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Today is the historic day we knew would come: Steve Jobs just resigned from Apple.

So many signs were given to prepare us to that historic piece of news: not only did Steve take an unlimited medical leave of absence, he started planning a new home, and cooperated on his first authorized biography… So it would be foolish to pretend we didn’t see Steve’s resignation coming. Yet I’m sure it still resonates as a shock many of us. It certainly does to me.

Here is the letter most of you will have already read I’m sure.

August 24, 2011 06:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Letter from Steve Jobs

CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

I will give myself some time to think more deeply about the future of Apple and of course, of Steve himself. What I am dreading the most is the noise that we, “the Apple Community” — and especially we, Steve Jobs admirers — will have to endure in the coming months from ignorant analysts or sensationalist hacks about that historic event. I hope they will show Steve the respect he deserves.

Good luck to Tim Cook for running what is, has always been, and probably always will be, Steve’s company — and certainly his greatest masterwork.

Thank you Steve for the incredible journey you have led Apple and all of us on. I’m sure it is not over. After all, today is the first day of the rest of your life. 

 

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@gruber‘s piece goo.gl/KRjeJ is great save the part on Apple’s ‘humility’. Just like Steve, Apple is shamelessly arrogant. I love it.

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RT @parislemon: Some other thoughts on Tim Cook as CEO from July. Still humorous that some people really thought he wouldn’t be next CEO …

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Cook taking over is probably the least surprising part of today’s news. Now all the hacks’ nonsense is over (I mean, Woz?) Good luck Tim!

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Questions keep popping. What will the next Apple keynote be like? What about the bio?… and let’s face it, will my servers survive today?

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I expected this day to come after the Sept event, in early 2012… but #steve tendered his resignation as Apple CEO today. businesswire.com/news/home/2011…

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About blogs, biographies and apricot orchards

I have been thinking about the next version of the website for some time, and it’s time for Phase I to roll out.

I have moved the website to a new host last week. It should now be faster and more reliable. And today, I moved the blog to that same host. It is now really 100% under all about Steve Jobs.com, since all things Steve Jobs doesn’t seem to be catching on, and is just too confusing. Even though I am keeping the URL allthingsstevejobs.com, it will now point to localhost:8888/sqltest/blog. You might have noticed the better cosmetic integration with the rest of the website too.

I don’t think any of you has missed the two big pieces of Steve Jobs news from the past two weeks:

• the city of Cupertino has published the plans for the upcoming Apple ‘spaceship’ campus. It’s not bigger than the Pentagon — but close. If you’ve had a thorough look at the plans, Steve’s favored apricot orchards are showing up in the north east garden of the campus (see picture below).

• the biggest news is of course the release date of the Isaacson biography (the authorized one, not that fake Chinese one) which has been advanced to November 21. That’s right, it’s just three months away! Get the whole story from Philip Elmer-Dewitt at Fortune 2.0.

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Mac team org chart as seen in an internal Apple memo from 1981 cl.ly/1F1J2j3q083Y1Q… notice the head of marketing

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oh, and there’s that thing too… tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/16/a-p…

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RT @philiped: A peek at Steve Jobs’ book jacket, front and back: The look of Walter Isaacson’s bio will be as spare and … http://t.co/ …

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