As you have most likely have heard, Apple CEO Steve Jobs resigned yesterday. In fact, with the speed that news now travels, you may have known before Steve Jobs! The sun still came up this morning though, the world did not end.
What does this mean for Apple? What does this mean for you?
Apple’s stock fell about five percent right after the news was announced. Again, thanks to the speed of communication.
Apparently shareholders place a great deal of value in their stock if only Jobs is behind the wheel. While I think that’s jumping the gun a little bit, the news does come as a shock. Especially on the eve of the release of iCloud, the shift to cloud computing, and the traction iPads are getting in technology for the classroom.
The thing is—while Jobs has resigned as CEO, he isn’t going anywhere. He’s still heads the Board of Directors. His vision will still affect decisions at Apple for years to come.
With Jobs out of the spotlight are you not going to be buy an iPhone 5, or an iPad 3? Of course you will. And will you still complain about missing features? Of course you will. Apple may have had some breakthrough products, but it’s also had it’s share of failures (remember Ping? I didn’t think so). Apple will continue to make masterpieces and flops, regardless who the CEO is.
While it’s sad to see such an extrordinary man step down, I still look forward to seeing what Apple will come up with next.