Apple CEO Steve Jobs has resigned

[Nintendo]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has resigned, making way for operations chief Tim Cook

APPLE'S ailing chief executive Steve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook.


The company said Mr Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and "strongly recommended" that the board name Mr Cook as his successor. Mr Jobs has been elected chairman of the board and Mr Cook will join the board, effective immediately, the company said.


Apple's shares fell 5.6 per cent in after-hours trading on the news.


"The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO," said Art Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple board member, in a statement. He added that Mr Jobs will "continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."


Mr Cook, 50, has been widely considered as the leading candidate to succeed Mr Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January. The 13-year Apple veteran, who joined the company shortly after Mr Jobs took over the company for the second time in 1997, has been running the day to day operations during this period as he has done during two prior medical leaves of absence by Mr Jobs in the last seven years.


"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know," Mr Jobs said in his resignation letter. "Unfortunately, that day has come."


The timing of the announcement, however, was a surprise and raised questions about the health of Mr Jobs, who was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant two years ago. Mr Jobs has not commented on his health since he said in a letter in January that he was taking another leave of absence to "focus on my health". He made an appearance at the launch of the iPad 2 in March and Apple's annual developers' conference in June but appeared thin both times.


People familiar with the situation have said that Mr Jobs continues to be active at Apple and is closely involved in the company's product strategy. Apple watchers don't expect that to change even after Mr Cook takes over.


Still, Mr Cook faces a big challenge in stepping into Mr Jobs's shoes because he must prove that Apple can succeed without Mr Jobs. Mr Jobs not only co-founded the company, but brought Apple back from near bankruptcy when he returned to the company in 1997. He is considered the visionary behind the company and has played a key role in reviving the Macintosh computer business and developing new products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.


"Great companies rarely go from strength to strength," said Charles O'Reilly, a management expert, at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, adding that Apple faces a particular challenge in that Mr Jobs has had an unusually strong influence in setting Apple's corporate culture and strategy.


Mr Cook, an Alabama native who previously worked for International Business Machines Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp., is known as an operational genius, who was instrumental in wringing out inefficiencies in Apple's manufacturing and setting up its supply chain in China. Since then he has gradually increased his responsibilities, becoming chief operating officer in 2005. He has also ably led the company during Mr Jobs's absences in the past.


But people who know him don't consider him to be a visionary. Unlike Mr Jobs, who is a legendary showman, Mr Cook has also tended to stay outside of the spotlight apart from quarterly earnings calls with analysts.


"I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it," Mr Jobs wrote. "And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.


"I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you," he added.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/world/steve-jobs-resigns-as-apple-ceo/story-e6frg90o-1226121763201


Good riddance!

 

[gadgetoid]

Time to buy Apple shares- assuming the dip lasts for more than a few hours and amouns to anything significant. This is a well-timed resignation which wont halt the behemoth which Apple has become. Apple is now a very, very resilient company which could survive without Jobs easily. Bring on the new MacBook Pros and iPad 3. I can't get enough Apple gear!

 

[WizardStan]

It's down 5% in after market trading. Expect it to come down further through tomorrow with the market open. If it stabilizes by the afternoon (and you can afford it) you could probably make a quick buck on Apple.


I'm guessing it'll take a little over a week to start to recover, that's typical for news like this I've seen. Or people could realize this isn't necessarily a bad thing and it recovers by Friday.

 

[Cas]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has resigned, making way for operations chief Tim Cook

APPLE'S ailing chief executive Steve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook.


The company said Mr Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and "strongly recommended" that the board name Mr Cook as his successor. Mr Jobs has been elected chairman of the board and Mr Cook will join the board, effective immediately, the company said.


Apple's shares fell 5.6 per cent in after-hours trading on the news.


"The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO," said Art Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple board member, in a statement. He added that Mr Jobs will "continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."


Mr Cook, 50, has been widely considered as the leading candidate to succeed Mr Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January. The 13-year Apple veteran, who joined the company shortly after Mr Jobs took over the company for the second time in 1997, has been running the day to day operations during this period as he has done during two prior medical leaves of absence by Mr Jobs in the last seven years.


"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know," Mr Jobs said in his resignation letter. "Unfortunately, that day has come."


The timing of the announcement, however, was a surprise and raised questions about the health of Mr Jobs, who was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant two years ago. Mr Jobs has not commented on his health since he said in a letter in January that he was taking another leave of absence to "focus on my health". He made an appearance at the launch of the iPad 2 in March and Apple's annual developers' conference in June but appeared thin both times.


People familiar with the situation have said that Mr Jobs continues to be active at Apple and is closely involved in the company's product strategy. Apple watchers don't expect that to change even after Mr Cook takes over.


Still, Mr Cook faces a big challenge in stepping into Mr Jobs's shoes because he must prove that Apple can succeed without Mr Jobs. Mr Jobs not only co-founded the company, but brought Apple back from near bankruptcy when he returned to the company in 1997. He is considered the visionary behind the company and has played a key role in reviving the Macintosh computer business and developing new products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.


"Great companies rarely go from strength to strength," said Charles O'Reilly, a management expert, at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, adding that Apple faces a particular challenge in that Mr Jobs has had an unusually strong influence in setting Apple's corporate culture and strategy.


Mr Cook, an Alabama native who previously worked for International Business Machines Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp., is known as an operational genius, who was instrumental in wringing out inefficiencies in Apple's manufacturing and setting up its supply chain in China. Since then he has gradually increased his responsibilities, becoming chief operating officer in 2005. He has also ably led the company during Mr Jobs's absences in the past.


But people who know him don't consider him to be a visionary. Unlike Mr Jobs, who is a legendary showman, Mr Cook has also tended to stay outside of the spotlight apart from quarterly earnings calls with analysts.


"I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it," Mr Jobs wrote. "And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.


"I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you," he added.

http://www.theaustra...o-1226121763201


Good riddance!

Why good riddance!


If they are your words than you are more of an arsehole than I thought you were.


Good riddance, I assume you are aware that Mr Jobs is slowing dying from cancer ????


You really are a man of many words but an understander of very few.


Go get a real life and stop running your shallow attention seeking life on this forum.................

 

[Prometheus]

Why good riddance!


If they are your words than you are more of an arsehole than I thought you were.


Good riddance, I assume you are aware that Mr Jobs is slowing dying from cancer ????


You really are a man of many words but an understander of very few.


Go get a real life and stop running your shallow attention seeking life on this forum.................

There's no need for insults, and it's certainly irrelevant to claim that the poster of the thread is attention-seeking when they are doing nothing of the sort.


Believe it or not, it is possible to dislike someone's business practices, independent of whether they have any afflictions or not. People don't magically become saints due to illness or death.


(Note: I know very little about Steve Jobs except for what he does at Apple and Disney. The above commentary is not directly about him.)

 

[Cas]

Why good riddance!


If they are your words than you are more of an arsehole than I thought you were.


Good riddance, I assume you are aware that Mr Jobs is slowing dying from cancer ????


You really are a man of many words but an understander of very few.


Go get a real life and stop running your shallow attention seeking life on this forum.................

There's no need for insults, and it's certainly irrelevant to claim that the poster of the thread is attention-seeking when they are doing nothing of the sort.


Believe it or not, it is possible to dislike someone's business practices, independent of whether they have any afflictions or not. People don't magically become saints due to illness or death.

That's it stick by your Pandora club member, If I had known that being a Pandora owner meant that you had to be accepted into the inner circle I would NOT of bothered, you people are killing this forum, hope you all are really proud of yourselves.


It will not be to long before all that it left here are you mods all chatting amongst yourselves,ENJOY, I am moving on, there are better handhelds out there to move onto now, bye bye.................

 

[Prometheus]

That's it stick by your Pandora club member, If I had known that being a Pandora owner meant that you had to be accepted into the inner circle I would NOT of bothered, you people are killing this forum, hope you all are really proud of yourselves.


It will not be to long before all that it left here are you mods all chatting amongst yourselves,ENJOY, I am moving on, there are better handhelds out there to move onto now, bye bye.................

I said nothing that in any way warranted this rudeness.


I wish you all the best, and hope that you enjoy your new handheld(s). It is, believe it or not, a shame to see you go.

 

[Nintendo]

On topic, I think I might take some advice from others and buy some Apple stocks.

 

[Cas]

That's it stick by your Pandora club member, If I had known that being a Pandora owner meant that you had to be accepted into the inner circle I would NOT of bothered, you people are killing this forum, hope you all are really proud of yourselves.


It will not be to long before all that it left here are you mods all chatting amongst yourselves,ENJOY, I am moving on, there are better handhelds out there to move onto now, bye bye.................

I said nothing that in any way warranted this rudeness.


I wish you all the best, and hope that you enjoy your new handheld(s). It is, believe it or not, a shame to see you go.

Shame to see me go, well all I can say is thanks for that, but I hope you know who to blame, somebody who has a lot to say


to seek attention, good day

 

[ZXDunny]

That's it stick by your Pandora club member, If I had known that being a Pandora owner meant that you had to be accepted into the inner circle I would NOT of bothered, you people are killing this forum, hope you all are really proud of yourselves.


It will not be to long before all that it left here are you mods all chatting amongst yourselves,ENJOY, I am moving on, there are better handhelds out there to move onto now, bye bye.................

I said nothing that in any way warranted this rudeness.


I wish you all the best, and hope that you enjoy your new handheld(s). It is, believe it or not, a shame to see you go.

Shame to see me go, well all I can say is thanks for that, but I hope you know who to blame, somebody who has a lot to say


to seek attention, good day

Nope, still not seeing what you're talking about here. Sony expressed his opinion of Jobs (one that I share, to be fair) and that's that. He did so in the off-topic area of the forum too, so he's not breaking any of the rules.


You're coming across as quite weird.


D.

 

[LineOf7s]

:blink:


Wow - random outburst.


I'm no fan of SONY, and there's plenty to go off at him about (don't get me started), but this 'Good riddance' seemed to be anti-Jobs in the same way many others are so very anti-Gates. In other words, nothing worth thinking about.


And having a go at dear ole Prommie over it? Deep breaths Cas... deep breaths.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Guess he's...

...out of a job.


YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

 

[Halcyon]

I'm not an apple person at all, and really know very little about Steve Jobs as a Man (I hope he has a long life ahead of him as any Human) I am hoping for some new blood at the top and am eager to see what changes this will bring to a company that in my mind found a winning strategy and just sticks with it over and over again. Well here is to the future let us see how it turns out!

 

[craigix]

I wonder if while he dying he will think about all the people who died or committed suicide while working on his slave labour production lines?


I hope so. I hope they haunt him to the very end.

 

[gadgetoid]

I wonder if while he dying he will think about all the people who died or committed suicide while working on his slave labour production lines?


I hope so. I hope they haunt him to the very end.

Yes, because Apple is well known as the only company in the known universe to have anything made in China.


I'm looking forward to seeing where Apple goes over the next few years, with even an unwavering dedication to absolute failure the company is so big that it could remain solvent for at least a decade, if not more.

 

[milkshake]

not if the share value drops as so does the companies bank balance

 

[Narcoleptic.]

I wonder if while he dying he will think about all the people who died or committed suicide while working on his slave labour production lines?


I hope so. I hope they haunt him to the very end.

1) Foxconn manufactures for most of the big tech names, and they are all equally to blame.


2) Don't you own a mac of some description? And an iPhone? Aren't you thus supporting Apple's practices?

not if the share value drops as so does the companies bank balance

I don't think Apples bank balance is going to be in big trouble for a long time....

 

[Muggie]

SIGH............


This is why I hate when ever people mention Apple. Even with a innocent topic like this, somebody has to ruin it, because that's just the way it is.


This thread is for people to elaborate and discuss Steve Jobs's resignation, not for people to leach out causing stupid avoidable arguments. Please, just stop it here. Its not worth it. It is COMPLETELY unnecessary.

 

[WizardStan]

not if the share value drops as so does the companies bank balance

The share value frequently has very little to do with how well the company is actually doing.

 

[Narcoleptic.]

SIGH............


This is why I hate when ever people mention Apple. Even with a innocent topic like this, somebody has to ruin it, because that's just the way it is.


This thread is for people to elaborate and discuss Steve Jobs's resignation, not for people to leach out causing stupid avoidable arguments. Please, just stop it here. Its not worth it. It is COMPLETELY unnecessary.

Craig started it!


Anyway, for my opinion on the actual resignation itself i'm curious as to what direction the company is going to head. Best case scenario IMO is they hire Woz again and make it into a real tech company again instead of the strange amalgam of tech company and fashion label it is currently. Something as sleek and thin as a Macbook Air, with current gen processors, a good GPU, USB3 support (more than two ports) would be a techies dream.


It's sad to see Steve go under such tragic circumstance but hopefully something good will come of a change of pace for Apple.