This almost certainly means the cancer came back.

It also makes him an instant diabetic, and chances of long term survival are drastically reduced…

I’m definitely saddened for SJ and his family. Best wishes for you.

Jobs is a figure head, but the cult was created by Apple’s PR machine and the press. And the wallstreet lemmings, of course buy into the 10 word answer. I do not think consumers buy ipod, iphones and laptops because of steve.

Amongst computer geeks and apple fan boys I think the opinions are evenly split on Jobs with very few voices in the middle.

Thankfully, Steve had a much rarer form of pancreatic cancer, as detailed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroendocrine_tumor

That’s not to say its not very serious, but this form of the cancer is much more survivable.

- Bill

Thus, you have an entire class of people who already thought they had more valid opinions than everyone else, thus their job telling everyone else what they should think, having this belief reinforced by a company that tells them that if they are really one of the special people, then they would buy the special people computer. And so, you get a lifestyle brand perpetuating itself in the media, because every time they sing the praises of the product, it gives them a warm fuzzy feeling, because it reinforces how truly enlightened they think they are.

In a perverse way, the more their readers call them on it, the more it reinforces their love of Apple, because it just highlights how much distance there is between them, and the boring little people banging away at spreadsheets on their bland ‘Windoze’ machines, while they live their imagined glamorous Apple media life.

If you were to go through all the decisions he has made since he has been back at apple you will see a consistent strategy in place. Steve jobs is “consistent” in his appraisal of risk and in his execution of ideas. I’m sure the rest of apple completely understand the Steve jobs philosophy and this time believe he is right. That’s why apple will be left unchanged with his departure. Apple will be fine in my opinion.

Hope he will be better soon, really (*) we will see this summer…

(*) I personaly survived a very rare form of cancer that occurred when I was 25 years old : 9 occurrences (me included) documented in medical research worldwide, the surgeon explained me than 6 over 8 people died within 6 month, I’m still here 20 years after… but who knows ?

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As for sucking at the Apple teat, I’ll have you know that I use Linux exclusively. :)

He is a once in a lifetime leader for Apple but he has left a great legacy behind, and Apple fans should just come down. Just like the investors…

Now he is apparently dying, and the entire tech press dose an abrupt 180, and suddenly he is just a meaningless figurehead, leading a company of brilliant people who won’t even slow down with his departure. All of a sudden, the man we have been told is the true genius of our age, is just some guy in a suit, who’s departure means nothing.

I suppose the idea is that if people were stupid enough to buy that Steve Jobs was the sole person behind everything Apple did, then they will be stupid enough to believe whatever you tell them now. I, however, can’t help but feel you can’t have it both ways. Either he is the da Vinci of the computer world, at which point Apple is doomed to suffer the same fate they did last time he left the company OR he is nothing but a used car salesman and mouthpiece of the company, at which point I think a lot of people need to reexamine a lot of what they have said about him, and Apple, over the past decade.

Really, I just wonder why you work so damned hard to try and get out whatever message the Apple home office tells you to disseminate?

Steve being out of Apple for some indeterminate amount of time is what it is, and all the fear and conniptions won’t change that.

It is certainly true that the engineering and creativity displayed in Apple products is not the output of Steve’s mind, but Steve does supply one EXTREMELY HARD to replace skill that to date has not been displayed by any other leader at Apple: dictatorial cohesive oversight and drive.

I was a software developer at Apple during the rudderless post-jobs years, from 92 to 97, and there were undoubtedly just as many creative and talented people there then as there are there now, yet some how Apple was simply unable to produce any meaningful products, and started its downward spiral to obscurity prior to his return.

While I personally abhor his ego-maniacal, hyper-secretive, contentious, and capricious style of management, it has been extremely effective and ultimately needed to keep the “herd of cats” that is Apple engineering and marketing united and focused towards delivering products and message points that “make a difference”…and that will be very hard to replace.

The question is when the cats away will the mice play, or stay on track?

-avi

It’s clear he stoked the fire. It’s certainly not guaranteed that anyone can carry his torch.