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Shaq without Kobe, Thelma without Louise, Nemo without…his Dad?! Great parings that just shouldn’t end, but often do. Now add another to the list…

The recent news that Steve Jobs resigned from his post as Apple CEO came as a shock to many shareholders and consumers. Yes, everyone knew of his recurring illness and most were prepared for ‘time outs’ and lengthy breaks, but few saw this immediate and abrupt end to the pairing of arguably the greatest success story in modern day business, innovation and brand building.

This is the man who took a failing, cult brand (that wasn’t failing until he was ousted in a board room coup), and turned it into a mass-adopted, global brand, weirdly enough, with a cult brand feel.

I’m sure Apple’s top staff and Steve Jobs would have been preparing for this moment to happen at some point, and would have been lining up capable and able leaders to take his place. But can they really fill his boots? Obviously, not every single piece of genius that comes from Apple’s turf in Silicone valley is the brainchild of Mr Jobs, but he is the driving force behind it. He created the ethos and atmosphere at the company; he created the passion and the advocacy among staff (and customers), and instilled in them the desire to create the most innovative, well-designed and sought-after products on the planet.

So, there may well be an impact on the company’s share price, its products and other vital areas, but my main concern is the impact this will have on their brand.

Steve Jobs is the talismanic, innovative, charismatic leader that so many companies crave (just ask Nokia)! TV programmes have likened him to a religious figure, with Apple being his gospel. His unique and pioneering methods of product development, inspiring his staff, keynote presenting and overall, blowing the competition out-of-the-water, has made him the textbook business leader of today (and the future). He is not just a CEO, but is the personification of the brand. Without Steve Jobs, Apple is a different company.

When you walk into one of their stores, or use one of their products you feel his genius, and when you watch the launch of a new product, you see it, front, centre and simple, on stage.

He is a pivotal part of their brand, and without him it could be very different.

Perhaps the first test for the Apple brand is tonight’s (or today’s – depending on where you are in the world) launch of the new iPhone  via their trademark Keynote Speech. Will it live up to the usual hype and hysteria, and will it be delivered in the same way? The way, which led the last iPhone to sell, 1.5million handsets on launch day!

There is the possibility that Apple’s brand will suffer a big blow and that the current ethos the company has, and market dominance it has enjoyed will fade with the departure of their ‘MVP’.

Look at what happened last time when Steve Jobs parted ways with Apple (albeit under different circumstances), they were on the brink of bankruptcy; whilst he was flying high with a new CGI film studio (Pixar) which was about to launch the then unknown Toy Story franchise.

I’d like to think that Apple is smarter this time around. In fact, I’ll bet they are smarter this time around. Partly because it is a different company to the one of the late 80’s. Everyone from shareholders-to-staff-to-consumers see the value in Steve Jobs, and he has had complete dominance over Apple and its direction as a global brand.

This time, he was not kicked out, but left due to health reasons, and I imagine that he would have been masterminding a succession plan for some time now.

Apple know tat they need to make the right moves after Steve Jobs’ departure in order to maintain their brand value and its success.

But now, lets see how Tim Cook does, and lets watch the direction the brand takes with him at the helm. I’m sure it will be great…and hey, Tim, if you’re reading and need some brand guidance, its www.futurebrand.com, we’d be happy to help .

Without the man who made them the world’s largest company* and one of the largest brands in the world, how with they fare?

What do you think?

*by market capitalisation