Steve Jobs, Get Well Soon!
I’ve been away the past four days at my daughter’s wedding, a celebration of life if there ever was one. And the news, which I only monitored on the long drive back to Boston from Washington, DC, it appears, has been dominated by Steve Jobs’ announcement that he is taking a third medical leave from Apple. Steve’s health issues are well-known, and he of course needs to focus on doing everything he can to get well. Such is particularly challenging in his case, but, again, we celebrate life and I want to add my prayers and good wishes to the so many others that he’s undoubtedly already received. I would imagine any disease would fear Steve in much the same way that his competitors do, and let’s hope that’s the case here.
Apple has a long history of innovation, from bringing us one of the first personal computers (the Apple II), the Macintosh (I’m a Mac user myself and, despite the absolutely awful Finder, I love the reliability and overall performance of these machines, and I depend on them to keep the lights on here), one of the first and indeed most innovative handhelds (the ill-fated Newton, but they get an A- for effort and hinting at what these products could become), the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and the revolutionary media-distribution services that today clearly point the way to a future void of static media. All of these (except perhaps the Newton) can be seen as direct results of Steve Jobs’ astonishing vision and business acumen. While I most certainly do not agree with all of Apple’s moves over the years, particularly the closed-system App Store model, I can and do admire Steve Jobs as the titan that he is. I wish him a speedy recovery and many years back at center stage, bringing us even more great stuff in the future.
And even if he’s out for quite a while, or takes the extended vacation to which he is more than entitled, Apple will do just fine. The company is, as I’ve said before, the best marketing organization in the world, the best consumer electronics company in the world, and just plain filled with smart people who have learned a lot from their boss. A boss, again, who is a celebration of life.
