Scott,
Thanks. WallStreet is beautiful! Not till May, though, so won't help the April calls.
(I want one!)
All: This article came out this evening:
Headline: Source: Apple Wants Jobs To Stay On
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By DAVID E. KALISH
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Apple Computer Inc. wants co-founder Steve Jobs
to become its permanent chief executive but won't pressure the
interim leader to make a decision, people familiar with Apple's
plans said Monday.
But Jobs, Apple's acting CEO since last July, has told the
company he prefers to remain on a temporary basis, said the
sources, who insisted on anonymity. Jobs also heads Pixar, the
movie animation studio that produced ''Toy Story.''
The board's flexibility toward Jobs comes amid signs the acting
leader is having some success in reviving Apple. The company's
stock price has more than doubled since last July, its fast new G3
Macintosh computers are selling well and the company last quarter
reported its first profit since the summer of 1996.
''The general sense is, Steve's doing a good job, we'd love him
to say, but we respect his opinion,'' said one source.
An Apple spokeswoman would only say the search for a CEO was
continuing. Jobs was unavailable for comment.
Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., has been searching for a
permanent leader since the board ousted CEO Gil Amelio last July
amid sinking Macintosh computer sales and persistent losses. Last
week, the company held a regular board meeting, but did not make a
decision with regard to Jobs, the sources said.
The search for a replacement is tough because candidates may be
unwilling to work under Jobs should the brash, mercurial co-founder
insist on staying in some managerial role.
''It would be very difficult to find someone of his caliber to
come in and take that job,'' said Rob Enderle, an industry analyst
with Giga Information Group, based in Santa Clara, Calif.
Moreover, the company has yet to cure its fundamental problem:
Reviving sales of its flagship Macs, which have plunged as rival
personal computers using Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating
software became easier and cheaper to use.
''No one expects Apple to return to its former glory,'' said Tim
Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Research International, a
San Jose, Calif.-based consulting firm.
But there's confidence ''he's at least salvaged Apple from
disaster and making them a player again,'' Bajarin said. |
