“It was one year ago today that Steve Jobs’ temporary leave of absence turned into his actual retirement: when the late and legendary founder of Apple announced he was losing his fight against cancer and would not be returning to the company he loved,” Matt Nesto reports for Yahoo Finance.
“As shocking and sad and unsettling as the news was at the time, the actual hand-off was seamless, considering chief operating officer Tim Cook was already seven months into his second stint as interim CEO,” Nesto reports. “Even so, the doubts were many and the concerns were plentiful, as loyal consumers, devoted employees, and beholden investors were forced to acknowledge that things would never be the same. After all, no one could ever replace Steve Jobs.”
Nesto reports, “‘What stands out is how little stands out,’ says Adam Lashinsky, author of Inside Apple and senior editor at large for FORTUNE. ‘It’s been a year of continuation of everything Apple had been doing in the previous two years,’ he adds in the attached video, pointing out that the real measure of the Cook era won’t begin until a brand new product category is launched that is as ‘mind-blowingly revolutionary as the last few.’ …In the meantime, Lashinsky characterizes Cook’s tenure as being a caretaker of the ‘rocket ship company’ he inherited from his former boss”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Caretaker CEO? We’ll know for sure sometime next year (word has it that Jobs provided significant input on iPhone 5, approved of the idea of an iPad mini, and told his biographer that he had “cracked” TV, so this round of upcoming products can’t be attributed solely to Tim Cook’s Apple.).
Related articles:
5 things Apple has done since Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO – August 23, 2012
Enderle: The king is dead. Can Samsung slay Apple and steal its crown? – August 18, 2012
Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple; Tim Cook named CEO, Jobs elected Chairman of the Board – August 24, 2011
Glad Jobs is gone. He was irresponsible to let Schmidt on to the Board, and created an unnecessary threat threat to Apple. He was sick, useless further as a CEO. Death forced him to get out of the way and for Apple to move on.
A bunch of whining ass babies lament he is gone, like MDN. Wahhh, wahhhh, our Steve is gone, wahhhh.
Grow the fuck up and move on with the team that is there.
How do you really feel?
MDN, dont shit on the plate that feeds you…
Mdn needs to get a pc and a droid since they are no longer Apple supporters.
@ Mike: i know haven’t registered, but i’m a regular poster here who is also named Mike, and your juvenile comment can easily be mistaken for that of an ignorant troll. Please think before posting.
MDN in this case is correct to withhold strong endorsement for Cook since he really hasn’t delivered any phenomenal new product into the market since the Retina Macbook Pro. Sure, Wall Streeters are cheering that the pumped-up Apple stock price preceding an anticipated (overdue?) new iPhone. But that air can deflate rapidly if the next iPhone doesn’t meet lofty expectations that it will technologically run circles around all challengers.
Meanwhile, desktop Macs get longer in the tooth, and iWork is still trotting around as version ’09. Mac OS 10.8 has come across with a resounding “meh, i like Snow Leopard better” from most honest reviewers, and there’s nothing but speculation to indicate what Apple’s goals are for its hobby, AppleTV. The iCloud, like Microsoft’s server-based initiatives, is hardly attractive for most users, and certainly not a big money maker. And while Microsoft continues to muck up the auto infotainment market, Apple is nowhere to be found. Apple seems to be afraid to go after server markets, corporate markets, or after really lucrative markets like commercial airplane entertainment & communication systems.
In short, Tim Cook had better get the innovation engine started again and display some real leadership in going after new markets with all-new products. If he can’t, then he’s clearly not worth the bazillions of dollars that the board shoveled at him. As if any corporate executive ever is…
This is SOOOOO gossipy. Thé idol worship Of Jobs is making this whole discussion so childish. No one but Tim knows who is influencing what. Suffice to say that near perfection has been achieved in almost all product lines. Phil, Tim and Jony are on the case of producing fabulous new stuff to further enhance our lives and give Samsung something to copy. The King is dead, Long live the King.
Agree with MDN. Even more so, it could be 5 years before we know what effect the passing of Steve Jobs has had on new product innovation (as we know apple’s development pipeline is 5+ years long)
Given the authority (and independence) that Jobs bestowed on Ive’s industrial Design department and that he (Jon) and Scott Forstall have been key innovators since jobs Returned to Apple, that affect may just be; little or nothing.
If you agree with MDN, then STFU until you actually have any conclusions to jump to. Steve is gone. Nothing’s ginna bring him back. There will never be another like him. Let Apple grow into the new era and concentrate on keeping the company an oracle of the industry. Till then dont be disruptive and prematurely judging anyone.
Wow you really have an anger problem don’t you.
My point (which, I think most got) was don’t go jumping to conclusions or rapid “apple’s magic is gone” nonsense. Steve’s direct influence (in products and innovations) will last for years and his choices in people (one of his greatest assets was to recognize greatness in people, often before they themselves recognized it) will last a decade or more.
Now breeze, kindly STFU, no one was talking to you.
these were not Steve’s design or his tech invention. He was CEO and not designer or programmer or chief of hardware. The guys who actually did create the product are still at apple. Now relax and all of us still love Steve.
I thought my PS post, in this thread, clarified that i was referring to MDs recent ramp about TC .
I realized that as soon as i posted- sorry T bt, my point was:
Leave the man alone and let Apple do their job instead of second guessing hysterically…
Hey breeze, cool your jets. He was making a valid comment.
PS: the reference to MDN was apropos their chomping at the bit hysterical recent ranting. Remember how quick they were to jumpa and accuse when antennagate broke…?
The phrase is “champing at the bit.”
“champ” verb, another word for chomp.
I agree…it will take at least five years to tell if the team in charge is the right one. Short term profits are not the problem…you can do that by cutting corners ….like ummm RETAIL….and CUSTOMER SERVICE….it will still be better than anybody else but from what little I have seen not as good as it was when Steve Jobs was around.
Splat
MDN comments are a joke. Only the blind faithful believe in MDN’s crap comments.
I worshiped at the altar of Steve Jobs, but only because he turned a bankrupt firm into a powerhouse, and positioned it (with the leadership he selected) to continue after he was gone. Real leadership is what remains in the Company’s culture. Jobs left a terrific culture. But, what Apple accomplishes from here on out, will be the result of the people running the Company. Not next year, or five years down the road, but from HERE on out.
TC and crew are far more than capable of continuing the APPLE legacy. That’s why they were hired years ago.
Well said.
Yup
OK, Tim, Apple won versus Samsung. Now get to work and pump out the products (i.e. new iMacs and MacPros and Mac minis dammit).
What exactly would they put in a new Mac pro?? Until you can do dual and quad i7 processors, itd be releasing one just to release one. You can’t put thunderbolt into the current architecture they use.. Since you can’t do multiple i7 processors, it does no good.. Hate to say it, but a new MacPro will come when the technology is there on, sadly, intels part..
Same with the iMacs. It’d be a spec bump at this point. Wait until the new intel architecture comes out and it will make sense for new desktops..
I think MDN is overcritical of Tim. No one can completely replace Steve, but Tim is doing OK. He’ll make mistakes just as Steve made some in his time too. Cut Tim a break, MDN, am a bit disappointed in your negative attitude toward a man trying to practically walk in the shoes of a once in a century genius.