The impending threat that Apple will see Jobs-less days had been looming since CEO Steve Jobs announced his medical leave in January.
Now the day of reckoning has arrived as the Man with the Midas Touch takes a bow after a decade of delivering devices that have radically changed the way digital content is consumed.
Jobs stepped down as Apple's CEO stating that he could no longer effectively run the organization. The man who will be taking over the reins is Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.
Envisioning Apple without Jobs raises concerns that have kept Apple's shareholders puzzled since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2003.
In January, prior to the company's annual general meeting, the Central Laborers' Pension Fund, which owns 11,484 shares in the company, was aspiring to present a proposal detailing the guidelines to find a suitable successor to the CEO. The proposal demanded that the CEO succession plan be annually reviewed by directors and specific criteria to select a CEO and a specific plan to develop internal candidates for the profile to be put in place.
It also expected the board to commence CEO succession planning at least three years before an expected transition and to present annual reports on its succession strategy.
But Apple urged shareholders to vote against the demand for a CEO succession plan at the annual meeting in February.
Apple faces the same fix as many Silicon Valley companies that are driven by their charismatic leaders. And even if the companies have a strategy, many have returned once again to take the helm like Dell's Michael Dell, who returned after appointing Kevin Rollins as CEO in 2004.
Oracle's founder and CEO, Larry Ellison, has not named a successor yet. But Microsoft was able to find a successor to CEO Bill Gates when Steve Ballmer took over in 2000.
The top candidates who can take on Steve Jobs' mantle are Cook, Jonathan Ive, Scott Forstall, Bob Mansfield, Bruce Sewell and Philip W. Schiller.
Here is a slideshow which profiles the top contenders who can carry on Steve Jobs' legacy:
Jonathan Ive- Apple's Head of DesignAppleTim Cook took over from Steve Jobs as Apple CEO in 2011AppleScott Forstall is senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple. Forstall leads the team responsible for delivering the software at the heart of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone including the user interface, applications, frameworks and the operating system. Forstall joined Apple in 1997 and is one of the original architects of Mac OS X and its Aqua user interface. He was responsible for several releases of the operating system, most notably Mac OS X Leopard.
Forstall twitter account show that he is a follower of ConanOBrien.
Most recenlt Apple showcased its iOs 5 at WWDC in June. The upgrade comes with 250+ features.
Scott Forstall, came second in Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business Awards for his work with Apple’s iOS operating system.AppleBob Mansfield is senior vice president of Macintosh Hardware Engineering. Mansfield joined Apple in 1999 and oversees the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough Mac products including the MacBook Air and the all-in-one iMac line.
Prior to joining Apple, Mansfield was vice president of Engineering at Raycer Graphics, which Apple acquired in 1999. Previously, Mansfield was a senior director at SGI, responsible for the development of various microprocessor designs.
Mansfield was in news after he sold all but 501 of his shares of Apple stock for a total payout of $13.7 million dollars in April.
Fortune, reported that Mansfield sold 38,863 shares of Apple stock.
Mansfield has sold close to $58.5 million worth of stock over the past three years.
AppleInsider reported in August, that Mansfield's role at the company was expanded to include oversight of Apple's iPod and iPhone divisions after executive Mark Papermaster abruptly left Apple because of he lost his place in Steve Jobs good books.AppleSewell serves on the company’s executive team and oversees all legal matters, including corporate governance, intellectual property, litigation and securities compliance, as well as government affairs.
Sewell joined Apple from Intel Corporation in September 2009.
Sewell received his J.D. from George Washington University in 1986, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Lancaster, in the United Kingdom, in 1979.
Sewell has been profiled by Fortune Magazine and included in the 100 Most Influential Lawyers list by California Lawyer magazine and the legal Daily Journal.
His role has become more prominent has Apple has gone on a patent lawsuit spree which has taken Samsung, HTC and Motorola in its ambit. Sewell is not just in charge of defending Apple’s 358-page iPhone patent but also the new addition that has come through Nortel patent acquisition – Apple is part of Rockstar consortium which purchased 6,000 patents from Nortel Networking for $4.5 billion.ApplePhilip Schiller is Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. Schiller is a member of Apple’s Executive Team and is responsible for the company’s Product Marketing, Developer Relations, and Business Marketing programs. Since rejoining Apple in April 1997, Schiller has helped the company return to its role as a technology innovator, delivering breakthrough products such as the iMac, MacBook, Airport, Xserve, Mac OS X, Safari, AppleTV, iPod and iPhone.
Prior to Apple, Schiller served as Vice President of Product Marketing at Macromedia, Inc. of San Francisco, CA; as Director of Product Marketing at FirePower Systems, Inc. of Menlo Park, CA; as an Information Technology Manager at Nolan, Norton & Company of Lexington, MA; and as a Programmer and Systems Analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.
NYTimes reported that one of Schiller’s favorite apps on iPhone is Shazam, an that identifies what song is playing in a bar or on the radio and lets users download. Other apps included CNN’s app, Facebook iPhone app, NBA Game Time, ESPN ScoreCenter, Eliminate, geoDefense and Best camera.
On his twitter account he lists his interest as Apple, Sports, Cars, Science and Rock &Roll.
He most recently tweeted: “purchased Wasting Light by Foo Fighters... They killed it at the iTunes Festival! It is a great concert v...”A
Another tweet which gives a glimpse into his marketing choices which he tweeted on July 3 says: “Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" - classic radio ads.”Apple
