iGod: Could Apple survive without Steve Jobs?

He shaped the company in his own image, turning it into the world’s most influential consumer brand. But now rumours of ill-health and uncertainty over the succession have sent Apple’s stock tumbling.Imagine fans showing up for next month’s annual all-things-Apple shindig in San Francisco, the Macworld Expo, and being handed a programme, out of which flutters a paper insert with the message: “Steve Jobs is indisposed today. The role of ‘Demi-God’ will be played by Philip Schiller.” Bummer.Happily, the inserts won’t be necessary, because the company, which is based in Cupertino, California, was kind of enough to give everyone a little warning. (Only a little one, mind you.) There it was, late on Tuesday afternoon, a statement saying just that. The moment when Jobs is meant to take to the stage, in jeans and black turtleneck shirt, to unveil one more “One More Thing…” won’t happen. And yes, his leading role in the proceedings will be played instead by Schiller, Apple’s top marketing person.
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/igod-could-apple-survive-without-steve-jobs-1202195.htmlApple founder’s withdrawal from key trade show stokes health fears
For a dozen years it has been the launchpad for some of the most high-profile new technologies in the world – including the first glimpses of the iMac and the iPhone. But Apple has shocked the hi-tech industry with the news that its chief executive, Steve Jobs, will no longer be making his keynote annual address to the industry at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco.The event has become something of a pilgrimage for the company’s fans, with Apple’s 53-year-old co-founder regularly holding court for two hours as he announces its latest much-hyped gadgets. This year, however, spectators will have to make do with an appearance by Apple’s senior vice president, Phil Schiller.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/18/apple-steve-jobs-expo-health