Wall Street is not the only entity that has reacted to the departure of Mr Steve Jobs. Many users of Apple products are also wondering what will happen to Apple in the post-Jobs era.
‘Only one'
“Yes, Apple has a talented team in place. But then there is only one Steve Jobs – let us remember that,” says the Genpact Vice-Chairman, Mr Pramod Bhasin admitting that the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City is his most frequently visited store in the world. Mr Bhasin, like millions of Apple fans across the globe, says he is “personally saddened” by the news of Steve Jobs stepping down as the CEO of the iconic company he co-founded in 1976.
Technology expert Mr Kishore Bhargava said that while there could be an initial reaction to Jobs' relinquishing the CEO post, people will quickly realise that there is a whole succession plan in place. “Apple is one of the most valuable companies and they will not want to lose that status…” he said.
“Apple is not about bringing a product to the market, but bringing an experience to its users. Jobs' biggest contribution to the company has been his vision and leadership. He not only concentrated on building products or an ecosystem of experience around those products, but also an organisation,” pointed out Mr Bhargava.
Mr S.R. Ramakrishna, Senior Editor, Yahoo India News , who has been a Mac user for over 10 years and owns an iPhone, iMac, iBook and a music studio that uses a Mac, was also saddened that Mr Steve Jobs has left Apple. When asked about what this move meant, Mr Ramakrishna said, “I think that the vision of an engineer and the vision of an MBA are different. It is important to have a doctor heading a hospital.”
‘Strategy in place'
Another technology expert Mr Atul Chitnis said that Jobs has only stepped down from an administrative role, but will continue to be involved with Apple products.
“I do not see any impact…Apple has a strategy in place and product design is being handled by a team, and Jobs, himself, will still continue to be actively involved in design and development…Also do not forget that even during the launch of iPad 2, Jobs was visible on the stage only 20 per cent of the time. For the rest, we saw his team managing the show. Yet, you see how the product sold in the market,” he argued.
These thoughts are shared by Mr Deepu Nair, a Sound Engineer. Mr Nair has been using Mac products since 2000 and like most Mac fans, has the entire series of Apple products –iBook, iPad, iPhone, MacBook Pro and even Apple TV.
“When I heard that Mr Jobs was quitting, I was sad,” he said. “But I know that he is not well. I met him in the US when I had gone to the Apple campus in August 2010. I saw him in the car park and introduced myself. He was very weak even in those days.”
‘Right move'
But some users have accepted the reality that Jobs could not have continued for long. Mr Bharat Goenka, Managing Director of Tally Solutions, feels that Mr Jobs had done the right thing in relinquishing the CEO position. “Everyone was expecting it to happen for over a year now. One cannot be absentee CEO for extended period of time,” says Mr Goenka a self-confessed fan of Apple products and the visionary Jobs.