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Steve Jobs To Take Leave Of Absence?
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rumour has it that he's schedule a flight to the caymans to hide his money b/c of this entire options issue.
let's hope it's not his health nor that it's true. he's a good leader and i wonder how the analysts would feel about apple without him at the helm...
let's hope it's not his health nor that it's true. he's a good leader and i wonder how the analysts would feel about apple without him at the helm...
The Rise of Ive
You may think i'm crazy but... it 'seems' that Jonathan Ive would be a damn good replacement for Steve when he eventually/inevitably retires. Ive's been on the scene for a long time now and judging from previous articles he and jobs are very like minded; they see eye to eye. Plus he has the superior design/functionality/engineering balance that have created some of Apples most successful products to date.
With the backing of other prominent members such as Phil Schiller, it could probably continue in much the same way.
You may think i'm crazy but... it 'seems' that Jonathan Ive would be a damn good replacement for Steve when he eventually/inevitably retires. Ive's been on the scene for a long time now and judging from previous articles he and jobs are very like minded; they see eye to eye. Plus he has the superior design/functionality/engineering balance that have created some of Apples most successful products to date.
With the backing of other prominent members such as Phil Schiller, it could probably continue in much the same way.
Apple have an excellent track record for keeping secrets and Steve Jobs never gives anything away immediately prior to a keynote.
How plausible does it sound to you that the only person in on this big secret is a guy who publishes financial rumours and who speculates on rapid stock fluctuations ?
He doesn't need to declare an interest in APPL because he probably doesn't own any, but if his rumour can bring the price sharply down, he might be very tempted indeed to buy a lot.
I'll call B.S. on this one. It simply doesn't sound credible. It's much more likely that this is a cynical attempt to manipulate stock prices.
How plausible does it sound to you that the only person in on this big secret is a guy who publishes financial rumours and who speculates on rapid stock fluctuations ?
He doesn't need to declare an interest in APPL because he probably doesn't own any, but if his rumour can bring the price sharply down, he might be very tempted indeed to buy a lot.
I'll call B.S. on this one. It simply doesn't sound credible. It's much more likely that this is a cynical attempt to manipulate stock prices.
No way Jonathan Ive would take over for Steve. He's a designer, and his and Steve's design goals are very in-line, but don't mistake him for a CEO. You would see Phil Shiller succeed Steve IF Steve does go. Phil has already filled in for Steve when he had his bout with cancer.
That's very true but he already leads a fairly sizeable team and I imagine the business accument comes naturally when you work in such a position and you deal with someone like Jobs constantly and you learn from him etc. Steve Jobs wasn't born a CEO (maybe he was, but you know wot im getting at).
But like you said Phil Schiller would be the obvious replacement. This would be pretty much the same kind of setup with Ive still on board and his influence in the design/engineering. I thought Schiller did a pretty good job with his iMac Intro Keynote.
Phil filled in for a keynote, not as CEO. The next ranking executive was Tim Cook I believe -who is Apple's chief operating officer, who would still, in the event of Steve's departure, be the acting CEO. Ive has never shown any inclination to be CEO.
Leave of absence could mean he's just taking time off for a long vacation, to spend more time with his family, etc. People in my company take 2-4 month leaves without pay all the time. Maybe the man will just need a rest after birthing iTV, MacPhone, new Mac Pros, Leopard, etc. over the next few months.
I agree that this may just be a much needed vacation. He is doing a good job and should take some time off. Get away from email and phone calls and relax.
Steve Jobs has his own magic and is an important public face , and investors may become a little nervous. But at the end, Jobs does not make Apple. There is a too big of a team involved at this point at the top, and Apple is no longer a one man show. Therefore, Steve taking a Leave of absence will not have a huge impact to Apple on the product side. Apple's marketing face is no longer Steve, either. For us, close followers he is, but for most people that have bought an iPod, and bought their first Mac in the last year, the presence of Steve probably doesn't matter.
But while Steve is no longer the marketing face, the biggest obstacle will be for the marketing group. How to keep the press interested in Apple without Steve. And the answer itself is a fairly simple one, keep providing a good and interesting product. It will sell at this point.
But while Steve is no longer the marketing face, the biggest obstacle will be for the marketing group. How to keep the press interested in Apple without Steve. And the answer itself is a fairly simple one, keep providing a good and interesting product. It will sell at this point.
This is a rumor from a hedge fund manager, probably related to shorting the stock. If it is a health issue, I am surprised that Steve would be giving a two hour keynote. My hunch is that many are short the stock and it is becoming obvious based on market conditions and Apple's product lineup that it will be one of the companies that is projected to have the most growth in 2007. We will find out on Tuesday.
Being in healthcare for 30 yrs as a front line HC professional, it would not surprise me that health is the issue. He seems to have done remarkably well since his diagnosis/treatment, however, he has not surpassed the 5 year "cancer-free " period. These things are unpredictable, thus I wouldnt be shocked if health is the issue. Despite the denials, I thought he looked "thinner" at his last appearance vs the previous one. In fact, I made a remark to my wife (as she was watching the presentation along with me)....she is a nurse and agreed he looked thinner. So we will see.... I wish the best for him. The stress level certainly doesnt help his recovery! No matter your age, just remember ..everything is transient on this planet, enjoy life while you can!
I stand corrected. Tim Cook was the acting-CEO during Steve's absence. I got them mixed up because, like you said, Phil filled in for the Apple Expo Paris 2004 keynote during the absence. That keynote saw the introduction of the iMac G5...
Press release for Steve Jobs' cancer (Tim Cook overseeing day-to-day operations): https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/08/20040801214953.shtml
Hypothetically, if Steve did plan a leave for a period longer than six months, how do you think that would effect product launch scheduling? If a number of big ticket items in the pipe were technologically mature enough for release, but were waiting for a timed marketing window, what would happen?
I think Apple would try to cram in as many product launches ahead of the announcement as possible, to build a wave of confidence to ride 'til SteveJ's return. And that just might make the first 30 years look like "just the beginning".
Hmm.
Or, how about... Gil Amelio!!!??!
Beige is the new black! AHHH.
I think Apple would try to cram in as many product launches ahead of the announcement as possible, to build a wave of confidence to ride 'til SteveJ's return. And that just might make the first 30 years look like "just the beginning".
Hmm.
Or, how about... Gil Amelio!!!??!
Beige is the new black! AHHH.
I love that guy!!
his P.S. from the email he sent :
"PS: I'm sending this from my hospital bed using my 17-inch PowerBook and an Airport Express."
I also call B.S. Doug Kass (general partner of Seabreeze Partners Management) lists 10 rumors, this one about Jobs being the first. He quotes his sources as "trading desks and other industry sources." Now gee, a trading desk wouldn't have any interest in starting such a rumor, would they? They wouldn't want to knock down the share price 2 business days before MWSF to set up a trade leading up to MWSF, would they? I am positive they wouldn't try and game all of us.
I don't believe Kass is being dishonest, but he may be irresponsible in posting somebody else's wild rumor. If Steve Jobs were going to take a Leave Of Absence, I doubt more than 3 people would know anything about it.
If it's temporary, expect Tim Cook to take over on the interim. If he's having trouble getting through the daily grind, don't be surprised if he does what Bill Gates and Michael Dell have done in turning over day to day operations of Apple to Tim Cook or Eric Schmidt and assuming a chairman position where he still does the keynotes and has oversight of the company.
That's Puting it lightly
Saying he looked thinner is being kind.
He looked like a stick figure. Maybe it's stress, or vegan diet. Who knows.
Saying he looked thinner is being kind.
He looked like a stick figure. Maybe it's stress, or vegan diet. Who knows.
I agree with this. I had made a similar comment on Spymac back at WWDC time - I thought it was odd that he wasn't really doing the Keynote, but instead had three people - Phil and two others - do the large portions of talking.
Remember the G5 intro, or even Panther and Tiger intros? Those were big Steve bravado, and the past WWDC keynote lacked that. And, as we all know, Apple doesn't do anything without a reason.
I guessed at the time that perhaps it was the manifestation of a conscious effort to try to de-centralize power and/or image.
Regardless of this rumor, I think the company does need a plan for what to do when Steve is no longer around. We certainly don't want a Steve Balmer or an Apple-early-90's repeat.
That said, the rumor was just scary enough to be true, because I found myself trying to find ways that it wouldn't be true.
My gut tells me that this is plausible. I'm sure that no one at the company - let alone Steve - would make the move without thinking about EVERY repercussion.
Then again, remember pre-Intel switch? That was like saying the sky wasn't blue, and many were against it simply because it was so diametrically opposed to everything that -we- had held Apple to mean to us as a community. Lo and behold, it WAS true, and it was one of the best decisions Apple has made.
We'll see what happens...
I am a bit apprehensive about this MacWorld, though, and this rumor adds to it.
The iPod was a massive hit, but no device can ever live up to be an adequate successor with all the desires and hype that has built up around the idea of an "iPhone" or whatever. And Apple doesn't have experience in the mobile arena...
Who knows. Again, we'll see come Tuesday.
Let's hope that this rumor does not derive from any real incidents with his health. Instead, let's hope that it is a pitiful attempt by pitiful journalists and market players to curb the inevitable and spectacular increase of AAPL prices on Monday morning.
a. WWDC was indicative of the future. The "presenters" were the face of Apple for the purposes of specific product and feature releases.
b. The decentralization is in reply to stock analyst concerns for a Jobs centric Apple. They have no objection to Jobs having a heavy hand in mamanement, but being the ONLY PR and tactical face at Apple scares them.
c. Jobs dealt with this initially by having a multi-face approach at WWDC.
d. One can expect a similar effort at MWSF07.
e. Jobs needs a break. The APPLE homepage statement about 2007 indicates Apple has arrived at a product development creshendo or peak. Perhaps Steve can take a full year off (and interact by iChat and email) without harming Apple at all. He needs to get the legal claims behind him and have time with his family and thoughts before he can embark on the next phase.
The next phase is real, but also not here yet. Internet 2.0 and the associated technologies are critical business opportunities for Apple.
Steve loves/is Apple.
Rocketman
b. The decentralization is in reply to stock analyst concerns for a Jobs centric Apple. They have no objection to Jobs having a heavy hand in mamanement, but being the ONLY PR and tactical face at Apple scares them.
c. Jobs dealt with this initially by having a multi-face approach at WWDC.
d. One can expect a similar effort at MWSF07.
e. Jobs needs a break. The APPLE homepage statement about 2007 indicates Apple has arrived at a product development creshendo or peak. Perhaps Steve can take a full year off (and interact by iChat and email) without harming Apple at all. He needs to get the legal claims behind him and have time with his family and thoughts before he can embark on the next phase.
The next phase is real, but also not here yet. Internet 2.0 and the associated technologies are critical business opportunities for Apple.
Steve loves/is Apple.
Rocketman