Apple: Supporting cast steps into limelight

SAN FRANCISCO: As Steve Jobs leaves the stage at Apple Inc, four of his top understudies are coming into the limelight. Jobs has long been a larger than life figure inside and outside the company he co-founded, even though for years he was surrounded by superb talent who deserve at least some credit for runaway successes such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod. Enter newly minted CEO Tim Cook, design genius Jonathan Ive, mobile software guru Scott Forstall and product marketing maestro Phil Schiller. The quartet have stayed in the wings for years, operating in relative anonymity. But within the tightly knit Silicon Valley community, they have built formidable reputations in their fields. With Jobs’ departure, they now have an opportunity to take centre stage, former Apple executives and experts said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2011.