When Steve Jobs announced he was stepping down as the CEO of Apple, the industry’s immediate reaction was one of genuine sadness mixed with speculation and concern about the company’s future.
Tim Cook was named as Steve’s successor, and reports indicate there’s plenty in the pipeline to keep Apple innovations coming for several years – well after the iPad 3 and iPhone 5.
Still, most people can’t help wondering what will happen without a visionary like Jobs at the helm.
“Is There an Apple Without Steve Jobs,” queried Foxnews.com, which also ran a poll asking readers “What is Steve Jobs’ Most Important Invention?”
Meanwhile, Noah Robischon from Fast Company told Fox: “The question is – what happens to a company after you lose a visionary leader? Does the talent stay? Are you able to innovate the way you did before?”
The headline on The Daily Beast read, “Don’t Bet Against Apple,” and Zachary Karabell wrote, “Apple’s future is a litmus for America. It is for today’s American what General Motors was to the mid-20th century. Apple has thrived because there is still a potent force of optimism coursing through American society that the future can be better…”
The Daily Beast also ran Twitter reactions from Apple employees. Mike Lee, senior engineer tweeted, “I knew this day would come. I didn’t expect to cry,” and Robert Padbury, a designer, tweeted, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently.”
With all the reports and reactions coming in, there’s also the headlines of what will ultimately be Jobs’s legacy.
“Steve Jobs Reshaped Industries,” read the New York Times. ”Steve Jobs Changed the Way We Live,” headlined the L.A. Times. And The Moveable Fest listed “Five Ways Steve Jobs Changed the Movie Industry,” including iMovie giving people the opportunity to make movies cheaper than ever, saving Toy Story 2 from being a direct to DVD sequel, and more.
Of course, Jobs gave us much, much more, and this all just scratches the surface of Jobs’s innovations and how they’ve changed our lives.
