Apple could rest on its laurels for ten years before another tech company would come close to surpassing them in market value.
But, we all know Apple won’t be standing still. They have products on the drawing board that haven’t been invented yet.
There are products in the skunk works, at this very minute, no one saw coming, and the’re five-years out.
One thing Baker has sorley underestimated is Apple’s patent portfolio.
Apple’s product development roadmap is at least twenty-five years out, but they could spend the next twenty-five years moving laterally through newly created markets for their existing products before the need arises to invent the next insanely great thing.
In the next ten years, we will be witness to some extraordinary inventions and patents pending, for which Apple is prepared to acquire. These are the missing pieces that will unlock new doors and new roads into the future.
Apple is just getting started and the best is yet to come. We’ll look back on this time twenty-years from now and marvel at Steve Jobs’ protegee.
Ack! Too not to, you moron!
hey system 7 came without jobs, that’s a pretty good os especially compared to win 3.1 (which was the competing os)
I don’t like cook though, he’s wierd
they should put woz in charge!!! 😀
If Jobs is no longer the CEO by whatever unfortunate means. Either death or unable to continue because of poor health… Apple will not ever be the same. The great team Jobs has assembled will eventually leave for other/better opportunities elsewhere. The one thing that no one can replace about SJ is his “Visionary” ability to push what Apple should be. No amount of grooming can make Tim Cook or anyone else fill those shoes. Let’s just hope that Steve is going to come back healthy and be able to continue his mission with Apple for a long time. If not. Then the above author is probably right about what will happen to Apple.