O Captain, my Captain….

Well, the proverbially poo has slammed against the fan! Just yesterday Steve Jobs has declared that he will be taking a leave of absence due to health reasons. It seems that the previously described health problems were deemed more distressing than first thought. What does this mean for the Apple empire, what will become of the machine that has been the leader in the tech industry for years now?

First and foremost, I expect the stock value for Apple Co. to take a hit. Especially considering the status of the economy nowadays , I expect some ramifications based on this announcement.

According to various news sources, Jobs will be “out of office” till June, but will still be in charge of making strategic decisions for the company. Tim Cook the current COO of Apple will take over for day-to-day operations of the company during Jobs’ absence. As the stock market closed Apple’s stock was down 8%.

We all know that situations like these are very difficult to announce because the first reaction by the public, including stockholders will be to panic. So my question to the interwebbers out there is what kind of effect do you think Jobs’ absence will have on the future of Apple and if whether or not you think Jobs’ condition is much worse than originally declared.

In ending, I wish nothing but the best for Steve and hope whatever ails him sucedes as soon as possible.