[dba-Tech] Tim Cook vs. Steve Jobs

I don't mean this to be Apple-specific, but rather to generalize the
problem. People die; corporations need to locate replacements for said
departed souls. How does one (say, HR honcho) find someone to fill the
sudden chasm?

In the case of Apple, they had Tim Cook on hand and ready to step into
Steve's shoes. And so far as an outsider can see, he is fulfilling his
mandate well. But I am more interested in the SMBs, our bread and butter
out here in the freelance/contracting world. How do we protect ourselves,
and by extension, our clients?

Our beloved lister Jim Dettman recently hired me to become his backup/goto
guy. This sort of relationship is what I am concerned with in this message.

As Jim so concisely stated the problem that his client faces, What if he
gets hit by a truck, or less dramatically, goes on vacation and is camping
in Yellowstone and far, far away from even a cell-phone tower, let alone a
net-connect?

Steve Jobs didn't plan for his exit. Despite his numerous brilliant
insights into the future of tech and the way to sell to the newbies, he
didn't plan for a graceful exit. Therefore Tim Cook was left to scramble
and attempt to recover the ball. And so far, Tim has handled the ball very
well. I, for one, am anticipating Good Things from Tim. I think that he is
capable of steering this behemoth into wonderful new territory.

On the other hand, I've decided to go with the Google Nexus 7 as my tablet
of choice. Way more free apps, way cooler design, and emotionally I like
Google over Apple. So be it. Nexus, here I come!

But I am eager to hear what Tim Cook has in mind for the future of Apple's
products. Steve proved that he is the master of design; let's see what Tim
can bring to the party. (Hint to Tim: if you don't think you have the
Design smarts, hire someone!) Not that Tim has any possible reason to
contact me, but nonetheless I would love to hear/read what he's thinking.

*The Times They Are A-Changing!* And I have no idea upon which horse to
bet. My open-source instincts lead me away from Apple and toward Android,
but all I have so far is opinions based on limited evidence.

Anyone got anything slightly more solid? Anyone got opinions about what Tim
Cook is likely to do with his behemoth? Would love some insights from
people more acquainted with this stuff than I.
A.