Let's face it: Steve will have to step down sooner or later, too

With Gates' bom hell a ouncement last week that he will be ste ing down from his full-time role at Microsoft in 2008 to end more time with his Gates and Melinda Foundation charity org, I finally came to wonder: how much longer does Steve have at A le? Both companies were started around the same time and have helped shape the industry as we see it today. That has to be exhausting work, e ecially for someone like Jo whose design and management o e io are now the stuff of legends. Steve already ste ed down from his other company, Pixar, so he could end more time at A le - but I'm wondering how long that's going to last, and what it mea for A le's future.

Plenty of articles are analyzing the impact of Gates leaving Microsoft, as it's a slightly different situation. Bill is their Senior Software Architect, not the CEO - that's Ballmer, and he'll a arently be staying on and doing the same, shall we say, 'bang-up job' he's been doing since he took that throne. But Steve Jo is A le's CEO, and famous for the amount of control he exacts over bringing his the company's visio to life. So what would a two-week's notice from Steve mean to A le and its burgeoning market?

Honestly, I don't know, and since I am but a lowly blogger, I'll leave it up to those six-figure analysts who 'are people who know people' to pen those pieces. But before those analysts start earning their keep, TUAW wants to hear your thoughts, dear readers: what do you think it will mean for the future of A le and their products when Steve needs to call it a day?