Can new CEO keep Apple on top?

When Steve Jobs' returned to Apple Inc. in 1997, the company has raced to the top of the music industry, turned the mobility space upside down with the immense popularity of the iPad and iPhone.Now, that Jobs is no longer leading Apple the new CEO will have to prove it can keep its momentum.

Apple said that Jobs, 56, resigned from the CEO post, in a move that seems motivated by his ongoing, yet still unspecified health issues. Jobs had taken an indefinite medical leave of absence in January, marking his third such leave in seven years. Jobs, who co-founded Apple in 1976, previously survived pancreatic cancer and received a liver transplant.

Image from AppleInsider.com

In his resignation letter, Jobs said "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you."

Taking on the role of board chairman, Jobs now passes the CEO role Tim Cook, 50, the company's chief operating officer. Cook had been acting CEO since January. For years, he has been running Apple's day-to-day operations, and has long been seen as the natural successor. He also served as Apple's leader for two months in 2004 while Jobs battled cancer, and again for five months in 2009 when Jobs received a liver transplant. The company has thrived under Cook's leadership, briefly becoming the most valuable company in America earlier this month. Some even compared Apple's worth against the US treasury.

Cook is not nearly as recognizable as Jobs and will have to create his own persona. Jobs became the very public face of Apple, dressed in his signature blue jeans, black turtleneck and wire rimmed glasses constantly presenting the company's new iPhones, iPads, iPods at immensely popular and anticipated media events. Though Jobs has looked increasingly frail, he emerged from his leave twice this year to tout products at such events: Jobs unveiled the second version of Apple's iPad tablet computer in March. Then, in June, he resurfaced to show off Apple's iCloud music synching service.

But while Jobs is the most recognized person at Apple, he is not the only one responsible for the company's success. Many industry watchers believe that despite his importance, Apple will continue to innovate and not just survive, but thrive.

Well respected research analyst Shannon Cross says "Steve Jobs put in place at Apple a culture of innovation." And its innovation has translated to sales. With Cook running the company, Apple sold 9.25 million iPads during the most recent quarter, which ended in June, bringing sales to nearly 29 million iPads since they first began selling in April 2010. Apple also sold 20.3 million iPhones in the same period, which was millions more than analysts expected. The company's stock has risen 8 percent since Jobs announced his most recent medical leave.

Cook's track record at Apple is strong. The first time he was in charge back in 2004, things went so well that Apple promoted him from executive vice president to chief operating officer in 2005.
During the second time, which lasted from mid-January to the end of June 2009, Apple released a new version of the iPhone and updated laptop computers on schedule. The company also announced that its iTunes app store hit a major milestone: More than one billion apps were downloaded within the first nine months of its existence.

Apple's stock rose 62 percent during that time, satisfying investors' concerns over Jobs' absence.
Cook, an Alabaman with short, gray hair and a broad, thin-lipped smile, has been an asset to Apple since his arrival in 1998. He is credited with tuning Apple's manufacturing process to solve chronic product delays and supply problems. His inventory management skills helped Apple build up its $72.6 billion hoard of cash and marketable securities -- funds that it can use to keep its lead in the portable electronics market.

Like IBM, McDonald's or Ford, all of which lost visionary CEOs, Apple is not necessarily dependent on the immortality of the genius behind it, says Terry Connelly, dean of the Ageno School of Business at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. "A company is dependent on its ability to institutionalize that genius in the corporate DNA," he says. "Apple shows every sign of having done that. We will see that when we see how Cook responds to competitive pressure."

And, as Cross points out, Cook won't be leading Apple alone. His supporting team includes Jonathan Ive, who oversees the elegant, minimalist design of Apple's products; Ron Johnson, who runs Apple's stores; Philip Schiller, the marketing chief; and Scott Forstall, who supervises the iPhone software.
"The bench at Apple is extremely strong," Cross says. "He has a good group of executives behind him."

And consumers -- the group Apple really depends on to make its products popular -- may not be that affected by the change. Apple customers don't buy the company's products because of Steve Jobs, Gartner Research analyst Michael Gartenberg says, "people buy Apple products because they're Apple products". Without Jobs, Michael believes the company's challenge will be the same as it was with him: continuing to find ways to raise the bar with its consumer electronics.

So the question is what will happen when Cook takes over the Apple kitchen?

Can these Ipad competitors beat Apple? The seven tablets that could..

The Apple iPad is the first tablet to sell over 300,000 units in its first day. Industry analysts estimate that the Ipad will sell between 3 and 4 million units in 2010. A huge success, by any accounts.
So can the Ipad take off and change the industry? Or do we have another stalking horse tablet that will dominate and make the Ipad take a turn like the betamax?

The Ipad

The IPad is a tablet computer meant for internet browsing, media, gaming, and light content creation. Unlike many older tablets, it uses a touchpad instead of a stylus. Released in April, the Ipad bridged the gap between between smartphones and laptops.

Like the iPod Touch and iPhone, the iPad runs the iPhone OS. It runs iPad applications as well as those written for the iPhone and iPod touch, including e-book readers. The iPad uses WiFi or Wireless WAN to browse the Internet, stream media, and install software. The Ipad comes equipped with a custom designed 1GHz Apple A4, high-performance, low-power chip processor. The unit comes equipped with either a wireless or broadband version. The Wi-Fi model has 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. The broadband Wi-Fi and 3G model has UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), Data only3, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

You can purchase the Ipad in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive versions and has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) 1024×768, 132 ppi LED display. The built in 25 watt rechargeable lithium-polymer battery provides up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music or 9 hours of surfing the web using 3G data network (3G model). You can charge via power adapter or USB to computer system.

Size: 9.56 x 7.47 x 0.5 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds Wi-Fi model, 1.6 pounds Wi-Fi + 3G model
Price: $499 to $829

Pros: Long Battery life, Applications, Iphone and Ipod user base, Apple R&D
Cons: No Flash Support, Iphone Operating System, No Camera, No External Battery, Apple R&D - (You will need to upgrade)

Apple may have been the first to market and they do have an advantage in this year’s tablet war. But you do have a choice. We have put together 7 potential tablet competitors that will give Steve Jobs a run for his money.
These devices are either available or about to launch. So here is a look at some of the upcoming devices that could compete with the Ipad.


1. HP Slate


Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off the Slate HP tablet prototype briefly at CES this year. The rumors are that Best Buy will have Slate on April 30th.
The HP Slate will run Windows 7, setting it apart from the field of tablets running Android. The Slate features a larhe 8.9 inch WSVGS 1024X600 display with pen, touch and digitizer support, the graphics card is an Intel UMA for 1080p playback.
The Slate comes with either a 32GB or 64GB flash drive upgradeable via SD card reader. The processor is a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Menlow 2530 processor with 1GB RAM.
It offers 802.11 b/g wifi and built in bluetooth combo and optional 3G WWAN. It comes with SD, SDHC, SDXC, 3.5mm headphone/microphone port, 1 USB 2.0, power, audio in/out, and HDMI out ports.

The Slate has a VGA webcam (inward facing) perfect for low use video conferencing and a 3 megapixel camera (outward facing). Its main drawback is the power pack, it offers a non-replaceable battery with up to 5 hours of charge time.

Size: 9.21 x 5.70 x 0.57 inches
Weight: 1.49 pounds
Price: $549 to $599

Pros: Flash Support, Windows 7 Home Premium, Camera, HD Support, USB Port, Price $ 549 (32GB)
Cons: Battery life, Microsoft Operating System, RAM


2. Dell Streak aka Dell Mini 5

Dell announced the Streak during the CES 2010 keynote. They said they are working on multiple “upcoming slates,” including one prototype called the Streak. This particular screen is only 5 inches wide, which puts it less in the direct path of the iPad and makes it more akin to the existing line of mobile internet devices.
The Dell Streak's 5 inch WVGA screen offers 800 X 400 resolution, Qualcomm's fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 256M RAM, 4GB Flash Storage, a 5 megapixel camera and a microSD card slot (maximum 32GB), and a 30pin docking connector.

The Streak will also have 3G GSM, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi. The Streak may also be come in nine different colors including black, silver, red, purple, blue green, pink and two multicolored designs called Kaleidescope and Sea Sky.
Dell is anticipated to launch the Streak this summer, likely running Android 1.6 with a September upgrade to Android 2.1.

Size: 6.02 x 3.85 inches approximately
Weight: .48 pounds
Price: $500 to $599

Pros: Small size, docking port, Android operating system
cons: 4GB Hard Drive, poor resolution compared to the Slate or IPad


3. Archos 9

The newest tablet from Archos, which uses Windows 7 as an operating system, has an 8.9 inch touch screen capable of 1080p HD resolution and a 60GB hard drive. The Archos 9 boasts a number of multimedia functions, including streaming music over the internet, internet radio accessibility and options for web and video chatting.
Archos is well known for its portable media players, such as the Android-powered Archos 5 Internet tablet.
The Archos has a 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 CPU, 1GB RAM, 400MHz DDR2, 60GB HD, Intel GMA 500 graphics card, 1.3 megapixel webcam, Ethernet port, PCI-E interface, 1 antenna, supports 802.11b/g and a USB 2.0 port making it compatible with most 3G broadband cards. Though we've squeezed decent performance from the N270/N280 Atoms, as well as from the newer N450 version, any product we've tested with the slower Z-series Atom CPU has been slow.

The Archos 9 comes with a 5 Hour removable lithium battery pack. At $549, it's more expensive than the entry-level Apple iPad, but does many things that the Ipad can't, from running Firefox to playing streaming video. The Archos 9 struggles with many basic tasks. If the device offered a better touch screen and a faster processor, it could compete with some of the others in this roundup.

Size: 10.1 x 5.3 inches
Weight: 1.8 pounds
Price: $539 to $599

Pros: Experienced tablet maker, 60 GB hard drive, removable battery
Cons: Slow processer and touchscreen UI


4. Asus T91

Asus is the company responsible for kicking off the entire netbook craze with its EEEpc series. They were also showing off a prototype of a 9-inch tablet at CES this year.
The device has four control buttons reminiscent of the favored layout for an Android-powered phone, leading to the logical speculation that the Asus tablet might well run Google’s mobile operating system.
The T91 looks and feels small and light, even for a Netbook. That's because it's built around a 9-inch screen, rather then the bigger 10-inch displays found in most current Netbooks.
The obvious compromises, besides the smaller display, are the tiny keyboard and touch pad, but the tradeoff is a system that's very svelte and easy to carry. It's smaller even than the original 7-inch Eee PC.

The unit has a Intel's 1.33GHz Atom Z520 Processor and a small 16GD SSD hard drive (plus an additional included 16GB SD card, for 32GB total), 1GB RAM an Intel GMA 500 Graphics card and Windows 7, Wifi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 1 Ethernet and 2 - USB 2.0 ports.
The T91 launched in July 2009 and originally launched with Windows XP but now ships with Windows 7 Home Premium. It also offers a unique 20GB of online storage.

Size: 8.9 inches X 6.5 inches deep X 1.1 inches
Weight: 2.1 pounds
Price: $ 429 to 549

Pros: Its a Full Windows 7 laptop, responsive touchscreen
Cons: Slow processor, lack of storage space.

5. Opentablet 7

OpenTablet is an exciting multipurpose device with all the benefits and flexibility of a wirelessly connected personal computing and entertainment device. The Opentablet is being marketed as an Ipad alternative to launch in 4Q 2010.
The OpenTablet 7 is based on Intel’s Atom Moorestown 1.9MHZ next generation processor, runs a closed Nokia/Intel MeeGo operating system (most likely to change).

The unit will offer a 7 inch LED backlit TFT LCD display, Multi touch, 3G GSM, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, HDMI and USB connectivity, 5 megapixel camera and a microSD slot.

Size: 9.5 inches X 5 inches deep X .59 inches
Weight: 1.15 pounds
Price: TBD

Pros: Its a Full Windows 7 laptop, responsive touchscreen
Cons: Closed operating system, limited details.


6. Compal Tablet

The Compal features a next generation Nvidia processor that was recently presented at the 2010 CES. The Nvidia Tegra processor has dual core ARM Cortex A9 CPUs which work at a 1GHz clock speed and have 8 different processors.
The Tegra processor can handle 1080p HD video, encoding and decoding videos. The processor also supports Adobe Flash 10.1 and the standard Open GL ES 2.0 specs. You can watch HD videos and movies on YouTube and similar websites without a problem.
The Compal tablet will feature a choice of either a 7 inch screen with 800×480 pixels or a 10.1 inch screen with 1024×600 pixels. It will most likely include 512MB DDR2 RAM, 4 GB NAND flash memory, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS as an optional feature.
Compal’s Tablet will feature 1.0 Watt Stereo speakers and a 3MP camera. Other features include the Android Operating system, HDMI out, an accelerometer, an ambient Light Sensor, and a Micro SD slot.
The Compal is efficient enough to provide roughly 140 hours of MP3 playback and up to 16 hours of HD video on one battery charge. This of course is untested.
The Compal tablet won’t be directly retailed to consumers, and is “being currently evaluated by a number of potential carriers”. Don’t be surprised if it is sold by a wireless carrier near you.
The device was shown running Android 2.1, and Compal has recently announced that Toshiba has partnered with an estimated delivery date of 3Q 2010.

Size: 8.75 inches X 5 inches deep X .65 inches
Weight: 1.85 pounds
Price: TBD

Pros: Small size, fast Processor, Android Operating system
Cons: Will be carrier based and require a data plan


7. Fusion Garage's JooJoo

As a simple Web tablet, the former JooJoo may be the most feature-barren of all the iPad competitors, but it's also the closest to actually shipping. The JooJoo priced at is in the same price range as the Apple iPad.
The Joo Joo has a 1366 x 768, capacitive 12 inch display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB solid state drive, WiFi, 1 USB 2.0, headphone and microphone jack.
The Joo Joo has full screen Flash video playback support courtesy the Atom processor coupled up with NVIDIA Ion graphics.


The 2.4 pound device supports 1080p video streaming, with a Linux browser based OS with icon based shortcuts to Youtube, Facebook, Google, etc.
It doesn't help that the JooJoo does not support a card slot for 3G. The JooJoo is available now.


Size: 12.8 inches x 7.8 inches X .75 inches
Weight: 2.4 pounds
Price: $499

Pros: Small size, fast Processor, fast touch screen
Cons: No 3G support, User Interface not easy to use