It has been almost a month since Steve Jobs officially stepped down as CEO of Apple. Today the stock is literally off-the-charts at a new all-time high.
Apple’s market cap is now nearly $25 billion larger than Exxon’s, the second most-valuable public company in the world. Apple’s market cap will soon surpass $400 billion.
The iPhone 5 hasn’t even been announced yet.
Apple would love us to believe it’s all “Eureka.” But Apple produces 10 pixel-perfect prototypes for each feature. They compete — and are winnowed down to three, then one, resulting in a highly evolved winner. Because Apple knows the more you compete inside, the less you’ll have to compete outside.
Would personal computers have gained GUIs without Jobs? Sure, but not as early. It took Microsoft 10 years to come up with a decent GUI, and that was with the example of the Mac staring them in the face. How likely is it that non-Apple smartphones would look and behave the way they do now if the iPhone hadn’t come out in ’07? And we’re still waiting for good tablets other than the iPad.
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In a sense, you’re using a Steve Jobs product whether it has an Apple logo or not
In the public’s eye, Cook has become the Riker to Jobs’ Picard—and people generally like Riker.
Jacqui Cheng writing about Tim Cook’s first company letter as CEO of Apple.
Waitaminute… Captain Cook?
Enhance your calm.
Reuters ran this photoset of Steve Jobs mugshots that really shows the stark decline in Jobs’ health over the years. Good luck, chairman of the board.
August 24, 2011
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
Shortly after this letter was published, Apple announced that the board has elected Steve Jobs as Chairman and Tim Cook is now CEO and board member.
End of an era.
This has been up for two weeks but I haven’t got around to posting it. Here’s Steve Jobs presenting Apple’s proposal for a new campus in Cupertino to the city council. The campus would be notable not only for its spaceship-like architecture but for its size, features (fits 12 thousand people, adds more than 2000 new trees, removes 90% ground level parking, self generated electrcity, etc) and impact to the city of Cupertino and its neighboring cities of Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. Think about the traffic flow, housing arrangements, electricity consumption, business, economy, ecology, air quality, level of interest, and so on.
Here’s the proposed location on Google Maps.
AuliaSays 