Amid all the tributes, hosannas and whatnot about Steve Jobs stepping down as CEO of Apple, this simple fact seems to have gotten lost: the only time Apple has developed and released hit products has been when Steve Jobs has been CEO.
Another thing: for now, Steve Jobs isn't going anywhere. He's still alive, as far as we know he is still involved in the company to the best of his abilities and energies, and I would guess that the last thing he will give up is offering his opinions and leadership regarding new product development.
But the sad fact is that Steve is likely very ill and may not be with us much longer. And then Apple will have to attempt to do something it has never successfully done: create and market hit technology products without Steve Jobs' guidance.
From the Apple II in the 1970s to the iPad in 2010, everything great that has come out of Apple has been shepherded to the market by Steve Jobs. Apple's track record after Steve was pushed out of the company by John Sculley in 1985 until his return as CEO in 1997? Zero hit products, death spiral, near bankruptcy.
Another fact to consider: Sculley was the hottest exec in the country when he took over Apple and has at least as much mojo as Tim Cook. Yet he couldn't deliver. In Cook's favor, of course, is that he has been deeply involved in Apple for years, unlike Sculley, who had no tech industry experience.
Meanwhile, during his exile Jobs founded Next Computer, which merely created the operating system that now powers the Mac, and built Pixar into the moviemaking powerhouse it is today.
Conclusion: Steve Jobs is a unique technology industry talent, and Apple has no track record producing hits without him. So we'll see how they do as the future unfolds.
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