Can Apple survive Steve Jobs?

Steve Jobs' latest medical leave of absence has once again triggered speculation on Apple's ability to survive without Jobs' hand firmly on the helm. Media pundits are harking back to the long slow decline of Apple since Jobs was ousted in the mid '80's, and wondering if it is likely to happen again if for whatever reason Jobs is unable to return to work. They seem to believe that Apple's success since Jobs' return in 1997 is solely due to Jobs' influence and business acumen. Are they right? Is Jobs' personality the only thing that is keeping Apple going?

Editorial: The Elusive Verizon iPhone

Once again, or is it still?, the spectre of a new Verizon iPhone has risen from the dead to plague everyone with a fresh stale round of false hopes. New evidence is being pointed to as a clear indicator that Apple will soon announce a new iPhone for Verizon to be released next quarter. Of course, these rumors have cropped up every quarter since before the original iPhone was announced. And every quarter, they've been wrong. I think they're wrong again. Then again, my position does have the advantage that I can only be wrong once. But even though I believe that Apple won't be releasing a Verison iPhone anytime soon, I think they've built one. Probably several. Let me explain why...