Despite all the rumors over the years, do you really believe that Apple operates at his whim? Would his management team stay there? Would the board of directors allow it?
He may be very hands on but he has helped build a company that, I bet, shares his visions. Visions don't become reality unless you have buy in from lots of other people.
I bet if Jobs were to retire, Apple would continue to operate as it does today. There would be no flash on the iPad, no mini tower or anything else that a small subset of their market wants.
Of course, this is my opinion based on 25 years of marketing experience but no MBA.
Excellent points.
I only thought Apple operated on the days Steve put on his magic suit, you know, the jeans and black turtleneck.