Over the past couple of weeks or so, there have been numerous reports of the failure of MobileMe (with lines like “its failed to work for all of us”) and the general dissatisfaction from iPhone OS X 2.0. There are many who have been quick to shout out their grievances to whoever is willing to listen, and some (like me) who are still taking a wait-and-watch stance to see how Apple responds to probably the biggest discontentment among its users in quite a while.

Also filling the news is El Jobso’s health, with people like Dan Lyons getting in some extra shots while the story stays hot. Jobs’ history of pancreatic cancer - no matter how rare - surely has the stockholders in a bunch, and Apple PR working over time to cook up new ways of saying “it’s our business”. And no, I don’t buy that Jobs called up that Nocera fellow just to talk off the record.

Jobs is human, people

Whatever you may say, Jobs has stayed at his job for a very long time. He’s touted as the single most indispensable CEO in the history of any company. But that doesn’t make him any less humanly fragile. He’s still prone to time and age, diseases and afflictions just like the next person. We’d like to believe otherwise, but there are people who also believe in God¹.

Jobs is now approaching 56, an age where most people would begin their steps into retirement. He is a family man and a father, husband. Running Apple might be his passion, but he has other responsibilities too. And that is what I think we’re beginning to see the transition into. There have been numerous talks of Apple’s need to pick an heir to the throne quick, but the secretive nature of their communication with the non-inside folk keeps us out of what they’re really up to inside. I’m going to bite here and speculate that we’re seeing the slow and gradual retirement of Steve Jobs from Apple.

The timing seems absolutely perfect. Jobs launched the iPhone 3G, easily the most anticipated device of the decade (if not more), and he’s managed to put the company’s stocks back where they belong. Apple’s sales have sky rocketed (by Apple’s historical standards) and they are the equivalent of a rampaging bull with it’s tail on fire. In short, Jobs has brought the company back on track and given it a super dose of steroids to keep it going for a while.

All that might have been in preparation for his slow - and Gates like - departure from Apple. Only in Apple’s case, they haven’t made it public.

Quality slump

My biggest reason to speculate so is the drop in quality of their latest launched products. Apple has never seen a slump like this. Jobs made sure it never happened. A man who maintains near fanatic quality control on his products surely would not allow the biggest anticipated product launch to be marred by the one thing Apple is known most for - reliability and quality. Unless, it was hurriedly pushed out while Jobs is still in charge. Or, Jobs has already let go of his duties of quality control and it is now somebody else’s department to muck up.

Take it whichever way, but I don’t see Jobs’ hand in this at all, otherwise we wouldn’t have seen so many dissatisfied people. Jobs would have never allowed it.

This, and coupled with his health, leads me to think that maybe, just maybe, Jobs has set turning the wheels that will stop with his inevitable departure as the man in control of the silver Apple. He has already started testing others with real and important products to see who can best carry on his legacy and temperament². The upcoming Macworld and WWDC should give us more insight into what is happening. If you see less talk from Jobs, you will know why. If you see a healthier fatter CEO, well, you can’t blame an Apple admirer and writer for speculating.

But for what it’s worth, I’d like Jobs to hang around a little longer.