Apple Chairman Art Levinson Speaks About Life Without Steve Jobs

Sometimes I secretly wish I was the new CEO of Apple, guiding it towards new goals and directions, given I'm such a geek. (FYI I've been using computers since I was a 6-year old kid ^^)

I have been an Apple fan pretty much all my life and for me personally, not seeing Steve up on the stage doing a product demo or intro is one of the things I truly miss about the whole 'Apple' experience. To me an Apple product launch is not the same without Steve…and what Apple is missing today is true direction (for the company). While Tim (Cook) is a good CEO and possibly he is not in my opinion a good differentiator of tech like Steve was (I believe). Nor is Jony Ive I believe (contrary to reports)….

With the current lineup of Apple products after Steve's death there had been certainly hits and misses. The Macbook Pro Retina and new thin iMacs weren't exactly my faves given the absence of a DVD drive in them; and the elongated purple-photo-producing iPhone 5 isn't either. That's why I haven't upgraded my phone since my iPhone4. If I was Apple I would seek to correct the iPhone5 mistake immediately and release an update or recall of the phone without the sapphire glass-reflection issue. These are the least things one can do for the consumer (and thus ensure success of the product).

stukick said:

As far as I'm concerned, Apple died the day Steve did.

R.I.P. to both.

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You are defining Apple as Steve's Company. Therefore it is now gone.

As far as I'm concerned. The current Apple was born the day Tim Cook took over.

Happy Birthday, to both.

AidenShaw said:

Thank you for such a brilliantly brief view of the reality....

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You're welcome

when did steve forbes join apple?

Chupa Chupa said:

Sure if you are looking at the company like its a sports team and you are a fan.; ultimately only Ws and Ls matter. But from an investor's perspective, it's not just wins, but growth that matters, and Apple's results make investors wonder if the previous growth has stalled. That IS a legit issue for investors to ponder and take issue with.

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Expectations of endless growth is insane, and an economic system based on endless growth (capitalism) is equally insane... Since we live on a finite planet, a steady state equilibrium would be a more rational objective.

Wow. This is probably the most concise and accurate explanation of why people buy stock that I've ever read. It's also dead-on about why Apple is underperforming currently. Great post!

BC2009 said:

That's just it.... Every iPhone has outsold the previous model to the point where each iPhone to date has sold more than the cumulative total of all its predecessors. You can wave your hands all you want (and a whole lot of hand waving is scaring off some investors in addition to some institutional stock manipulation) but the fact of the matter is that Apple is gaining new customers at an incredible pace.

If you really believe that AAPL is going to be flat given its volatility in the last 12 or even 24 months then you have not been paying attention. In fact if you look at simple facts, and extremely conservative bearish projections on AAPL, if the stock price remained flat they could buy back the company in ten years.

Let's talk again in 6 to 9 months about "flat" and we can see how much you stand by your statement.

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But iPhone 5 sales were expected to outsell the previous model. The problem is, Apple sold less than the expected amount. Hence, the growth issue again, or the pace of. Add to that the lower profit margins in the iPad mini, and the concern the mini will cannibalize the more lucrative iPad sales.

And, I have been paying attention, yes. I too own AAPL...bought it back in 2001 when I saw the potential of the iPod to double the then $10 price. Ha. The current volatility is to the down side with mostly lower lows. I think it's a bit wishful thinking AAPL is going to suddenly go on a $200 run unless it shows the world something new we can't live without or announces some amazing bonus for shareholders.

Anyway, sure, we'll "talk" in 6 mos and see where AAPL is. My best guess is that it's going to be floating the the current mid 400 to mid 500 range, no where close to it's previous highs, unless it unveils an all new product and wows the world. Otherwise it's steady as she goes.

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Four oF NINE said:

Expectations of endless growth is insane, and an economic system based on endless growth (capitalism) is equally insane... Since we live on a finite planet, a steady state equilibrium would be a more rational objective.

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Agreed unless a new project or feature on existing product reignites it. But Apple's stock price is hinged to it's growth rate. It's a direct correlation. So if Apple's growth rate slows then investors will adjust the stock price accordingly.

Jetson said:

I see your point and I agree

There are brilliant people at Apple - I know a few.

And those are the ones who carry out the vision, innovate and toil to create wonderful products. I don't mean to slight them at all.

However the vision and drive came from Steve Jobs.

No board of directors EVER had a vision or led anything, with all due respect

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I agree. The board was fumbling around in the dark.

blybug said:

When a comment begins "With all due respect," it's a pretty good bet some disrespect will follow.

When a comment begins "With all do respect," I stop reading it.

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I agree with you. My use of "With all due respect" in response to "WannaGoMac" was a bit tongue-in-cheek because that is how his comment began.