Apple's signature product is now the iPhone, but that's not as comforting for Apple fans as it should be. For one thing, the iPhone is tied to AT&T's lame and overpriced wireless network. For another, it's feeling the warm breath of numerous rivals on its tail feathers -- particularly Google and its Android mobile phone operating system.
Apple may surprise everybody at Macworld. A hale Jobs might appear after all, or the company might unveil a jaw-dropping product. But that wouldn't eradicate the flaws in Apple's approach to the question of Jobs' health, which has always been to dismiss the issue as a "private matter."
That's not so when we're talking about a CEO whose talents and personality are so inextricably entwined with a signature American brand. As an admirer of both, I hope the day when Apple has to contemplate life without Steve Jobs stays far, far in the future. But the value of the company and the perception of its future are now tied, at least in the short term, to the public perception of his future.
Isn't it time he and Apple confronted the questions head on?
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Michael Hiltzik's column appears every Monday and Thursday. He can be reached at michael.hiltzik @latimes.com.
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Note to readers
Today, the Business section introduces a column by Pulitzer Prize-winning Times reporter Michael Hiltzik that will aim to make sense of our challenging economic landscape. The nation's financial outlook is uncertain, with key industries on the ropes. Consumer debt has reached new highs, housing prices have plummeted, foreclosures are off the charts, unemployment is soaring and a sinking stock market has ravaged retirement accounts. Michael's mission is to give readers his unique perspective on these compelling issues, while also scrutinizing the practices of corporations as diverse as Apple and Exxon. His trenchant analysis will be a must-read every Monday and Thursday.
