Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Reviews
Steve Jobs may be the public face of Apple, but the company has a strong team of executives and should do well without him, at least for the near term, company observers say. But if his absence were to become permanent, it could have a serious impact on Apple, they add. That’s because the company is so strongly identified with Jobs and his sensibility pervades its culture and products.
Who can replace Steve Jobs? When Apple needed a substitute after its iconic CEO backed out of delivering his annual keynote at the upcoming Macworld conference, it tapped Phil Schiller, its senior vice president of worldwide marketing. The announcement last week that Schiller will fill in for Jobs at next month’s event begs a larger question: Who might step into Jobs’ shoes when he eventually departs Apple?
Apple’s move to shake up its iPod and iPhone management team has been put on hold. A federal court judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction requested by IBM that ordered Mark Papermaster to cease working for Apple until further notice. Apple hired Papermaster away from IBM last month to head hardware engineering for its handheld gadgets.
As chief executive of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer heads a company that’s not just a PC software giant but also a growing presence in the broader consumer electronics industry. In less than 10 years, Microsoft has become a major player in video games, mobile phones, set-top boxes and Internet search and advertising. However, the company is nowhere near as dominant in consumer electronics as it is in operating systems.
The outstanding new feature on Apple’s iPhone — both the new 3G and original versions — is that it allows users to download and install applications. I’ve tested out only a small fraction of the 900 now available. But here are some games, music and other programs that have caught my eye so far.