Steve Jobs’ passed away yesterday…at least that’s what Bloomberg stated by running his obituary a bit prematurely. It seems that someone was updating Jobs’ lifetime achievements and accidently posted the 17-page history out on the interweb. So no, the father of all that is Apple and good is still alive and kicking.
This brings up a great thought though. The man is sick. Cancer sick.
Steve has been battling pancreatic cancer since 2003 and it seems he manages his personal life very similar to his iron fist over Apple. He didn’t announce the diagnosis for months, causing Apple fanboys, and stockholders, to speculate over their godsends fate. After all, he is a major force in the consumer electronic field. When Steve Jobs’ left pinky has a hangnail, it makes headlines. So what will happen, God forbid, if Stevie boy succumbs to cancer?
Steve Jobs seems to the outside eye as the driving force at Apple. Word seeps out that he maintains absolute dominancy over his company but I wonder if the company could survive even if he takes a medical leave. Last time Jobs left, the company gave into outside forces and went away from their core business. Apple started licensing their systems and produced more beige boxes, but this time around, it is different.
Apple knows who it is and I venture to say, could live without Jobsy. Apple has a clear, underlining focus that seems void from other CE companies. Steve Jobs’ rule is almost reminiscent of a father that knows he isn’t going to be around forever, so he pushes his kids and wife so hard into a certain direction that it seems almost uncouth, but really is love.
If Steve Jobs obituary is ever ran correctly, the electronics would enter a moment of mourning. The man has done many great things in his life from the Apple II, to Pixar, to the iMac and of course, the iPod, but he managed to create one of the most respected CE companies of all time; that is going to be his legacy.
But just so we are clear and rumor-free, Steve Jobs is not dead and Bloomberg ran the obituary by mistake.