“Responses to Apple’s newly reupholstered iOS 7 software have been mixed — personally, I’m not sure how I feel about it yet — but one thing seems certain: iOS 7 made Apple exciting again,” Zach Epstein writes for BGR.
“Among those who were thoroughly impressed by Apple’s work was Bob Lefsetz, an acclaimed music industry critic and consultant who, from time to time, offers commentary on the technology industry as well,” Epstein writes. “Following Apple’s iSO 7 unveiling on Monday, Lefsetz issued a very enthusiastic note to subscribers of his newsletter, going as far as to call iOS 7 a “positively mind-blowing” effort that will make Apple cool again.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s been cool ever since Steve retook the reins as iCEO.
Epstein writes, “Lefsetz wrote in Tuesday morning’s edition of The Lefsetz Letter, ‘With Steve gone… With Scott gone… Jony Ive can take control. Jony Ive is the new Steve Jobs. And rather than being cautious, resting on his laurels, Jony Ive has completely redesigned iOS7 to make it so cool, once it’s launched Apple-envy will be prevalent once again, with every iPhone owner showing off how cool it is.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: You don’t have to have a CEO title to lead the company. Steve Jobs led Apple at the beginning and he was never CEO until he returned over a decade later for his second try.
Since Jobs returned to lead Apple, every Apple shareholder, employee, and avid company watcher has asked themselves this question at some point, “whither Steve Jobs?”
Pixar has John Lasseter and a crop of young, talented directors to carry on post-Steve. But, who will lead Apple? Is Steve grooming someone, yet? Is it too early to worry about it? And what about that bus, God forbid?
I mean, come on, we all lived through the Scully, Spindler, and Amelio years; Apple barely did. On the face of it, the closest Apple has to a successor-in-grooming is Phil Schiller. No offense, Phil, but the RDF hasn’t rubbed off. Leading Apple is a very tricky proposition. Only one man so far has pulled it off successfully. Twice. The key ingredients seem to be a quest for perfection, a passion for the technology and the company, and the ability to relate Apple’s ideas to the world with style. Jobs is truly the charismatic force that propels Apple forward in the face of tremendous odds.
Right now, it looks like Apple’s best hope, and a very good one at that, is Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Vice President of Industrial Design, the London Design Museum’s “2003 Designer of the Year,” and chief designer of the original and current iMacs, iPods, iBooks, PowerBooks, Power Mac G5, and more. 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… Could we be watching Steve Jobs’ successor? — SteveJack, “What happens when Steve Jobs dies?” – August 20, 2003