I’m worried.
Not that I’m an owner of Apple Stock (which dropped $40+ mil in something) or even worried about the iPad 2. I’m concerned with neither of those things, but I am concerned. Steve Jobs is sick again and I’m concerned that I’m worried. Me worrying means that Apple doesn’t have a succession plan, and there’s no way that isn’t true. While Jobs is certainly irreplaceable as a whole, each of his characteristics can be replaced.
And what are Steve Jobs top characteristics? Let’s take on a trip….
1. Uncompromising vision
There is nothing Jobs doesn’t control about the design process (or at least that’s what I believe). His creations are seemingly perfect, with everything in its place. Seldom does a button feel out of place.
You seldom here Jobs waffle. He truly believes everything he says. Everything. Steve Jobs cannot tell a lie, because to him, everything he says is the truth.
3. Sense of purpose
The product lines make sense now. There is a clear progression from one upgrade to the next. Even his newest laptops aren’t insanely overpriced. They are priced at exactly what they’re worth. They know what they’re there to do.
4. No partnerships
Apple doesn’t really have partners like Microsoft or even Google does. They work with no one, interact on the same level as no one and only display one logo on their merchandise. They are masters of their own fate because they are the only ones that can limit or stretch them.
5. It’s time to evolve
Steve Jobs brought Apple back to relevance. His masterful leadership has brought Apple from the brink of failure to the absolute top of the world. Nothing can equal that. But it’s time for another change similar to the elimination of the clones and the colored iMacs that started Jobs’ reign.
There cannot be only one.
So who does it? Does Apple look internally? Can anyone shoulder the weight of replacing Steve Jobs?
