In an economic environment that has seen monthly job losses numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the Jobs lost yesterday will most surely dictate the future of one of America's most beloved tech companies.
Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple Inc., lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. Cable news networks had their usual "Breaking News" alerts displayed on their screens yesterday evening, shocking the majority of their unsuspecting audiences. However, those who are in the know in the tech industry were already Tweeting about it to the extent that the popular microblogging site eventually went offline for a brief period. It's important to note that Apple's most loyal followers most likely learned of Jobs' death by way of a Twitter notification on their iPhone or iPad, two of the most successful products the company has ever released.
By the time the news began hitting the airways, Leo Laporte was already streaming live coverage on this TWiT netcast network. After a lengthy waiting period, CNN briefly interviewed Mr. Laporte, giving him a moment to comment on the success story that is Steve Jobs. Today, many have visited their local Apple stores to pay tribute to the man they believe changed the world. No doubt, Steve's life story is definitely a perfect example of the American Dream come true.
Now the question remains; what does the future hold for Apple Inc.? History has shown that Apple has struggles when Steve Jobs is away. Unlike the past, there will be no resurrection of the company in the hands of a brilliant Steve Jobs returning to turn things around once again. Will this company continue to push innovation? Will they continue to distinguish their products by focusing on style over functionality? Will they continue to advertise their products as "magical" devices destined to changed the world as we know it? And even if they do, will they ever be able to meet that high standard in the perception of the market? With the Android platform continuing to surpass iOS in market share, Apple cannot afford to lose stature in the ever competitive mobile arena. Even their computer line, namely the Macbook line of products, has finaly begun gaining on the PC market share. However, there's still a long way to go to catch up with the likes of Microsoft, especially when their targeted market is end-users and not corporate cutomers.
Only the future will tell if Apple continues to follow in its founder's vision, or flounder and return to its status as the underdog in the technology field. As of the time of this writing, Apple's stock price was down by 1.15 points, but the markets were still open. The biggest question investors will now have, is whether or not Apple can continue to be successful in this fragile economy without the leadership of Steve Jobs.
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