Can Apple do without Steve?
EARLIER this month, Apple Founder Steve Jobs had taken a medical leave of absence but did not state how long he was going to be away. Although statistics have shown that Apple’s surging sales and
profits have made it the world’s most valuable technology company, surpassing even the mighty Microsoft for top spot, Critics and the Media have questioned the ability of Apple
to maintain its streak of innovation and popularity in the near future without its founder at its helm.
Analysts say that there would be a need for concern if Mr Steve Jobs does not return to
the company full-time. Steve Jobs is instrumental in every Apple product launched and having such an oversized
role suddenly being taken away from the production line of Apple,
it is indeed a cause for worry. Professer David Yoffie of Harvard Business School once
said that Steve Jobs had perfected the art of choosing creative ideas to suit the market’s taste. It would indeed be a liability should such a talent be taken away from the company.
One thing that sets Steve Jobs apart from all the other successful founders of technological
companies would be the fact that he lives by the motto which he
reiterates that “ It isn’t the consumers’ job to know what they want.” With that statement,
Steve Jobs has set himself apart from every single other founder.
In Apple, the charismatic founder Steve Jobs has been involved personally in every big hit of the company,namely, the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and the iPad.
These products have consistently been in demand in the market and they have never fallen out of popularity in terms of market share. Another Professor by the name of Michael Cusumano of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) states that “Steve Jobs has this extraordinary ability to see into the future and instinctively see what people want.
He has done that consistently, in a way no one else has.” Steve Jobs is totally tuned into what customers want and that has made Apple so successful.
Steve Jobs relies on intuition and his own sense of taste in every single aspect in his company.
He is uncompromising and prototypes of new models are constantly refined.
He sets expectations for his products and does not conform to what people say about his products. Because of these expectations, he gave the whole world a much improved experience
in the iPod and the iPhone. In short, Apple reflects Steve Jobs’s personality. Analysts have said
that skills that Steve Jobs possess can never be replaced. His foresight and knowledge of the consumer market have led Apple to success and domination in the current technological market.
The question now is, Can Apple still do without Steve Jobs? Mr Paul Saffo, managing director of a research firm has said that “His most lasting creation is the company, not individual products, and you have the believe that he has done everything he can to ensure Apple will have a long life.”
