Even before Apple founder Steve Jobs cleaned out his CEO desk, rival companies are commenting on his legacy and bravery in the face of illness. Although Jobs’ departure may be his rivals’ only chance to compete with Apple, the glowing words should be for a dead leader, not one of the most ferocious competitors in Silicon Valley.
“What gets forgotten is the bravery with which he’s confronted his illness,” Sony CEO Howard Stringer said, reacting to the news that Jobs will step down from Apple leadership. “For him to achieve this much success under these circumstances doubles his legacy,” Stringer announced.
Sony is one of a growing list of Apple frenemies. Although Sony is a supplier (the company is rumored to provide the camera for the upcoming iPhone 5) it is also a competitor in smartphones, laptops and e-readers. Although the Tokyo-based company rose 2.1 percent following word that Jobs will step down, one analyst called it a short-lived response.
Jobs’ absence from the CEO spot will provide rivals “a bit more of a lease of life to go out and compete harder,” Richard Windsor, analyst with Nomura International Plc, told Bloomberg Thursday. However, the thought of Tim Cook replacing Jobs has been a topic of frequent discussion. “You get an initial knee-jerk reaction on the downside, we would probably expect that not to last long,”
Nokia, which has been taken to the cleaners by Apple, described Jobs as a “visionary” and believes “Steve and his team will have a positive impact on our industry for many years to come,” CEO Stephen Elson emailed Bloomberg. But it might not be the sort of impact Nokia wants.
“Because of Tim Cook’s competence and the system at Apple, the competitive landscape isn’t likely to change anytime soon,” concludes Lee Young Seog, analyst with Seoul’s Korea Investment Management Company.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
37 responses to “Jobs’ Departure May Be Rivals’ Only Chance to Compete”
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How pathetic of a site are you guys? 20 “articles” on Steve Jobs’ leaving as a CEO of Apple in less than 24 hours? Wow…
GTFO if you don’t want to read.
this is an Apple site dude… fuck off
wow..You would think an Apple blog would be aware that Apple will be fine without Steve, but. yikes this blog is starting to act like it’s owned by AOL :S
“Jobs’ Departure May Be Rivals’ Only Chance to Compete”
Then again, maybe not the ONLY chance.
DUH?
Sorry but no. His departure is no such thing. because he’s still there. He might not be steering the ship but he’s still on the bridge. IF he had died perhaps there would be a shot once Apple was done with all the things that Jobs started product wise (say in a year or so). But he didn’t.
Plus there is the fact that he had picked Cook and several others and hand trained them to basically be Junior Steves. They think in the WWSD school and always will.
Aside from the naysayers on Wall Street, this will have zero real effect on Apple in terms of retail style, products etc. Nothing about this will help the competitors and we’ll likely still not get Flash on iOS or Blu-ray on Macs cause Steve didn’t want it and they won’t defy Steve and his reasons for saying no.
Every Mac and Tech site has been the same way and will be that way through the weekend.
Why? Hits. The only thing right now that would get more is when Apple announces the iphone 5
Yes it is the only opportunity for the likes of Sony and Samsung to defeat Apple. Also it is the only opportunity for pigs to grow wings and fly or for the recreation of dinosaurs.
If you think any of these companies are going to do any better than they have – well can I sell you a bridge to nowhere ?
Tim Cook is gonna blow these guys off.
ì just got an iPad 2-32GB for $ 23.87 and my girlfriend loves her Panasonìc Lumìx GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $ 657 which only cost me $ 62.81 to
buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from,
bit.ly/ShopBid
ì just got an iPad 2-32GB for $ 23.87 and my girlfriend loves her Panasonìc Lumìx GF 1 Camera that we got for $ 38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $ 657 which only cost me $ 62.81 to
buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from,
bit.ly/ShopBid
Steve Elop of Nokia, you mean?
You know what’s even more pathetic? That my comment above was “flagged for review” lol. Why? Can’t take criticism much? Here’s an idea: what don’t you guys focus on writing few quality articles instead of regurgitating ridiculous ones for the sake of getting “hits”! Even Engadget doesn’t aim that low…
That’s the point I was getting at! 20+ piss poor quality articles just to get hits is ludicrous! Makes the front page feel like my junkmail folder…
You know, users flag comments for review. Moderators just moderate it. As I’ve just done to yours!
“…competitors only chance to compete…” ??? How arrogant. NONE of the great IT innovations came from Apple. The last time Jobs left, Apple almost went under. This time, they can’t call him back… there’s no app for that.
iSink?
this is exactly what I’ve been thinking all day…and what i’ve said all day, but i used words such as “crap” and “shitty products” and “android” and “google” a lot in my words.
Jobs greatest creation isn’t any of the fabulous products people clamor for … it is Apple itself.
A slight paraphrase from John Gruber at Daringfireball.
John is so right on. Tim Cook has been a driving force in Apple’s success for 13 years. Nothing is going to change, except Apples revenue, and profits … watch them as they continue to climb, and Apple continues to dominate.