This just in: Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple Computer and its most visionary leader, has announced his resignation from his post as CEO.

http://techcrunch.com/201...rom-apple/

Steve Jobs has been ill for some time with pancreatic cancer but vowed to stay on unless and until he could no longer perform day-to-day operations of the company. Are we witnessing his final days?

first..

I posted this already...but seeing as how yours has a link...i digress.

We knew this day was coming but is still a shocker.

I All I can say is Steve is insanely great and hope Apple can survive without him.

shame, i guess his health has something to do with it

Joyinrepatition said:

shame, i guess his health has something to do with it

i agree...my uncle had pancreatic cancer...he didn't last long at all and it wadn't pretty. Best of wishes to the dude. I'm genuinely sad about this. Apple was terrible when he wasn't around.

I'm sorry for mr. Jobs.

However, the way Apple developed as a company under his leadership has been an ideological break down, by not apreciating artists and developers by paying them for their content that Apple sells. No much better than the average company ruled for profit without a soul.

It was coming sooner or later.

[Edited 8/24/11 16:09pm]

I love how Steve himself recently went to the city council meeting himself to discuss the building permit for their new campus. I think it shows the kinda man he is, that he humbly went there himself instead of sending someone else.

aww..

This is a sad day. He has definitely been a true visonary for that company.

Myself, I love Apple products. I've only owned Apple computers - and have the iPod, iPhone and am about to buy an iPad2.

Godspeed, Steve Jobs.

OK, I didn't even know he had pancreatic cancer. That truly sucks! Especially when that takes you out so FAST!

I hope he can have many more days in front of him! And Apple too!

The last 3 keynotes that he attended showed a very weak and, what appeared to me, to be a sick Steve Jobs.

I think for the past 5 years, he actually prepared for this and has built a core team that actually doesn't really need him. They all share a strong similar vision, and Apple should be able to innovate for some time without him.

In no way am I diminishing what he's done for the company. Apple was actually just months from closing shop when Steve assumed (or reassumed the helm), and steered them to being the most valuable company on the stock market.

But I think early on, Steve knew that he could not keep doing this, and has assembled a team of managers who really know what they are doing. His vision was simple--never have more than 100 people in your core team. Don't have design "committees", and focus on the product.

I'm sad to see him go, but I think he did everything he could to have a company that could compete. WIll apple stocks nosedive---oh hell yes they will, but people should be snatching up those stocks when they do. It will take at least 5 or 6 years for Apple managers to run the company into the ground if they can't continue doing what Jobs is doing. Look at fucking Steve Ballmer. He's turned Microsoft into a stagnant company with a expansive, confusing, disorganized pallette of products (minus their bloated but brilliant office suite). but it took him years to foster that mess, and the company is still standing.

Thanks Steve. I've loved your products.

imago said:

The last 3 keynotes that he attended showed a very weak and, what appeared to me, to be a sick Steve Jobs.

I think for the past 5 years, he actually prepared for this and has built a core team that actually doesn't really need him. They all share a strong similar vision, and Apple should be able to innovate for some time without him.

In no way am I diminishing what he's done for the company. Apple was actually just months from closing shop when Steve assumed (or reassumed the helm), and steered them to being the most valuable company on the stock market.

But I think early on, Steve knew that he could not keep doing this, and has assembled a team of managers who really know what they are doing. His vision was simple--never have more than 100 people in your core team. Don't have design "committees", and focus on the product.

I'm sad to see him go, but I think he did everything he could to have a company that could compete. WIll apple stocks nosedive---oh hell yes they will, but people should be snatching up those stocks when they do. It will take at least 5 or 6 years for Apple managers to run the company into the ground if they can't continue doing what Jobs is doing. Look at fucking Steve Ballmer. He's turned Microsoft into a stagnant company with a expansive, confusing, disorganized pallette of products (minus their bloated but brilliant office suite). but it took him years to foster that mess, and the company is still standing.

Thanks Steve. I've loved your products.

Actually, Microsoft was alreeady peaking and on its way down when Steve Ballmer was handed the reins of the company by Bill Gates. Microsoft was bogged down in antitrust litigation while upstart companies like Google and Mozilla were working on the next wave of information technology. Microsoft thought AOL and Novell were its biggest competitors, but they missed the whole internet wave when they focused on their core PC and Office products. They were looking to dominate the business side of the internet when the most explosive growth was happening on the consumer end. Once again, Steve Jobs was keen and visionary enough to see this trend, and he capitalised on this in a big way. Apple came out with revolutionary products like the iPod, Mac Air, iPhone, and iPad while Microsoft clumsily tried to play catch up with clunky products like the original Windows tablet PC, the Zune, the Kin, and now Windows Phone. While Windows Phone is said to have great specs, it may be too late to the party once again, as the mobile market is consolidating behind Apple and Google's Android. Even Amazon is outmanuvering Microsoft with their Kindle and a rumored tablet device which is expected to be around $250 when it comes out.

Even in the core operating system market, Apple hit a home run with its OS X program while Microsoft bombed with their heavily bloated, buggy, and malware prone Vista OS. That mistake in itself drove a lot of people to buy Macs, and even some others to install Linux in their PCs. They did turn around with a much more stable OS in Windows 7, but it may be the last OS wholly dedicated to PC users, as more people ditch everyday computer use to laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Microsoft's only notabale success in the last decade has been the Xbox.

[Edited 8/24/11 19:34pm]

728huey said:

imago said:

The last 3 keynotes that he attended showed a very weak and, what appeared to me, to be a sick Steve Jobs.

I think for the past 5 years, he actually prepared for this and has built a core team that actually doesn't really need him. They all share a strong similar vision, and Apple should be able to innovate for some time without him.

In no way am I diminishing what he's done for the company. Apple was actually just months from closing shop when Steve assumed (or reassumed the helm), and steered them to being the most valuable company on the stock market.

But I think early on, Steve knew that he could not keep doing this, and has assembled a team of managers who really know what they are doing. His vision was simple--never have more than 100 people in your core team. Don't have design "committees", and focus on the product.

I'm sad to see him go, but I think he did everything he could to have a company that could compete. WIll apple stocks nosedive---oh hell yes they will, but people should be snatching up those stocks when they do. It will take at least 5 or 6 years for Apple managers to run the company into the ground if they can't continue doing what Jobs is doing. Look at fucking Steve Ballmer. He's turned Microsoft into a stagnant company with a expansive, confusing, disorganized pallette of products (minus their bloated but brilliant office suite). but it took him years to foster that mess, and the company is still standing.

Thanks Steve. I've loved your products.

Actually, Microsoft was alreeady peaking and on its way down when Steve Ballmer was handed the reins of the company by Bill Gates. Microsoft was bogged down in antitrust litigation while upstart companies like Google and Mozilla were working on the next wave of information technology. Microsoft thought AOL and Novell were its biggest competitors, but they missed the whole internet wave when they focused on their core PC and Office products. They were looking to dominate the business side of the internet when the most explosive growth was happening on the consumer end. Once again, Steve Jobs was keen and visionary enough to see this trend, and he capitalised on this in a big way. Apple came out with revolutionary products like the iPod, Mac Air, iPhone, and iPad while Microsoft clumsily tried to play catch up with clunky products like the original Windows tablet PC, the Zune, the Kin, and now Windows Phone. While Windows Phone is said to have great specs, it may be too late to the party once again, as the mobile market is consolidating behind Apple and Google's Android. Even Amazon is outmanuvering Microsoft with their Kindle and a rumored tablet device which is expected to be around $250 when it comes out. Microsoft's only notabale success in the last decade has been the Xbox.

[Edited 8/24/11 19:28pm]

True,

But Ballmer has made some disasterous decisions. Ginger (their first tablet), the Zune, Vista, Kin, as you stated. I agree they focused on Novell and other companies, which had their own issues.

Ballmer just amazes me at how off the mark he can be. Zune, an ipod killer? Dismissing the original iPod, iPhone, and iPad?

It was BIll Gates who originally said that the true solution of the future would not be an iPod but an all-in-one cellphone....then 3 years later, Jobs releases the iPhone!

I don't know...Ballmer just astounds me. Why is he still employed?

He's like Bill Harrison for JPmorgan Chase, but even less effective.

But that's neither here nor there. I will miss Jobs. I thought he was enthusiastic without being comically so.

V10LETBLUES said:

I love how Steve himself recently went to the city council meeting himself to discuss the building permit for their new campus. I think it shows the kinda man he is, that he humbly went there himself instead of sending someone else.

very cool! this makes me miss san jose area.

728huey said:

imago said:

The last 3 keynotes that he attended showed a very weak and, what appeared to me, to be a sick Steve Jobs.

I think for the past 5 years, he actually prepared for this and has built a core team that actually doesn't really need him. They all share a strong similar vision, and Apple should be able to innovate for some time without him.

In no way am I diminishing what he's done for the company. Apple was actually just months from closing shop when Steve assumed (or reassumed the helm), and steered them to being the most valuable company on the stock market.

But I think early on, Steve knew that he could not keep doing this, and has assembled a team of managers who really know what they are doing. His vision was simple--never have more than 100 people in your core team. Don't have design "committees", and focus on the product.

I'm sad to see him go, but I think he did everything he could to have a company that could compete. WIll apple stocks nosedive---oh hell yes they will, but people should be snatching up those stocks when they do. It will take at least 5 or 6 years for Apple managers to run the company into the ground if they can't continue doing what Jobs is doing. Look at fucking Steve Ballmer. He's turned Microsoft into a stagnant company with a expansive, confusing, disorganized pallette of products (minus their bloated but brilliant office suite). but it took him years to foster that mess, and the company is still standing.

Thanks Steve. I've loved your products.

Actually, Microsoft was alreeady peaking and on its way down when Steve Ballmer was handed the reins of the company by Bill Gates. Microsoft was bogged down in antitrust litigation while upstart companies like Google and Mozilla were working on the next wave of information technology. Microsoft thought AOL and Novell were its biggest competitors, but they missed the whole internet wave when they focused on their core PC and Office products. They were looking to dominate the business side of the internet when the most explosive growth was happening on the consumer end. Once again, Steve Jobs was keen and visionary enough to see this trend, and he capitalised on this in a big way. Apple came out with revolutionary products like the iPod, Mac Air, iPhone, and iPad while Microsoft clumsily tried to play catch up with clunky products like the original Windows tablet PC, the Zune, the Kin, and now Windows Phone. While Windows Phone is said to have great specs, it may be too late to the party once again, as the mobile market is consolidating behind Apple and Google's Android. Even Amazon is outmanuvering Microsoft with their Kindle and a rumored tablet device which is expected to be around $250 when it comes out.

Even in the core operating system market, Apple hit a home run with its OS X program while Microsoft bombed with their heavily bloated, buggy, and malware prone Vista OS. That mistake in itself drove a lot of people to buy Macs, and even some others to install Linux in their PCs. They did turn around with a much more stable OS in Windows 7, but it may be the last OS wholly dedicated to PC users, as more people ditch everyday computer use to laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Microsoft's only notabale success in the last decade has been the Xbox.

[Edited 8/24/11 19:34pm]

You make it sound like it's a fate worse than death.

Yeah I agree with the content of many of these posts. It's never nice to hear that somebody is ill, but Steve Jobs is not some sort of a "good" version of the "evil" Bill Gates. Both did some groundbreaking things when they were younger, but that was 2-3 decades ago. Microsoft consistently ignores the security and the stability issues so that people would have to buy more crap to remedy the situation themselves, whereas Apple has apparently turned into some sort of a furniture and accessory company.

I actually never cared for either Bill or Steve but it's sad what Steve's going through.

Despite being a life-long Mac user/Apple consumer [more for lack of a better alternative than anything else], I have my gripes against the company...

First, I second what DJJ said about the lack of respect for artists/content producers and it just being another big company; then I am not too keen on the level of secrecy surrounding the company [on many levels]; then now that more than ever we are reading about Job's creative genius and innovation, I am increasingly staring at my iPod, iPad, Iphone, iThis and iThat, each device replicating in some ways the same functions as the next one, and wondering where the genial creativity in technological innovation is - or is it more genius in marketing that we are witnessing?...; then I personally prefer substance over looks, so the whole thing about how 'cool' Apple's devices and design is never really did anything for me; and finally, am I the only one who keeps losing, or spending an inordinate amount of time rummaging in my handbag or around my apartment to find my increasingly light and thin [and now nearly invisible] iPhone and iPod Classic, thinking 'where is the *&%$#** thing?' I often find them sandwiched between sheets of paper/documents.

I do, however, mean him the best health-wise - and I know what I am saying here: my father died of pancreatic cancer. He was gone in 8 months, although this was 38 years ago, in Belgium - a time and place which didn't have all the medical advances Jobs can have today where he is. I'm sure he will, he is in much better hands. So hoping the best treatments for him.

Nice article in today's NY Times: http://pogue.blogs.nytime...p;emc=aua2

"As you can imagine, this news is rocking the world — and not just the tech world. Mr. Jobs, after all, has almost single-handedly reshaped a stunning range of industries: music, TV, movies, software, cellphones, and cloud computing. The products he’s shepherded into existence with single-minded vision read like a Top 10 list, or a Top 50 list, of the world’s most successful inventions: Macintosh. iPod. iPhone. iTunes. iMovie. iPad."

Oh and another little unpleasant detail [to add to my here above-cited list]...

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11863/remembering_steve_jobs_record_on_workers_rights/

Remembering Steve Jobs’ Record on Workers’ Rights

By Mike Elk

Thursday
Aug 25, 2011
4:11 pm

[last 2 paragraphs]:

While Steve Jobs has indeed revolutionized the computer industry, his company's labor relations record here and abroad is full of typical multinational corporate practices that have one thing at their core: exploitation of workers in pursuit of profits.

Jobs may be dealing with serious health issues, but it is an absolute malpractice of journalism for business journalists to fail to mention abuses of workers’ rights during his long reign as Apple’s CEO.

Never bought a single Apple product, and I'm pretty anti-Apple on an ethical level,

but... did you guys see the picture of Steve on TMZ? It's pretty heartbreaking. He is clearly a very sick man and my heart goes out to him and his family.

terribly tragic picture in the news today...steve hasn't long to live...very sad

BlackAdder7 said:

terribly tragic picture in the news today...steve hasn't long to live...very sad

It is really sad. While most cancer treatments have improved dramatically and in some cases the cancer can be cured or removed quickly, thus extending the lives of its victims to almost normal life expectancy, cancers of the internal organs like the lungs, liver, pancreas, stomach, or intestines are the hardest to treat and also tend to be the most aggresive forms to ravage the body. Life expectancy for those victims tends be to rather grim.

BlackAdder7 said:

terribly tragic picture in the news today...steve hasn't long to live...very sad

Well at least you haven't sold your soul to the devil like I have:)

True about Jobs' pictures. I'm actually surprised that he can still walk and attend events. My father was weighing 37-40 kgs (81-88 pounds) in the advanced stage of the disease and had to remain bedridden... Jobs must be very strong mentally to keep active despite it all.

Militant said:

Never bought a single Apple product, and I'm pretty anti-Apple on an ethical level,

but... did you guys see the picture of Steve on TMZ? It's pretty heartbreaking. He is clearly a very sick man and my heart goes out to him and his family.

[Edited 8/27/11 19:07pm]