Let me gave everyone a brief background. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. Initially, they ran a small operation out of the Jobs' garage in Los Altos, California and revolutionized the Personal Computer industry with its easy-to-use computer Apple II. Although Apple pioneered in the PC industry, it was difficult for them to sustain a competitive advantage with its differentiation niche strategy. By charging their consumers at a premium price, Apple offered high quality Macintosh computers with guaranteed reliability and simplicity. While Apple seems to have a bright future ahead of itself, it lost a majority of the PC market shares to Microsoft, Dell, and HP. It didn't help that their top management team made a few wrong maneuvers during the Sculley-Spindler-Amelio years. Apple fell to its lowest trough in 1997 with a loss of $1.6 billion and barely managed to hold its ground with a 3% worldwide market share.
Thankfully, someone at Apple made a smart decision to hire Steve Jobs back. Unlike his predecessors, Jobs was a "tech visionary." I personally believe that Jobs got the golden touch. By focusing heavily on Research & Development and restructuring efforts, Jobs revived Apple in 1998 with a $309 million profit during the fiscal year. His commitment to R&D helped the creation of the "digital hub" strategy. Due to the stagnant nature of the computer industry, Jobs pushed the boundaries of digital technology when he introduced the iPod. Since the iPod, Jobs has redefined the digital world with a string of iGadgets: iTouch, iPhone, and the latest iPad. In 2009, the majority of Apple's net sales came from non-Macintosh series. The iPhone series became 30% of Apple's total revenue. Not only do the financial report figures illustrate Steve Jobs' success, but the ubiquitous presence of Apple products also confirms this theory.
(Interesting side note: Ever since I bought an iPhone, I've became more aware of Apple's products on the silver screen. For those that are curious about this phenomenon, this Product Placement News article claimed that Apple does not pay for the exposures.)
While I applaud Mr. Jobs's maverick attitude and trendsetting accomplishments, I can't help but wonder what would become of Apple sans Jobs. In a press release to Apple employees, Jobs announced a medical leave with an indefinite return date.
Dun dun dun. Here comes the million dollar question! How will Apple fare under a different management? Is Apple going to prevail or is history doomed to repeat itself?
FYI: To give everyone a quick heads up, some are betting against Apple already. One daring prediction against Steve Jobs is that he will not be returning to Apple as he has already achieved everything he wanted. Others are concerned about his health.
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| A shot of Steve Jobs setting the record straight regarding his "premature death", circa 2008. |
Netgear's global chairman and CEO Patrick Lo spoke about Steve Jobs in a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. Lo said, "Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform."
Does the future of Apple rely solely on Steve Jobs? I want to leave y'all with a quote by Mr. Jobs, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
I'm a little glad many people are blogging about this topic because I find it very disturbing. I actually commented on another person's page about this.
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