Kahney points to a telling — and rare — anecdote from Jobs’ private life. A few years ago he needed to replace the family washer-dryer. Where most people might go online and select a model that looked right for them, Jobs embarked on a two-week consultation process with his wife and children. Every night around the dinner table they explored a different aspect of the ideal machine — how much water it used, its ecological footprint, its cleaning ability and how it impacted on clothes. Then he went out and bought one of the most expensive German models.
Apple is sticking to that Big Brother mantra that Jobs will return later this month, though it adds that he may come back initially in a part-time capacity. The question, though, is can the culture that he has created in his own image survive him?
Other senior executives have been stepping up to the plate since Jobs’ enforced absence. Tim Cook is widely tipped as a possible replacement as CEO. He has run the show for the last few months, proving himself to be a diligent and safe pair of hands, but analysts wonder whether he lacks the creative spark that Jobs has had in abundance. Last Friday’s launch of the latest iPhone was competent, but where was the magic?
The same issue exists in reverse for Jonathan Ive, Apple’s legendary designer. As a design artist he is unsurpassed, but he lacks the clout and the fear factor that Jobs uses to generate loyalty and drive results.
And then there’s that other overwhelming question, which has little bearing on Apple’s commercial future but has every bearing on Jobs’ personal prospects. Why would someone facing the threat of cancer spreading from his pancreas to other organs want to bother with mere gadgetry any longer? Hasn’t he got bigger worries now on his mind than whiz-bang phones?
There is another clue here provided by a speech he gave in 2005 — just after his surgery for cancer — to a class of graduating students at Stanford. He spent a third of the speech talking directly about death.
“Remembering I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart,” he said.
In a few weeks’ time we will know — Big Brother permitting — the choice that Jobs has made this time around. Given his record, it is a safe bet that he will yet again follow his heart. And that his heart will be Apple.
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