Just so you know - we think SJ will be at the helm for many more years

How many of you IDIOTS know ANYTHING about ANY of the aforementioned Steve Jobs potential successors? My advice to you, stick to AMERICAN IDOL! The vast majority of you know NOTHING about the executive branch at Apple! WHAT AN IDIOTIC POLL QUESTION! NONE OF YOU ARE EVEN REMOTELY QUALIFIED TO ANSWER SUCH A RIDICULOUS POLL QUESTION!

While we're all concerned that Steve is getting smaller, maybe we should be a little concerned that Phil is getting BIGGER! Has anyone else noticed how fat he's getting?

Great idea 9to5Mac Noob we can have a American Idol TV show to select the next Apple CEO

While i don't think that Steve Jobs will leave Apple soon, and don't think that there's anything unusal with his health, i do find this an interesting question!

I think that most of the desicions are already made by not only Steve Jobs. The company has become to big to handle by only one person. So i think the best person to follow him up eventually is someone with the same "keynote skills" as Steve, because that is what makes new products from apple so great: the way they are introduced.

So then i think the best person would be Scott Forstall, beause he seems confident and he can give a great presentation. I think that Jonathan Ive would never be a good leader because he is insanely great in what he does, but really bad in telling how he does it. He's a creator, not a presenter. Phill Shiller always looks nervous, Bertrand is just to funny to listen to, and the rest is to unknown. So i think (at this moment) that Scott would be the best leader...

But then again, as i already said: i think we're going to see Steve for many many years to come! I'm looking forward to the next keynote!

I would do it...

Steve Wozniak would be my candidate to succeed Steve Jobs.

I think Steve will be around for a while to come, but I would be the best successor..... :)

Well, QED....Fake Steve Jobs of course!

The Correct Answer to "Who is the best Steve Jobs Successor" is:

Whoever Steve Jobs selects.

The rest of us do not have the perspective to make this decision.

Perhaps a headline to the effect of "Who would you prefer to run Apple...." indicating a personal opinion poll. This might take the edge off it for those that take everything too seriously.

As for the question at hand: A lot will depend on what type of company Apple becomes between now and then.

Al Gore.

Head of Apple is a bigger job than POTUS, but we're sure Al will succeed!

I cant believe Oppenheimer received so many votes - that guy is a scumbag asshole after meeting with him. BTW I voted for Ive - about the only one that "might" have visionary ability.

Eric Schmidt

Apple and Google will announce a merger about 9 months before Steve "retires"/ He will cast his final reality distortion field and pass its secrets onto the Google-meister (who seems to already cast a pretty good field himself).

This is not just another Crazy Apple Rumor. The pieces have all come together now. Moltz has been groomed for well over 18 months. Recall his major faux pas when he let slip that the iphone would have only one button. Clearly, Steve has had him on the development team for quite some time, but that slip really set back John's progress and actually cast some doubts in Steve's mind that Moltz really had the intestinal fortitude to maintain the ring of trust required to run the most secretive organization outside of the Vatican. Nevertheless, Steve respects the creative genius represented in Moltz. Steve's deteriorating health required an accelerated program for John, including leadership training, yoga, and dietary counseling. This has forced John to take a hiatus. I'm afraid we won't see him back until he bursts onto the seen as Steve's heir apparent at the next Macworld Expo.

Scott Forstall reminds me most of Steve Jobs. He is charismatic, and can give a good speech. I also believe that he can come up with new innovative devices, while keeping them simple and beautiful.

Please let Jonathan Ive continue to do what he does best - design hardware.
His talents are realized through design, not through the distractions of running a major corporation.

I know it doesn't count, but the one I could see in a stage introducing new Apple products with a similar passion would be Guy Kawasaki.

I vote for Scott too, I think he has ability to give a keynote with charismatic sense. We need a good presenter and a guy with business in mind to run the company ( he know how to make a good software). I don't think Jonathan Ive is a good candidate because he is an industrial designer not a businessman.