Without Steve Jobs at the helm, can Apple still deliver?

Sure can!

I don't think his departure will affect their abilities to deliver high quality products. But I wonder if they will be able to keep the interest of the public

Steve Jobs is still there as Board Chairman.

But remember what happened that time he was kicked out and left the company. Apple went downhill without him there. He can't be there forever. Apple would have to learn to fend for itself without him starting soon.

I'd like to think so but I've never seen a corporation so dedicated to their leader. Will that dedication remain once Jobs is no longer with us? I wish him nothing but the best.

Taka

Apple products are terrible. They are constricted by one of the most restrictive software regimes ever designed by mankind. Despite their hardware superiority, they are struggling to maintain market share for the above reason. It is ironic that the company that became well-known with their Orwell-takeoff "1984" CM has become so Orwellian itself. If you have Apple stock, sell now: the great decline has begun.

By the way, that CM came out during the LA Olympics - hence, the athletic hammer thrower. Most of you are probably too young to remember it; those like me might dig the nostalgia. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

But remember what happened that time he was kicked out and left the company. Apple went downhill without him there.

I don't believe there has been adequate analysis done on what Steve Jobs brought to Apple, and therefore things have settled onto the good-old, comfortable explanation of a "cult of personality."

Apple, like many a technology company, was built out of a garage by a handful of dedicated visionaries. The common wisdom is that once a company attains a level of success, it requires a completely different kind of management. (Visionaries working out of small-scale environments need not apply.) Therefore, Apple would never hire the very people who, like Jobs, made them what they are -- for better or worse.

Apple products are terrible.

I don't like Apple's philosophy of keeping things closed and proprietary. Nevertheless, the designs of many of their products are compellingly simple and beautiful. I give them their due for that.

sj or no sj apple has only one way to go, down

We will wait and see.

I don't like Apple's philosophy of keeping things closed and proprietary.

Agree 100% and I dont like how you can only have your ipod connected to one station. I had a friend who had $400 worth of iTunes purchases and many others from limewire but her computer went dead and she had to reinstall and redo her whole ipod.

Even if this is the case, I still love my iPod and iPod touch. It is a beautiful design and unmatched by any other brand IMO; hence it is a more valuable company to the US than the oil company (forgot which one).

The only good thing Apple has made has been the iPod and even that is lacking in many areas. I am not a fan of the company but I do love my 2nd gen iTouch. In my opinion they stopped "delevering" long ago.