In response to Chris's post: Steve Jobs's Surprise Appearance

I heard about Steve Jobs making an appearance at the iPad keynote as well! I also heard that his appearance caused Apple's stock to rise the very next day. I think this shows what a valuable asset Steve Jobs is to Apple. He is the very reason Apple is so successful today and without him many argue that the company would have not been able to survive.

Jobs and Jonathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design are Apple's biggest core competencies, through synergistic collaboration, they've been able to design and market high quality, premium products that have lead the way in the consumer electronics market.

Jobs was diagnosed with a rare kind of pancreatic cancer and as a result has had to take time off from his job as C.E.O of Apple. While he has recovered since his operation in 2004, there has been speculation that his health has continued to deteriorate and as a result, many fear for the future of Apple without Jobs.

Because Steve Jobs has incorporated his presence into Apple keynotes, in a way, he has become a spokesperson for Apple products. When Jobs is unable to attend a keynote, it creates negative speculation in the media, which then hurts consumer and investor confidence in Apple. So while Steve Jobs might never be able to keep his health status private, it becomes more obvious that there is something wrong when he is missing from a keynote.

So, for Apple, having Steve Jobs as leader and spoke person is a double-edged sword. While it can strengthen Apple's image, it can also cause damage when it becomes apparent that for health reasons, he is unable to attend Apple events.