I was just lurking around on PhilMug.ph today and I saw a thread on the speculations of who will succeed Steve Jobs.

I came across the name Jonathan Ive one time here on Gadzooki, I think, or was that on ZDNet, and when they said that he was the one who was behind all these sexy breakthroughs in computer and gadget designs, I did realize that the speculations of his succeeding the Apple Inc. throne are not too far off the mark.

I marvel at Steve Jobs’ being the soul behind Apple. He has a presence, charisma, and, well, I used to be indifferent to computers. As long as I can use it and work or communicate and learn with it, who cared about the personality behind it?!

But getting Sayuri turned my life around. Well, actually, my progression from an indifferent computer user started from getting DSL, then encountering Ubuntu, but Sayuri was the one factor in my life that made me into the rabid Apple Fangurl that I am today.

Yes, I believe that it would be a huge loss to society when Steve Jobs would step down already. But retiring is inevitable, and if there’s one thing a leader should have, as we were taught in church, is that he or she must have a worthy successor after him/her.

Jonathan Ive, I believe, is a design genius. Not a day goes by that in my idle moments when I close Sayuri’s lid, I would trace her lines, feel the sleek smoothness of her, note the lack of ugly fan vents and marvel, then, pardon my religious bent, praise God for the design genius of Apple.

Now that it hit me that the person behind my Sayuri and the other Apple greats is Jonathan Ive, I’d say, he’d be a worthy, beyond worthy successor to Apple Inc.’s throne.

I may not know his management prowess, but there is only one wish that I have that he’ll do: that when he mans the helm of Apple Inc., that he would keep designing till another design Avatar would be made known.

As for shrewdness and management acumen, I believe that if the rumors that he and Steve Jobs talk daily are true, I believe that he is soaking up and is getting impartation from the man anyway. Since he is the genius beside Steve Jobs’ genius, I believe he’s also observing how things work.

But for me, here are the things “Joney” needs to man the only computer company that I will be as a cult member of:

• He needs to be surrounded with a few key people who have the same vision as he, but will be able to cover his blind spots. I don’t know his weaknesses, but I believe that in case management is not his strength, then he has to have another person of the same vision as he to help him steer and handle management in the way that it needs to be handled, as suited to Apple Inc.
• He needs to keep the Apple Inc.’s policy of secrecy. I believe that the secrecy thing was what allowed shrewd, admirable Bill Gates to wield the industry trump card and turn the situation around. However, as Microsoft’s success grew and they got cocky, it seems to me that so many of M$ execs like blabbing all over the blogosphere. Not really a pretty sight when the product inevitably flubbs the market.
• He needs to keep the same humility and low-key-ness that he has. I believe that while Steve Jobs’ charisma was his asset, Jonathan Ive will bring a different spirit to Apple Inc. as it matures. True, cinematic flair is important, but I believe he will do fine when he’ll start talking about his products in the conferences. Maybe he’ll get a spokesperson to speak for him, maybe not. But what I do know is that his “modesty,” as described by a site dedicated in his honor, would be his biggest asset yet.

I so love my minimalistic Sayuri, and I will be looking forward to more births of pure unadulterated genius.

I believe that the future of Apple Inc. will be bright, and its glow will shine forth from the glint of the Mac’s Apple logo.

A glorious 2008 to you dear readers.

Related Articles

• Breaking News: Apple’s Newest Ultraportable is Out!
• iMac Aluminum revealed
• Griffin comes out with Evolve
• Cheap Therapy Calms Your Nerves
• The BRB Evolution