Report: Apple's Steve Jobs Won't Step Away From Decision Making Processes

There's tons of talk surrounding Apple right now, and for good reason. The man who directed a huge amount of Apple's comeback story has stepped aside as CEO, and there are plenty of unanswered questions moving forward. But it's important to note a few things. First, Tim Cook has been a monumental figure at Apple during Steve Jobs' periods of leave. He has been right there beside Jobs in the decision-making processes, and this whole "leader" thing won't be foreign for him. But potentially even more important is this: Jobs isn't leaving Apple. He's still employed there. He's the head of the Board of Directors, and so long as Steve is still at Apple, his thoughts will be valued highly.

A new AP report suggests that Steve won't be "bowing out as the maestro of personal technology." In fact, he may soon become the "chief visionary." Things like this aren't unusual these days. Steve Wozniak, famed Apple co-founder, is a chief scientist at Fusion-io. He's around to give good ideas to smart people. Jobs will likely do the same. The company's not saying what Steve will be responsible for at the company, but many reports suggest that he will "weigh in on all key decisions and help sculpt the company's future product lineup."


Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies and the dean of Apple analysts, had this to say: "I know enough about Steve Jobs to know that as long as he has a breath in him, he will be giving direction at Apple. He is going to remain Apple's chief visionary." We suspect that any product that ships from Apple while Steve is still around will have Steve's stamp of approval; in other words, if you thought things would leave his control now that he's not CEO, we doubt that'll happen. Cook will be CEO, but Jobs will still be hand-selecting what does and doesn't make it out of Cupertino's doors.