Never has a single man had a greater impact on a tech company than Steve Jobs. Many would say that his influence stretches well beyond Apple, Disney, and his other contributions, that his style and leadership abilities have impacted hundreds, even thousands of successful companies and millions of individuals. His resignation as CEO of Apple was felt around the world, yet nobody felt it more than his successor, Tim Cook. It’s the big chair. There are few tech firms whose CEO has as much power. Beyond the power, there is an expectation to be met. The bar is as high as it can possibly be. The world will…

Artist. Rebel. Taste maker. Trend setter. The outspoken leader of the largest technology firm in the world stepped down this week and the masses are memorializing him as if he had died. It’s a testament to the effect that a visionary has on the world, one who has transcended the concept of great leadership in ways that will mark him in the history books forever. Here, our friends at Column Five have put together an amazing timeline of the man’s professional life, visualizing what it is to have led the technology world to where it is today. Click to enlarge …

As the man most responsible for the success of the largest tech company in the world steps down for medical reason, people will speculate about the future of his company and the things that he has done to make it great. Steve Jobs was a micro-manager. He had his hands in products from design to coding and was the ultimate tester prior to alpha launch. His creativity and guidance in marketing was a skill that he honed over the decades, bringing it to a case-study level by the late 90s. Today, Apple marketing is viewed as the benchmark by which other tech companies are judged. He changed the industry to make…

This is huge news. It has been huge news for a while ever since we found out that the co-founder and CEO of Apple was ill. Still, to cover every “tastemaker’s” tweet, every angle, every speculated twist and turn – it’s overkill. Steve Jobs resigned. We knew it was coming. He has pancreatic cancer. The prognosis for this disease is not good. It’s amazing that he has been able to operate at the level he has for so long. But, we knew this was coming. Now that it has, it’s sad, but does it really deserve this much space? /rant…

Whether it’s a reality or simply another example of the fast-turning iPhone 5 rumor mill, it’s news either way: Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 in October according to WSJ. The nations’ third-largest wireless service provider would be the third to receive the iPhone after Apple launched with AT&T in 2007 and brought in Verizon this year. It may also be enough to save the company from being crushed under the weight of Verizon and an AT&T/T-Mobile merger. This poses a new question for current and future iPhone fans with AT&T and Verizon going to tiered pricing. If Sprint holds true…

With all of the rumors and false sightings, we were starting to believe there was more myth and legend to it all than truth. Now, it seems that a credible source is declaring a month for launch of the magic beast known as iPhone 5. Just in time for the Christmas shopping spree (as if it needed the boost for sales) the iPhone will have its newest edition launching in October, 2011. Last week, Gizmodo reported that AT&T employees were barred from requesting vacation time the last 2 weeks of September, prompting the nature cry of, “It must be the iPhone launch!” John Paczkowski from AllThingsD received…

As Congress squabbles over the debt crisis, it has been reported that Apple has more cash in reserve than the United States government. Based on Apple’s quarterly financial report, the tech giant that has spawned the iPad, iPod and the iPhone has $76.4 billion in reserve cash. The Treasury Department is clutching to just $73.7 billion. Apple’s quarterly results come at a time when the U.S. is working to raise the country’s debt ceiling, allowing the government to borrow more money to pay its bills. Despite having plenty of cash on hand, Apple continues to keep its cards close to its chest. Industry…

After downplaying the importance of having an iPad app, images of Facebook’s upcoming iPad app have finally been exposed via TechCrunch. The HTML5-rich app looks nearly complete and could to be ready to launch shortly. For iPad users, this new application promises to be a far easier way to enjoy the social network in lieu of using the full Facebook website. Unlike the Facebook’s iPhone app, the design of the iPad app features a left-side menu system and extensive use of overlay menus, which are commonly found in other apps for Apple’s popular tablet. News of the iPad app’s existence is nothing…

There may never be a better time for Steve Jobs to step away from Apple. Then again, there may never be a good time for him to step away. Rarely is one individually so acutely connected to the success or failure of an organization as much as Jobs has been over the decades. How will they fair when he finally does leave for good? This infographic by our friends at Online College Resource takes a look at the long and storied history of the man and his company and focuses on the rise of Apple University. The symbiotic relationship is striking. Whether the company will continue its extremely successful ways…

It’s hard to beat Wall Street predictions repeatedly, but Apple continues to be underestimated by experts despite showing no signs of letting up, slowing down, or even considering stopping. They sold nearly 3 million more iPhones than expected and their quarterly EPS beat forecasts by a whopping 33%. Most were impressed by beating forecasts by 20% each of the last 2 quarters. Prospects of a new iPhone, safe inventory levels for iPad 2s, and new Mac computers continue to fuel the most valuable technology company in the world. As a result, shares shot up to $405 after a short after-hours trading…