Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has voiced his concerns about the future of Apple without Steve Jobs in an interview that is set to air today.
In a short clip of the interview with CBS’s Charlie Rose that was previewed on Monday, Ellison described Apple’s late co-founder as “brilliant.”
“He was our Edison. He was our Picasso. He was an incredible inventor,” Ellison said of Jobs, who was his close friend.
However, when asked what he thought the future of Apple looks like now that Jobs has died, Ellison revealed that he has concerns about the direction of company without its visionary co-founder at the helm, drawing on history as an example.
“We already know,” Ellison said when Rose asked for his prediction about Apple’s future without Jobs. “We saw, we conducted the experiment. I mean, it’s been done. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. We saw Apple without Steve Jobs. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. Now, we’re gonna see Apple without Steve Jobs.”
While giving this explanation, Ellison gestured up with his hand when talking about Apple with Jobs, and dropped his hand back down when describing Apple without him. We expect that Ellison was referring to Apple’s success in its early years, then Jobs’ ousting from the company after a boardroom struggle with John Sculley, his return to Apple in 1997 and then his death in 2011.
See: Larry Ellison on Steve Jobs personality, successes and failures
Ellison’s interview follows reports last week that suggested that Apple’s board of directors is ” deeply concerned” about the slow pace of innovation at Apple, and is pressuring CEO Tim Cook to launch new products soon.
Despite the concern, excitement is currently surrounding Apple as we approach the expected release date of the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone, and, not long after, the iPad 5 and maybe an iPad mini 2.
The new Mac Pro, which was previewed by Apple in June, is also set to put in an appearance in Apple Stores later this year.
Plus, Cook has already revealed that Apple is working on “amazing” new products in “exciting new product categories,” so we could soon see an iWatch or an Apple television hitting the shelves.
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Author: Ashleigh Macro, Head of Affiliate
Ashleigh is Tech Advisor's Head of Affiliate. Providing expert buying advice you can trust is her forte, helping you to find the most reputable consumer tech products and services, and ensuring you don't spend a penny more than you should.