Larry Ellison Sees Bleak Future for Apple Without Steve Jobs
Rose asked the tech mogul to share his thoughts on what Apple will become without Jobs. Ellison said “we already know.”
“We saw — we conducted the experiment,” Ellison explained. “I mean, it’s been done. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. We saw Apple without Steve Jobs. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. Now, we’re gonna see Apple without Steve Jobs.”
Strong words. Can’t say I agree with Ellison just yet, but the fact is the rate of product introduction has slowed, and some board members are starting to get antsy. Panic time? Not yet, but the market better see some of the product pipeline Tim Cook is always talking about, and soon. I know certain folks like the constant iteration approach Apple has taken so far, but the fact is its main products have matured, and there is legitimate competition in the marketplace. We can’t just have incremental improvements all the time. Right now Apple owns the key teen/young adult demographic, but when it goes, it goes fast.
(Side note: Ellison’s view, coupled with Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster speculating that the rumored iPhone 5C will be intentionally hobbled by not having Siri, drives me nuts. But, I’m betting Munster is wrong, per usual. )
