It is coming sooner than you think. The next iPhone will be unveiled on October 4th, so we’ve heard. Rumors are flying back and forth regarding the precise date, not to mention the features of the latest iPhone. Although the date has been a moving target, AllThingsD, the Wall Street Journal website pinned it down and many believe this is now a fairly certain time. It is likely Apple will also have the iPhone ready for purchase only a few weeks after the official keynote. We sure hope so.
Certainly the iPhone 5 itself is the reason enough to attend, but this historic event has far more significance for the company than any single product. With the leaving of the ever popular Steve Jobs, Apple is undergoing a transfer of power unparalleled in the history of the industry. Whether its value can withstand, this transition will be seen over the long haul. Right now we are all eager to see whether Tim Cook can fill the shoes of the charismatic leader that has stepped down.
This will be the first product introduction presented by the new CEO, Tim Cook. Everyone will finally be exposed to his style and personality, we hope. Tim could try to emulate Steve and come across as the next Steve Jobs, but I doubt that’s going to happen. Tim Cook is not an amateur. It is possible he might close up and come across as an automaton. Now this really is a possibility. However, my bet is on Tim trying to show himself off too openly and coming across either as a dork or as trying too hard.
We don’t even really know if it will be Tim giving the product presentation for the iPhone 5. Although it is not set in stone that he will be the one giving the presentation, there is no reason to believe he will not.
Tim Cook cannot pass the task off to anyone else, without weakening the image of his role at Apple and buttressing the public view that Steve Jobs is Apple. Even Phil Schiller will not do, though in 2009 he gave the keynotes for Macworld and Worldwide Developers Conference. Cook must show that he has actually replaced Jobs, not just become some bookmark CEO, a figurehead.
Certainly Cook will lean on his support staff, which includes iOS chief Scott Forstall, marketing head Schiller, and SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue. Yet, Cook will have to actually perform and entertain, impress and bedazzle. It will not be enough to simply sit as a talking head. The transition has had no hangups so far, so the keynotes must show off some leadership.
We do not yet know if Steve Jobs may make a guest appearance. However, this would drag down the transition, not lift it up. So Jobs himself would likely decline for the sake of Apple and Cook. Some are still in shock and denial over Steve’s resignation. Let’s face it, though. Steve is out and Tim is in.
Photo Credit: MacRumor
