Steve Jobs resigns as Apple’s CEO

Well if this wasn’t a crazy week already, now comes the news of Steve Jobs resignation as Apple’s CEO. It is a sad turn of events because more than likely, the decision was due more to his illness as it can be extrapolated from his resignation letter than him willingly resigning to go pursue other ventures. He has led Apple with a singular vision of what he thinks technology should be like and at 56 years of age, he still had a lot of more years ahead to push that dream forward under normal circumstances. As much as I don’t care for Apple products as a matter of preference, there is no denying that the firm under his leadership has forced other tech companies to up their game and those that did not have been left on the wayside.

His departure reminds me of a similar occurrence (though not directly related) when the lead guitarist  or singer of a successful band leaves the group. The “sound” of the band changes. So it will be with Apple with Mr. Cook at the helm. Its up to the remaining team to make the new “sound” of Apple though now different, as enticing to consumers as Mr. Jobs did during his tenure. Geekwire’s Todd Bishop  has an interesting take on how Apple should handle the transition. Mr. Jobs will take a new role as chairman of the board.

If you are wondering why a Microsoft focused writer is praising the “enemy “, it is because I have a deep respect for Mr. Jobs and the contributions he has made to the tech world. Without the iPhone, Microsoft would have more than likely continued on their ill fated attempts of shoehorning the desktop paradigm onto the phone and we would never have had the excellent Windows Phone 7. Without the iPad, Microsoft would still have insisted that Windows 7 was adequate for a tablet device. Instead Windows 8 features a touch enabled UX created from the ground up and that’s a good thing. For the longest time, Microsoft squandered great opportunities to introduce new innovations to consumers but with the fierce competition from Apple, they now have to move fast or else they die. That’s the beauty of competition and I hope the next team at Apple will continue to keep the guys from Redmond on their toes.

Image credit: engadget