Apple's Record Revenue and Steve Jobs' Absence

As most of you know, Steve Jobs has announced he’s taking a leave of absence, placing COO Timothy D. Cook as Apple’s leader.  Many are heartbroken by his leave and worried about the impact it will have on Apple. Amidst the announcement comes good news: Apple had an amazing quarter with $26.7 billion in revenue. I read two articles, “Apple sets new record with sales of $27 billion” by David Goldman and “Can Apple Find More Hits Without its Tastemaker?” by Steve Lohr about the revenue jump and Steve Jobs.

Apple’s record revenue is due in large part to the Holiday frenzy for the iPad and iPhone. Goldman notes the iPad’s tremendous success is attributed to its successful adaption within the business community. This is before the anticipated arrival of the Verizon iPhone, which is expected to sell millions more iPhones. All of this has been credited to Steve Jobs. Lohr exclaims that Jobs is an intuitive innovator, able to create phenomenal products without consulting traditional forms of market research, such as focus groups.

The loss of Steve Jobs will not only be his ideas but his enthusiastic presentation of the products. Steve Jobs becomes the Apple brand at every product introduction. He believes completely in his products. That is not to say that no one else promotes their products. But CEOs of large companies do not typically introduce every product or provide on-stage presentations of them. 

While many are wondering if Apple can move forward, the reality is Jobs’ absence is not a surprise for the company; he has had leaves before. The company should be well prepared for his absence. Although he can’t be replaced, I don’t believe Apple’s future is grim. Hopefully, their preparation and future products will keep them gliding on their success.