Steve Jobs leaving Apple for health reasons

[Mik 0]

http://i.gizmodo.com/5131535/steve-jobs-ta...health-problems

 

With all the lies and half truths being put out by Apple, I really have to think this is quite serious. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he doesn't come back in June.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I guess an Apple a day doesn't keep the doctor away.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I guess an Apple a day doesn't keep the doctor away.

 

 

 

Ooh devilish, ooh devilish...

[BUTT 0]

Question: If it turns out that he does have cancer or some ailment more serious than the hormone problem he says he has, and that he's been lying about it, couldn't he and Apple be nailed by the FTC or whatever regulatory body for not disclosing information that could seriously affect the stock price?

[Steviekick 0]

Question: If it turns out that he does have cancer or some ailment more serious than the hormone problem he says he has, and that he's been lying about it, couldn't he and Apple be nailed by the FTC or whatever regulatory body for not disclosing information that could seriously affect the stock price?

 

Not sure. It would certainly be a grey area do to a lot of the health privacy laws.

[Guest Smues]

I dunno about the FCC, but I have read that there's a good chance they get sued by the shareholders.

[Mik 0]

It's so foolish on anyone's part to think that no one at Apple can function or make products without Steve though. Granted, he was directly responsible for OS X and the iPod but a lot of Apple's best selling products were not directly related to Steve or even his idea (iMac for one).

 

I'm not sure if I think the shareholders have a point. Granted, he's the face of the company but Apple is still going to be Apple without him... not sure if there is grounds enough to sue.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Well of course Apple can make products, they can always just release slight revisions to the iPod Nano, Touch, Macbooks etc, add new features, change the shapes and colors, add more storage, etc etc....

 

I think it's brand new products which will suffer and not have quite the same "Apple oomph" to them. I've read a lot of stories where Jobs, in his own unique egomaniacal way, really pushes and flogs his people to get some of that good UI and creative 'marriage of software and hardware' and ease of use... like the iPod, he tossed away entire developed prototypes and UIs simply because he couldn't get to the song he wanted in "3 clicks". I read a pretty detailed article about the iPhone making that had a lot of interesting little stories like that.

[Guest Vitamin X]

It's so foolish on anyone's part to think that no one at Apple can function or make products without Steve though. Granted, he was directly responsible for OS X and the iPod but a lot of Apple's best selling products were not directly related to Steve or even his idea (iMac for one).

 

I'm not sure if I think the shareholders have a point. Granted, he's the face of the company but Apple is still going to be Apple without him... not sure if there is grounds enough to sue.

 

The entire appeal of Apple is OSX and the iPod pulled them out of bankruptcy. Keep in mind that without OSX, a Mac is just another PC with a really dumb mouse and cute design.

 

We'll see what happens, though. I think Apple is much more firmly entrenched in the market this time around to stay strong even if they start to underperform like they did in the 90's, although the education sector certainly seems to have gone Dell's way since then unlike when we were all kids.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Am I the only one hoping Apple stock drops to the point where Microsoft can buy them out? I think I would laugh for a full day if that ever happened.

[Mik 0]

It's also not even remotely possible.

[ZGangsta 0]

It's also not even remotely possible.

If Apple's stock price keeps dropping the way it has for the last year (jan2008: 200 per share, jan2009: 80 per share) it's entirely possible.

 

Some people mistakenly look at Apple and Microsoft as about the same size and prominence, but Apple is a spec of dust compared to the giant that is Microsoft.

 

Question: If it turns out that he does have cancer or some ailment more serious than the hormone problem he says he has, and that he's been lying about it, couldn't he and Apple be nailed by the FTC or whatever regulatory body for not disclosing information that could seriously affect the stock price?

http://i.gizmodo.com/5135991/sec-examining...ne=true&s=i

[Mik 0]

It's still not possible. I know how small is Apple is in relation to Microsoft but if they ever end up going under they would not outright be sold to Microsoft and cease to exist as Apple computer. Not possible.

 

Obviously Bill Gates already pumped money back into the company to keep it afloat in the mid 90s, but Apple being outright sold to Microsoft is not a possibility, regardless of share price.