Steve Jobs, one of the most visionary Americans of his generation and the cofounder of Apple computers, died Wednesday. He was 56. Read about his life.
Spotlight Falls on Apple’s Design Chief
Steve Jobs was famously involved in the intimate details of Apple’s products, particularly their look and feel, which he would describe ecstatically in his iconic keynote presentations. But now that he’s gone, will Apple be able to put the same passion for design into its gadgets? The spotlight will fall on Jonathan Ive, a the British designer who took over Apple’s design department in 1996. He has already played a major role in the aesthetics of Apple—designing the market-dominating iPad, for example—but his responsibilities are likely to increase in Job’s absence. Ive’s role is so important that he will report directly to Tim Cook, who took the reins of the company from Jobs in August.
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Apple’s Tough Road Ahead Without Jobs
Apple stock was steady on Thursday following the announcement of Steve Jobs’s death, dipping only .1 percent, proving that investors weren’t immediately discouraged about the company’s future. Steve Jobs’s passing comes at a crucial moment for Apple and its new CEO, Tim Cook: it is surrounded by ferocious competitors bent on ending its dominance. Google hopes to beat the iPhone with its Android operating system; Netflix wants to become the premier destination for Internet streaming; and Amazon is undercutting the iPad with its inexpensive new tablet, the Kindle Fire. Jobs was able to make investors and consumers believe with his near-religious descriptions of the company’s products, but Cook is a more technical leader. His challenge will be to fight the real or imagined impression that Apple’s products are slipping without Jobs behind them.
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