Steve Jobs is (still) the Apple's heart

We all can write 10-100 reasons for an article with title like: "Why The World Doesn't Need Superman", and so is if we are to write an article about correlation between Steve Jobs and Apple Corp. A lot of us won't argue, that Steve Jobs is not a super-man, in fact he had had a surgery back in 2004 to remove a cancerous tumor in his pancreas.

So many times do we see whenever Steve Jobs' health was on the news, Apple's stock took a plunge but regain back after cleareances from Apple's CEO himself to several news coverage that he's prefectly healthy. Like for an instance; when Bloomberg accidentally posted Steve Jobs' orbituary in August, the investors at Wall Steet were on a ruckus.

Only after Steve Jobs appeared on stage of Apple's September 9th 2008 Let's Rock Event, a slide came along which said: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." The audience laughed, and so were the whole blogosphere & including those smart-ass Wall Street execs.

But the issue health came back, became a huge topic because the source was from iReport. The 'citizen journalist' web site operated by CNN posted a shocking news by one of its poster: "I have an insider who tells me that paramedics were called after Steve claimed to be suffering from severe chest pains and shortness of breath!" For me, what happened next to the news was what shocking; Apple stock slid down to almost 11%.

That my friend, is one hard proof that Steve Jobs heart attack can & will affect his beloved company's health as well. No matter how hard Apple tries to say about Steve Jobs' health is a "private matter", the truth is it's not. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated that Apple stock would drop about 25% should Steve Jobs leave for any reason, while Apple's market value would decrease by about $21 billion. That's a lot of money, even for the already rich Apple stock holders.

For blogosphere, that kinda news is no more than one of many pranks circulating around the net. But apparently it is not for U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who is now investigating the fake rumor to link the possibility of a plot to drive the stock down and profit from Wall Street's reaction. Shortly after the incident took place, SEC officials visited CNN last Friday. CNN spokeswoman Jennifer Martin confirmed the on-going government investigation, adding that CNN "makes no guarantee about the content or coverage" on the iReport site.

There's in fact, one analyst who says the otherwise. Ezra Gottheil, an analyst from Technology Business Research Inc. says "Apple doesn't need Jobs anymore. He's established three sound businesses -- Mac, iPod (music) and the iPhone -- and the company knows how to execute his fanatical devotion to design and usability. There's a stable management team in place, and they know what they're doing."

But of course, Gottheil is also being realistic about the inevitable stock falls when Steve Jobs is leaving the company: "All this is not to say that the market won't react. Investors will certainly panic until they see proof that the management team can continue."

For one last thought of wisdom, Gottheil shares a positive view if that ever to happen in the future: "But I see Apple after Jobs as Ford after Henry Ford, the acolytes have incorporated the main teachings of Jobs. He's created a process and a culture that will continue."

What do you think? Can a man really makes a difference?

Sources are from:

• SEC investigates Steve Jobs heart attack news post (TG Daily)
• Apple Doesn't Need Jobs, Analyst Says (PC World)

[blogged with my Treo 750v]