Apple could bring in big-name outsider to replace Steve Jobs

Well, you’d hope Apple are thinking about it. Steve, 56, took medical leave last year to cope with cancer of the pancreas. Tim Cook, Chief Operating Officer, has taken over most of the leadership duties, but since so much of Apple’s image and success is bound up with their combative charismatic leader, it’s natural they want to start thinking about life post-Steve.

And they’ve been looking to pull in a big name from a rival tech company said the WSJ. An outsider could bring some energy and pr fizzle to the position that perhaps an internal candidate couldn’t. But given Steve Jobs’ stature, obvious replacements will only come from a tiny pool of people right at the very top.

The WSJ reported this:

Since Steve Jobs went on medical leave this winter, some members of Apple Inc.’s board have discussed CEO succession with executive recruiters and at least one head of a high-profile technology company, according to people familiar with the matter.

The conversations weren’t explicitly aimed at recruiting a new chief executive and were more of an informal exploration of the company’s options, said these people. The directors don’t appear to have been acting on behalf of the full board, some of these people said.

Apple’ back in the spotlight today after announcing phenomenal growth for