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[perkiset]

Tim Cook, current COO will take the reigns. Steveo will remain as Chairman of the board.

Health claimed as the issue. Personally, I think that this is an excellent move and hope that the product line fans out because of less single-artist syndrome.

[rcjordan]

resignation letter here.  well, the pr dept's version of his resignation letter

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html

[daviator]

I disagree with the stock-market-sellers (Apple's stock is down more than 5% on the news); I don't think Apple is nearly as dependent on Steve as most people seem to imagine.  I think they'll do fine.  But it's a sad moment, nonetheless.  I started using Apple products in 1976 (even before you, Perks) and in those days, you could call Apple and one of the Steves would sometimes answer the phone.  I met Jobs only once, more than 25 years ago, and it's painful to see him so obviously physically affected by his illness.

I hope this move will give him time to truly rest and recover his health, and I hope that it is not a result of more bad news on the health front for him.

Tim Cook has been acting as CEO for some time now, so functionally I don't expect too much to change.  And at least for now, Steve will still be around, at least part of the time, to provide vision and inspiration to the troops.

[kurdt]

I think this will have a very big impact on Apple's keynotes. I think it's very unlikely that Cook can deliver anything even close to Steve's top-notch performances. This will affect launches because if you look at how press & people treat Apple launches, the big buzz is always about the products Steve introduces and when Steve introduces them. Without Steve performing, it will be very interesting to see if Apple's launches will become "just another tech launch event". It won't be "Last night in fully packed arena Steve Jobs introduced iMug" with big photo of smiling Steve with a mug that has full aluminium body and which will change everything again, it will be "Apple released iFlop, Google revealed new version of Android that promisses to be finally ok and lastly, Facebook adjusted it's privacy settings to send all potentially financially worthy messages automatically to CEO Zuckerberg". I agree that Apple's processes are so well defined that Steve isn't all that necessary there but I would argue that from marketing point of few this is a big blow.

[nutballs]

The iOS lead could pick up the keynote reigns. I forget his  name, but he always projects the youthful exhuberance and fanatical enthusiasm, with a fairly decent command of the reality distortion field. I think he could make everyone forget.

My guess, all will be as usual after the next keynote.

[perkiset]

The keynotes have been less and less Steveo heavy of late, and I think this was part of the plan. The real excitement has been what Apple is releasing, not what Steve Jobs has cooked up. I think they'll only need a cycle or two of really great stuff without Steve at the helm and people will stay excited.

I really doubt that all the marketing, the development, the *everything* has been Steve. He has a massive perfectionist streak, but I'd bet that just about all he is has been encapsulated and institutionalized. I don't think we'll even see Cook at keynotes because he's the wrong guy. He runs the company but is not the visionary. It's been said that he's flat out brilliant on manufacturing chain, development cycles, retail - all of the real business stuff. But with Steveo as chairman and folks like Johnny Ive still in tight, then perhaps this move will simply make it that whatever Steve has left can be more artistic than operational.

Meaning that, we will probably see him in little appearances as the sage elder - the Henry Ford, the Walt Disney that comes to the forefront now and again, rather than flying to China to cut deals. Because really, that's what the CEO does. Daily ops. And as he slowly slips from public view, others will come to light as the behind-the-curtain jeeneus that built (this product) or (that ware).

I would REALLY like to hope that Apple learned it's Scully lesson and will now be with us for good.

@ DV8R - that's right - I started with the ][ in about '77, looking at you behind the glass door and thinking, "I'll bet I can avoid Algebra if I can get in there and do what he's doing..." You were an inspiration even then old friend.

[kurdt]

The keynotes have been less and less Steveo heavy of late, and I think this was part of the plan. The real excitement has been what Apple is releasing, not what Steve Jobs has cooked up. I think they'll only need a cycle or two of really great stuff without Steve at the helm and people will stay excited.

I really doubt that all the marketing, the development, the *everything* has been Steve. He has a massive perfectionist streak, but I'd bet that just about all he is has been encapsulated and institutionalized. I don't think we'll even see Cook at keynotes because he's the wrong guy. He runs the company but is not the visionary. It's been said that he's flat out brilliant on manufacturing chain, development cycles, retail - all of the real business stuff. But with Steveo as chairman and folks like Johnny Ive still in tight, then perhaps this move will simply make it that whatever Steve has left can be more artistic than operational.

Meaning that, we will probably see him in little appearances as the sage elder - the Henry Ford, the Walt Disney that comes to the forefront now and again, rather than flying to China to cut deals. Because really, that's what the CEO does. Daily ops. And as he slowly slips from public view, others will come to light as the behind-the-curtain jeeneus that built (this product) or (that ware).

I would REALLY like to hope that Apple learned it's Scully lesson and will now be with us for good.

I see your point but there's still something that tells me it is not going to be all that simple. But one thing like you said we need to remember is that Steve still sits on the board and that's important. Everybody acts like Steve is gone but in my opinion he become more of an quality controller than daily worker. However I still feel that part of the magic is gone now. Same thing happened with Gates when he left Microsoft. Ballmer took his place and things were never the same and of course Ballmer was able to drop company's value by almost 50% but that's another story I guess time will tell how much Steve effect there really was.