I would not be surprised to see the stock below $10 by year end.
Dare I ask what would surprise you?
And it seems, Andon, that you and your ilk are missing an important point in your pell-mell pessimism:
Regardless of whether any of us want to get down and grovel at the altar of Jobs, Apple Computer makes some pretty damned nice hardware and software. Yes, management has screwed up in the past; I'm man enough to admit it.
But what strikes me is that, upon finding a group of people that have an allegiance to a high-quality, useful product, you automatically equate that devotion with some sort of religious zeal towards Apple's interim CEO.
Apple Computer aside, it's a miracle to me that a guy like Steve Jobs even exists in this corporate morass. Jobs is the guy who paved the way for all these hot shot, technogeek CEO's in the first place. I sometimes wonder what the NASDAQ would look like right now if Steve Jobs had never existed. Forget about whether or not Xerox PARC revolutionized the user interface; think about the strength of personality required to grab an idea and force it into an almost completely virgin market. I see Jobs as a man who's unwilling to compromise the conviction of his spirit, his inspiration and drive, in order to be able to shake hands and smile while he gets his picture taken with Michael Dell.
Whether or not you want to admit it, for whatever reason, Steve Jobs is the kind of person who makes great companies -- forces them -- to be great.
Use the Force,
Mark |
