Apple Moves Forward Wherever Jobs Happens To Be

Since January 17th when Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs mailed employees a notification that he'd be taking another medical leave of absence, there's been more than a little bit of talk about what might happen to Apple and indeed the greater tech world should he step away from the head post. A study that's just been released by RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave suggests that not only will only a tiny percentage of possible Apple customers say they'd be less likely to buy Apple products in a future without Jobs, but the vast majority of these people polled in this study said his departure would have no effect on their possible buying habits at all.

The exact percentages listed in this study we're speaking about are 84, 8, and 7. The smallest, 7% of people polled, said they'd be less likely to buy Apple products in the future if Steve Jobs departed his post as CEO. Next, 8% of people polled in this study said that they were unsure what effect Steve Jobs leaving his CEO post would have on their possible Apple buying habits. The whopping remainder, 84% of people polled in this RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave study said that Steve Jobs' departure from his role as CEO would have "no effect at all on their future Apple-buying intentions."

This poll was conducted on 3.091 people of unknown affiliation, professional or otherwise. A similar poll was conducted in June of 2008, on what we can only assume is the same amount of people. In this 2008 report, 68% of people said Jobs' departure would have no effect on their possible Apple buying habits, while 14% said they'd be unsure what the future held for them, and 18% said they'd be unlikely to purchase further Apple product should Jobs depart the company.

The idea that Apple has become such a strong brand in and of itself, not just dependent on its founder's name, is multiplied by the fact that back in 2009, the last time Steve Jobs noted he'd be taking a leave of medical absence, Apple's stock didn't fall, it grew. During that period of Jobs being out of the Apple house, according to Apple Insider , the company experience a revenue increase of 20% while its stock grew an absolutely whopping 144% (two rather important Apple mobile devices were essentially just gaining steam at this point, mind you.)

Is Steve Jobs a founder of one of the most popular companies on the planet? Yes. Has he created a company that cannot survive without him? Absolutely not. Apple is now a brand that can withstand essentially anything. Steve Jobs, your legacy is safe no matter what happens. Get well soon.

[via CNN]