Tim Cook remembers Steve Jobs and looks to the future; have Mark Zuckerberg’s worst fears become reality?
Apple CEO Tim Cook in the hot seat at D [ALL THINGS D]
Cook said that Jobs told him not to ask what Steve would have done. “He looked at me with those intense eyes that only he had and said, ‘Just do what’s right.’ I’m doing that. Does that mean some things would be different? Of course. But he was the best person at doing that.” Cook notes that Jobs was well known for doing a 180-degree turn if needed, without ever letting on that he had advocated the opposite.
Mark Zuckerberg’s nightmare comes to life [NYMAG]
Facebook had to hold an IPO despite Zuckerberg’s fears — there were too many barriers to remaining private — and it will ultimately be glad it did. Shareholder pressure will force it to stake out new products and improve existing ones, and the stock price will stabilize eventually at a level that, while not as impressive as its IPO price, will at least quiet the Chicken Littles.
Facebook has lost about $35 billion in value since IPO as shares dip below $29. [TECHCRUNCH]
Pain, pain, and more pain for Facebook’s stock. Facebook sunk into the $20s for the first time today, declining about 9 percent as options trading started. The decline also came a day after a third wave of reports came out about a Facebook phone, which would push the company into the risky and expensive world of building hardware.
RIM hires J.P. Morgan, RBC for Strategic Review [WALL STREET JOURNAL]
RIM has been buffeted by falling BlackBerry sales and crumbling market share in the North American smartphone market and said it has engaged in a wide-ranging strategic review in March. … On Tuesday, RIM said it had hired the two banks earlier in the quarter to assist in that review and to “evaluate the relative merits and feasibility of various financial strategies, including opportunities to leverage the BlackBerry platform through partnerships, licensing opportunities and strategic business model alternatives.”
Google launches Chromebook, Chromebox & gets it right [GIGAOM]
The ChromeOS and the devices based on the OS have reached a point in maturity where they can be used as an “optional” or second computer. It is also benefitting from the fact that most of us have become used to living and working inside the browser.