Now that questions over when the iPhone 5 will appear seems to be settled, new speculation has shifted to whether former CEO and Apple stage-master Steve Jobs will show up on what was supposed to be new CEO Tim Cook’s day.
Jobs “is expected to make an appearance, though a no-show by the Apple co-founder will not be a major disappointment,” Reuters reports Monday. An Apple investment fund manager is quoted saying investors “would like to see Steve Jobs to confirm that he is still involved…but it’s not critical.”
The question is, if Jobs’ appears, what role will he assume onstage? The iPhone 5 would be Cook’s first product announcement since Jobs left day-to-day operations in August. Jobs attained legendary status for roaming the stage in iconic blue jeans and black turtleneck, “it is too early to write [Cook] off as not a visionary or showman like Steve Jobs,” said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
It’s worth noting that Reuters’ report is at odds with the consensus (and our own prediction) that Jobs will not appear. He’s passed the torch: showing up at an iPhone 5 event would send the wrong message about Jobs’ and Apple’s confidence in Cook.
Whether Jobs appears onstage or simply in a cameo role, though, his fingers will be all over the iPhone 5 event. As he always did with new products, Jobs’ may save the best for last.
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.
50 responses to “Will iPhone 5 Unveil Be Jobs’ Final One Last Thing?”
I’m excited to see Tim Cook. I think it would be appropriate if Steve was in the front row, maybe Tim mentions he’s here and doing well, and people applauded him. I think that, as much as people love Steve, his presence on stage or ceremoniously introducing the iPhone isn’t really necessary.
I don’t think so. In the last pictures, Jobs looks very ill.
Steve’s the chairman and he has nothing wrong to be there. I just can’t wait to see how Tim is going to prove all the negative news wrong tomorrow.
Instead of Phil at the other end of a FaceTime call it will be Steve.
That would be funny for Tim to Facetime Steve. I think he will be there but more as a spectator now. Just to see how Tim pulls this off. Since August I think that’s all Mr. Jobs has done, watched. And honestly, the man has been clinging to Steve Jobs since last year, I think he’s more than capable of handling the presentation for the 5. I still hope he carries on the “one more thing…” tradition tho.
“questions over when the iPhone 5 will appear seems to be settled”…what? Did I miss something? Everything I’ve heard seems to be indicating it will only be a 4S.
I’m pretty sure Steve will be there is some way – perhaps just sitting in the front row or being called by FaceTime (perhaps a new demonstration of the Assistant: “Call Steve Jobs on Facetime”). But that being said, there’s no way he will do any new product announcements. That would indeed send the wrong message about general confidence in Cook as the new CEO.
Giant Steve Jobs on stage like the 1984 video. It’s heartbreaking even thinking about the possibility of him being there or not being there. The Facetime appearance would be cool beyond belief, especially if Steve looked relatively healthy.
Yeah unless he has improved since then I doubt he wants people to see him in that state.
I don’t remember ever hearing that Steve gave up the position of spokesman / presenter … just CEO. Why wouldn’t you put your best presenter on stage?
I have it on good authority that Apple and Pixar have been rushing a secret program to create 3D holographic animations of Steve announcing the next 50 or so insanely great things. This should give them a good 10 years of keynote speeches to fall back on.
With these, Apple can show Steve in all his youthful glory extolling the wonderful gadgets of the future without the annoying reality of his passing to contend with.
Afterwards, Woz can be the celebrity spokesman.
For the same reason he started putting Phil, Tim, Jonny etc on stage after the 2007 stock debacle. To show the world that Apple and Steve Jobs aren’t one and the same. There are other brains at work in the company.
Steve is no longer CEO, no longer the captain of the ship. Putting Tim Cook up on that stage without any interference from Steve and the media’s obsession with Steve and his physical appearance (which will never change thanks to the hormonal muck up he will have for the rest of his life), helps to reiterate that idea that someone else is in charge, it is Tim’s Apple now and look he has the same crew of brilliant minds making things for him the same way they did for Steve so everything will be just fine
I doubt Steve has an issue with his state. Why? Because unlike the media and blog commenters, Steve knows that he will never look better. He will never ‘get well’. He had pancreatic cancer and a liver transplant. Both of which screw up your hormones, especially the ones that create muscle mass. He will never be anything but thin etc. This is his life I doubt that Steve is going to hide at home and become a prisoner to avoid the media continuing to claim he’s going to kick the bucket in an hour.
If Steve is there, no comment about his condition is needed, he’s right there. See for yourself. Heck they won’t have to call out that he’s there if everyone can see it. Remember Town Hall only fits about 200 folks. It’s not like the back row can’t see the front.
If he isn’t there, don’t expect a comment about his condition. Why? Because there is no SEC mandate to reveal the health of the Chairman of the Board, and Apple is extremely privacy aware. Especially about Steve. No way would they make even an offhanded comment about his health or well being because that could fall across the line of being a privacy invasion.
If you’re talking about the pics from TMZ, they were proven to be photoshopped to make him look worse.
I’m thinking that Jobs is going to be the “phone call demo” like Jonathan Ives used to be for Jobs’ demos…and that’ll be the extent of his participation, telling us all we need to know…he’s still alive and doing well enough.
Now I have an image of some busty blogger chick running up an aisle and hurling a sledge hammer through the projection screen while they FaceTime Steve.
Please learn to proofread your entries. “The question is, if Jobs’ appears…” makes no sense.
I thought it was “One more thing…”, not “One last thing”.
Poor taste!
… and he should do it via FaceTime from a beach in Bali or some other exotic location. “And one more thing… (pans back to show his masseuse as he toasts the camera) Retirement is AWESOME!”
i think the one last thing will be steve unveiling to iPhone 5
Tim Cook will destroy Apple as we know it. It wont happen over night but it will happen, sooner than you think.
yes he will. He will utterly destroy it. And in the process create a new Apple that is just as good as the old one, if not better.
Remember, Steve picked this guy. Trained him, groomed him etc. Tim has been learned to speak Steve speak, think Steve think etc. And Steve is there to smack him if Tim gets out of line.
Be nice if Tim called him midway through to ask how Steve thought he was doing, in a jokey way, of course! It’s ok for all you lot in the states, wake up and it’ll near enough begin! I’m gonna be waiting til this evening before I get the news :(