Pondering Steve Jobs future with Apple

With the Apple shareholder meeting in swing – and no Steve Jobs – people are speculating as to the future of Apple and Jobs. Personally, we say cut the cord now. Keep Jobs around as a consultant, but move others into the forefront to take the lead with the company. After all, this isn’t like when Jobs was ousted from Apple in the 90s. In this scenario, Jobs can provide guidance to his successors, unlike last time. It will be his vision that continues – not someone else. Make the transition smooth and seamless, with Jobs still there to provide assistance. By doing so you remove the specter of Jobs’ health and provide the company with a solid plan for the future.

Regardless of what Apple honchos said at today’s shareholder meeting, I have come to the sad conclusion that Steve Jobs will never return to the helm at Apple. This is another of those “I hope am wrong, but . . .” posts that I hate to write. But, skipping the shareholder meeting is a more than subtle hint that Jobs won’t be back in the active role he’s enjoyed, if at all. Expanding upon the above paragraph takes me down a road I don’t want to travel. So, I will keep Steve in my prayers and hope the future proves me wrong. – From PC World

Apple executives painted a rosy picture of the company’s future at its annual shareholders’ meeting Wednesday—an event notable largely for the absence of Steve Jobs, who missed the meeting for the first time since returning to Apple as CEO more than a decade ago. With Jobs currently on medical leave until the end of June, the health of Apple’s CEO was very much on the minds of attendees at the shareholders’ meeting. In fact, it was the subject of the first thing asked when company executives opened the floor to shareholder questions. A shareholder asked whether Apple’s board of directors had kept investors in the dark about the status of Jobs’ health and inquired about a succession plan. Board member Arthur Levinson, who is also chairman and CEO of biotech firm Genentech, replied that the board disclaims information that it deems important and proper, and that it talks regularly about a succession plan. – From Mac World

U.S. technical giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) repeated its claim that Chief Executive Officer Steven Jobs would return to work in June after dealing with health problems. At the annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, Arthur Levinson, a co-lead director for the company, said Jobs remained “deeply involved in all strategic matters,” although he has “delegated day-to-day authority to (Chief Operating Officer) Tim Cook and his team,” The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Thursday. Communication issues surrounding Jobs’ health issues have reportedly sparked an investigation by regulators and calls for more transparency on health issues for critical corporate executives. For some public companies, a top executive’s health can affect share prices. – From UPI