Apple: Who Will Succeed Steve Jobs? | Newsweek Scope

Will Apple Stumble With Snow Leopard?
Daniel Lyons 8/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
Conventional wisdom is that everything ran great at Apple during the six-month period when CEO Steve Jobs was out having his super-secret liver transplant. Supposedly, the company just kept running without a hiccup. But after unimpressive reports on the performance of Snow Leopard, the new version of the Mac OS X operating system, I'm starting to have my doubts.
Why We Need Steve Jobs
Daniel Lyons 6/23/2009 12:00:00 AM
I just spent an hour waiting in a line at an Apple store to buy a product I do not need. It's the new top-of-the-line iPhone 3GS, and it costs $299, and I waited in line for it even though I already have last year's iPhone 3G model, not to mention a NEWSWEEK-issued BlackBerry, a low-end Nokia "feature phone," and a new Palm Pre, albeit a loaner unit. Why did I do this? Well, the new iPhone has a faster processor than its predecessor, and a better camera, and it shoots video. It also has more memory, so I can carry around more songs or movies. But really, I did it because I trust that whatever Apple puts out will be worth the money. I did it because I always want to have the latest and greatest from Apple. You see, Apple and its loyal customers (like me) have made a deal: it'll keep improving its products at a fantastic pace, and killing off its own products. In return, we'll keep buying whatever it makes.
Bumper Crop
Daniel Lyons 6/8/2009 12:00:00 AM
There was loads of speculation that Apple CEO Steve Jobs might make a surprise appearance at the company's annual developer conference in San Francisco today. In typical Apple fashion, the company did nothing to stamp out those rumors. For example, they might have simply told people that the rumors were not true and that Jobs would not attend the show. Instead, Apple exploited the hype and let everyone sit there waiting for Jobs to show up, proving once again that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, these guys won't do to get their fanboys worked into a frenzy. Alas, in the end, Dear Leader did not show. But the company unleashed a barrage of new products, including a new iPhone that sets Apple even farther ahead of its rivals in the smart-phone market. In fact, at this point Apple appears to be almost untouchable in this space, which is turning out to be the most important sector of the computing market.
TECHTONIC SHIFTS
Dancing With The Woz
Daniel Lyons 3/7/2009 12:00:00 AM
A lot of people in Silicon Valley either laughed or groaned or both when it became known that Steve Wozniak, the cofounder of Apple Computer, was going to compete on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," debuting this week. Woz was the brains behind Apple in the early days, the one who did all the hard engineering work while his better-known partner, Steve Jobs, served as the public face of the company. Woz got rich in the 1980 initial public offering, was injured in a plane crash in 1981 (he was piloting the plane) and never really returned.
Rotten Reporting
Daniel Lyons 1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM
For the past six months Steve Jobs has been looking terribly ill. But only this week did Apple finally acknowledge that Jobs isn't doing well, when the company announced that Jobs would take a leave for six months. Some suggest the company has misled investors; shareholder lawsuits seem likely. But how did the company manage to carry on this charade for so long? The sad fact is they had help from the media.
TECHTONIC SHIFTS
Apple's Core Problem
Daniel Lyons 1/15/2009 12:00:00 AM
For nearly a decade Apple could do no wrong. Under the leadership of cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs, this Cupertino, Calif., outfit clawed its way back from near oblivion to its current spot as the hottest consumer-electronics company in the world. Along the way Apple has gained a reputation for putting out PR that's every bit as sleek and slick as its products. Even an options-backdating scandal from 2006 couldn't trip these guys up; Jobs and his PR handlers deftly sidestepped the charges. (Apple largely blamed the mess on the company's CFO and general counsel, but the SEC found that Jobs had been "aware of or recommended the selection of some favorable grant dates.")