Apple is no more. Only 'stuff' remains.
For any business to function, it has usual management requirements - finance, operations, supply, HR, etc. What makes companies highly successful is outstanding individuals at key positions. While the current products are very good and an outline is in place for near term development, that is only 'stuff' and meaningless without direction.
In the tech world, high priority is given to patents and technologic innovation, rightly so, but ideas and equipment without rare individuals capable of identifying their use and successfully implementing them means it's all just 'stuff'. These technology companies can be compared to the manufacturing companies they outsource - in that great tech is there, but there's no successful implementation. Manufacturers produce specifically what's ordered while tech companies copy without visionary leaders only mimic the design and features out there.
Jobs was the leader for Apple, and one of the best on Earth. Without him, Apple will become just another nameless and also-ran tech company. A few examples of companies turning ho-hum or failing after the loss of dynamic leadership;
- IBM made great PCs, later renaming that division Lenovo. Lenovo was then sold to China. There was one or two years where the computers were still IBM-good, but now it's just hardware. I'd guess in a few years, Apple will no longer be Jobs-good.
- China also makes a number of knock-offs, both in technology and automotive. All this 'stuff' is reverse engineered (a major patent violation), yet none of it is as good as the original equipment. All the fine details of design, construction and programing/tuning done by the real deal is absent.
- Many here were twitterpaited that the Broncos were bringing the Patriot Way to Denver, but that was just 'stuff'. Bill-Belly, the real Hoodie, was what makes the Patriots successful. What Denver got was a cheap knock-off, trying to sell the lie that 'stuff' matters more than the individual. The result was the worst Coach in Broncos history and almost the worst record in the NFL.
- The Russian space program has been using the same hardware for decades and has been a highly successful program. In the last half decade, all the old-timers have been replaced by a new culture. In the last year they've lost five launches, including an ISS resupply the other day. While the equipment and policies haven't changed, the people have and put the ISS future in jeopardy. The same concerns exist for our current loss of key NASA individuals and culture, as well as replacing the best military leadership with a new State Dept/CIA/Mercenary approach.
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