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Over the last few days the heads of two giant prime movers in the Computer Industry have changed.  How will it effect us and the industry?  First Steve Jobs left on leave  at Apple due to health problems and today Eric Schmidt moved on at Google.

A few years ago Bill Gates stepped out of Microsoft.  It's not right to say he stepped down.  Microsoft, a mature, company, has come along fine and is about to break out with a whole range of new products.

Apple

 

(L) Steve Jobs and Timothy Cook of Apple

At Apple Steve Jobs has been an iconic figure more so than the heads of Microsoft and Google.  He has the reputation of being the perfectionist-in-chief and infante terrible of the industry.  One person's importance at a super corporation is often over stated, but he has been the prime mover.  But, we have to remember, he has not done a line of code for production for 30 years.

Jobs had a way of beating decisions out of Apple good or bad.  Most have been good, but he has made big mistakes in the past, but Apple survived and prospered.

One thing he has done is insist that any software produced by Apple must run on an Apple designed and manufactured platform (manufactured is a stretch because most of it is outsourced to Asia.)  He has been insistent on controlling the design and what comes out of the supply chain. 

In recent years, however, more and more day to day responsibility has been handed over to Timothy Cook.  He controls the sales and supply chain and has done a good job there. You can expect him to be made permanent boss as Jobs is very sick suffering from cancer.

It is doubtful that Jobs leaving Apple will cause much of a ripple internally.  The design chain is full and the management structure has been in place for a long time.  The key thing to watch with Apple is not the hardware, but the software on the Cloud.  They are very weak there and others like Microsoft and Google can make them pay for it in the future

Google

(L) Eric Schmidt  and Larry Page

Eric Schmidt of all the CEOs is probably the slickest of all, but Google will not suffer with his moving out as he transitions to a position that will allow him to do deals and buy companies.  He has been CEO since 2001, which is a lifetime in the High Tech business.  Waiting in the wings have been the two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.  There has been a serpentine process of decision  making and this will, no doubt, clear that up for good or ill.

Google is just pouring out technology and its Android operating system spanning product lines and the Cloud is very important.  Schmidt has been vital to Google because the financial community believed him.  His tenure has allowed Page to mature.  Let's wait and see what he can do.

Microsoft

 

(L) Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer

Microsoft has gone through the transition now and they are on very firm ground.  Gates has been gone a long time.  The single most important thing for them to do now is to engage the Cloud in a way that preserves their handle on the world's most sold operating system with their bundled software.  This will require them to give up something to capture the server based Cloud interacting with hand held devices, appliances and PCs.  They own the business now, but could be upset by Google. 

Their recent  move to put their operating system entirelyon a chip bodes well for them as others have produced the power and technology to do this. 

Both Schmidt and Ballmer have been up close with the US Federal Government.  Ballmer engaged with the Premier of China this week at the White House concerning China's pirating software. 

Schmidt has been very strong in Democratic political circles and this will help Google to avoid the anti-trust wars that so plagued Microsoft and hurt western technology.  Google and Apple must avoid the European Common Markets spears and cudgels against them for anti-trust.  It's a dangerous situation.

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Thursday, January 20, 2011