The decision by CEO Steve Jobs to bypass a keynote speech in favor of marketing head Phil Schiller, sends “a clear message that a leadership shift is underway,” Munster wrote in a note.
This isn’t the first time onlookers have attempted to read Apple’s intentions through trade show speaker selection. In October, the inclusion of Schiller and Tim Cook prompted questions of a potential exit by Jobs.
While Munster described Jobs as “the irreplaceable face of Apple,” the Cupertino, Calif. company has entered the “early stages of changing roles in Apple management.”
Jobs, while an important piece of Apple’s revitalization, didn’t accomplish it solo. Munster said Apple management was key to new product success.
After the announcement that Jobs won’t appear at Macworld, the analyst judged the possibility of any Earth-shattering product releases – such as a new iPhone – as “less likely.”
Wednesday, Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner downgraded shares to “perform” from “outperform” after telling clients Apple’s lack of an apparent succession plan “underscored the greatest risk to Apple’s long-term success.”
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.
