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Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Oct 7, 2005, 05:54 PM

Ok someday Steve could leave Apple for whatever reason.

The point is who would be a good replacement? Does anyone other than Steve understand design the same way he does? Would Apple return to the junk they put out in the early 90's?

yukon · Oct 7, 2005, 08:13 PM

Of course there could be a good replacement. It just has to be someone who can see ahead of the curve, but who won't release products too early. Apple is probably perfecting a video iPod, and they're trying to release it at the proper time. Apple realized you don't have to be the first in a market to win, you just have to do it well and at the right time.

GSixZero · Oct 7, 2005, 08:15 PM

I'm tweaking my resumé right now.

rambo47 · Oct 7, 2005, 08:18 PM

He already left once. Things pretty much sucked then. Any replacement will certainly have to have that "vision thing."

FulcrumPilot · Oct 7, 2005, 08:19 PM

I hope they will call me.

rambo47 · Oct 7, 2005, 08:40 PM

By all accounts, the board of directors is completely in love with SJ. If he leaves it will probably be his decision this time. And with all the stock and options he has I'm sure he'll have a lot to say about who fills the void he leaves. Jonathan Ivey seems like a possible cantidate, after much grooming. And it would be foolish to rule out our own Fulcurm Pilot as a possible successor.

Rolling Bones · Oct 7, 2005, 08:43 PM

It would have to be someone with both right and left brain, design and analytical savvy.

So who can you think of that is both artistic and business minded and has vision?

And is in the loop

for a CEO position.

That list would be short indeed.

I can't think of someone at the moment. Will get back to you Steve.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Oct 7, 2005, 08:49 PM

With his cancer he was closer to death than we were lead on to believe. So we just aren't talking about retirement.

SteveJack · Oct 7, 2005, 09:40 PM

I think Jonathan Ive could be groomed as Jobs' successor:
What happens when Steve Jobs dies?

moonmonkey · Oct 7, 2005, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by SteveJack

I think Jonathan Ive could be groomed as Jobs' successor:
What happens when Steve Jobs dies?

Ives is an industrial designer, what does he know about being a CEO.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Oct 7, 2005, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

Ives is an industrial designer, what does he know about being a CEO.

Exactly, god bless his designs but I can't see him having the same business smarts or charisma on stage.

Tally Ho · Oct 7, 2005, 10:00 PM

Wasn't Jobs an industrial designer first?

Tesseract · Oct 7, 2005, 10:04 PM

Apple will bring back the Newton. And fail.

Apple will try, four times, to rewrite the Mac OS. And fail.

Apple will introduce a mid-priced, crippled, media-centric, and ugly line of computers, and call it Performa. And fail.

Apple will experiment with licensing the Mac ROMs (err, TPM chips) to third parties. Said third parties will almost price Apple out of the market. Apple will revoke their licenses.

Apple will sue Microsoft, fail to win, and end up selling 10% of the company to Microsoft.

Apple will switch processor architectures in roughly 2015. They won't fail, but they'll come close.

Apple will not buy a small, unsuccessful, but innovative maker of operating systems.

Instead they will buy a larger, slightly less innovative, and equally unsuccessful one. The CEO of said OS manufacturer will have "that vision thing" and take over Apple, even though he said he would rather focus on running his movie studio.

Apple will introduce transparent computers. Those computers will inspire peripheral manufacturers around the world to make blobby looking accessories using the latest connection technology that come with snap-on plastic covers in twenty-seven colors.

Because the new CEO has an obsession with small square computers, Apple will introduce a small square computer and sell it for twice what it's worth. They will "suspend production" roughly one year later.

Apple will introduce thin laptops with optical drives and giant screens that are made of exotic metals and have the best battery life in the industry.

Apple will let said laptops stagnate until they have the worst screens and shortest battery life in the industry.

Apple will introduce a small white gadget with a spinny thing on the front. Every person between the ages of 8 and 28 will have to have one. A fair number of older folks will want one too.

Apple will rise again.

Tesseract · Oct 7, 2005, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by Tally Ho

Wasn't Jobs an industrial designer first?

No.

OpenStep · Oct 7, 2005, 10:37 PM

Steve jobs more like steve knobs

Cubeoid · Oct 7, 2005, 10:39 PM

Jobber Steves will come along, that's what my oracle told me.

JB72 · Oct 7, 2005, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by Rolling Bones

It would have to be someone with both right and left brain, design and analytical savvy.

Good point. These days, we tend too much to see genius as either "creative" or "analytical." The great ones are always strong on both sides.

Historically, the problem with following great leaders is that they're usually too egotistical and paranoid to properly train-in a qualified successor.

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:09 AM

Leaders don't train nobody man. Haven't you read "Leading: the natural way" ? daimn.

Zang · Oct 8, 2005, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by Tesseract

Apple will sue Microsoft, fail to win, and end up selling 10% of the company to Microsoft.

A clarification... Apple did not win or lose. The companies came into a settlement that MS would pay an "undisclosed sum" to Apple, as well as purchase non-voting stock and make a 5 year commitment to the Mac platform. The stock options were a grab for media attention. "MS buys Apple", blah blah... It was al LOT of publicity for Apple, AND helped bring back developer confidence.

They were nearly guaranteed a win in the case, though. MS stole actual lines of code straight from System for Win95, and really had no way to argue that they didn't, when the same typos in System showed up in the same lines of code in Win95. If you want a similar situation, see the CherryOS/PearPC thing.

MS would have appealed as long as they could get away with it. While Apple probably could have waited for a verdict and received a much bigger award, they certainly were not the losers in this situation. Their market share has grown steadily since that point, and they were able to build up a large amount of liquid assets in a short amount of time.

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:14 AM

This may sound crazy, but did it ever occur to anyone or anybody that Microsoft and Apple might infact be the same company?!?! Just a thought to ponder.

moonmonkey · Oct 8, 2005, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by Tally Ho

Wasn't Jobs an industrial designer first?

He did software, he actual designed this

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:18 AM

Don't you mean "actually" ?

JB72 · Oct 8, 2005, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

Leaders don't train nobody man. Haven't you read "Leading: the natural way" ? daimn.

Yes I read it. Way back when it was called Mein Kampf. That corporation didn't have much staying power from what I understand.

But leaders don't read books about leading. Insecure middle managers, however, do. A lot.

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:22 AM

Leading is all about doing the hard yards and yelling at people in the cafeteria.

eg. "Hey Johnson!!! You better think twice about that coleslaw!!!"

and

"Hey Peterson!!! What did I say about extra gravy during last month's 'power talk' ?!!!!"

Tesseract · Oct 8, 2005, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by Zang

A clarification... Apple did not win or lose.

That's why I carefully chose the words "fail to win".

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:27 AM

Zang · Oct 8, 2005, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by Tesseract

That's why I carefully chose the words "fail to win".

If you check a dictionary, one of the definitions of "lose" IS "fail to win".

JB72 · Oct 8, 2005, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

Leading is all about doing the hard yards and yelling at people in the cafeteria.

eg. "Hey Johnson!!! You better think twice about that coleslaw!!!"

Hehe nice one.

Eug Wanker · Oct 8, 2005, 12:40 AM

Or better yet:

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:42 AM

It'z Shiller tyme!

Philip J. Fry · Oct 8, 2005, 12:47 AM

They'll just put his head in a jar to keep him alive.

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 12:49 AM

The insanity is gaining on us dad. Faster.. faster!

Eug Wanker · Oct 8, 2005, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Philip J. Fry

They'll just put his head in a jar to keep him alive.

I hear it's quite popular these days.

moonmonkey · Oct 8, 2005, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Cubeoid

Don't you mean "actually" ?

No I meant "once".

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 02:47 AM

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

No I meant "once".

once? I don't understand what .. "He actual designed this" means. "He actually designed this" sounds plausable, but the former sentence I don't know what it means. However, if you wanted to say "He once designed this" why didn't you say it. It can hardly be taken for a typo. Or were you trying to lead somebody on. Explain yourself.

brokenjago · Oct 8, 2005, 03:33 AM

The topic has deviated a bit, don't you think?

Cubeoid · Oct 8, 2005, 03:35 AM

Welcome to the MacNN Lounge. Please cover yourself to avoid vomit splushing in your eyes.

Simon · Oct 8, 2005, 06:51 AM

Cubeoid, I think you've made your point. Can you let it go now so we can back to the actual topic?

Cubeoid · 07:57 AM

Yes... I mean.. No! I want answers damn it.

Athens · Oct 8, 2005, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO

Ok someday Steve could leave Apple for whatever reason.

The point is who would be a good replacement? Does anyone other than Steve understand design the same way he does? Would Apple return to the junk they put out in the early 90's?

It would be Me

telem · Oct 8, 2005, 11:09 AM

The moment you hear that Steve is leaving sell your stock. There are probably not too many high visibility companies that are so closely tied to its CEO as Apple is.

TailsToo · Oct 8, 2005, 01:20 PM

I think Steve will have to be dead to give up Apple.

glyph · Oct 8, 2005, 04:34 PM

The point is who would be a good replacement?

Bill Braskie! He once breast-fed a flamingo back to health.... To Bill Braskie!

brokenjago · Oct 8, 2005, 06:14 PM

Burdiet.

Tesseract · Oct 8, 2005, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by TailsToo

I think Steve will have to be dead to give up Apple.

This is still a valid question then, unless Steve is immortal.

Do you have evidence that he is immortal?

himself · Oct 9, 2005, 09:00 PM

Woz.

Rolling Bones · Oct 9, 2005, 09:08 PM

Boy George!

Kerrigan · Oct 9, 2005, 10:36 PM

AAAA!! Now he's symmetrical like the iPod!

Big Mac · Oct 10, 2005, 04:07 AM

Originally Posted by telem

The moment you hear that Steve is leaving sell your stock. There are probably not too many high visibility companies that are so closely tied to its CEO as Apple is.

Yup. A significant portion of my shares got stopped out when we all thought SJ was close to retirement. His eventual departure will be absolutely devastating to the company unless he is able to groom one hell of a replacement.

Athens · Oct 10, 2005, 05:11 AM

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

AAAA!! Now he's symmetrical like the iPod!

If he took it over, I would kill myself