Tech Obsessed

Since Steve Jobs resigned, my Apple world collapsed ... OK, maybe not

Steve Jobs
Photo via International Business Times
The front page of the Apple.com website

I got notice from my iPhone earlier this week that someone simply wrote “Oh No” on my Facebook wall with an attached link. I opened my MacBook to find that my best friend had posted an article that left me stunned.

Steve Jobs, the man I practically campaigned for to be Emperor of the New Technological World, stepped down from the company that defined my generation and changed the way everyone else listened to music.

My heart dropped, then after my stomach turned, I was soon fuming like a spoiled brat who was told he could have no more new toys. I silenced the BBC from on my iPad, turned off Radiohead from my iPod and slammed my MacBook Pro shut (although they close so smoothly, how great).

The Apple era is over, surely. Now what new products will I obsess over that I hardly need?

And let's be honest, how many iPhones can there actually be before we get sick of them? I’m going to say five is the max. Otherwise you start to sound like a Land Before Time series.

Three minutes later, I regained my senses. Yes Steve Jobs stepping down is a huge loss for Apple-obsessed psychos like myself, Silicon Valley and every modern nation on the planet, but what better time for the guy to get out?

Sure it was due to health problems, but when you are at the top the only place to go is down, right? I suppose I would probably do the same.

Especially since a few days ago it was announced that Sprint would get the iPhone 5. SPRINT?! Apple may as well let the Cricket network have it too.

And let's be honest, how many iPhones can there actually be before we get sick of them? I’m going to say five is the max. Otherwise you start to sound like a Land Before Time series. iPhone 9, iPhone 13, iPhone 72?

Who knows, maybe iPhone 16 will be as popular as the iPhone 4? And maybe every person in the world will have one, that’s fine. I just hope the Apple Empire doesn’t crash and burn, but with Jobs still attached to the company as a board member for the next two years, I doubt it will anytime soon.

I do know this though. Jobs transformed the way I — and millions of others — communicate. He is the greatest entrepreneur/inventor/visionary of modern America, and has paved the way for COO turned CEO Tim Cook to bring us into the futuristic realm as portrayed in movies like Minority Report and I, Robot.

I had always told my friends, “I’m a sucker for anything Steve Jobs puts out on the market. It’s weird, I have to have everything.” As long as Cook can keep consumers happy with an abundance of products we never knew we needed, Apple will not lose its followers and all will be right with the world.

Derek Thompson of The Atlantic put Job’s Apple revolution into words best, “If all art is theft, Jobs’ genius came from being the smartest chisel, not just the mallet on the block of marble.”

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In the Spotlight

6 Houstonians featured on prestigious Inc. Female Founders 500 list

Photo courtesy of Rottet Studio

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Six Houston female entrepreneurs and innovators were named to the 2026 Female Founders 500 list.

The annual list compiled by Inc. Magazine recognizes female founders based in the U.S. who have built businesses that have moved their industries forward. The group collectively generated approximately $12.3 billion in 2025 revenue and $12.2 billion in funding to date, according to Inc. Five Houstonians were named to the list last year.

"Each year, we are increasingly amazed by the extraordinary leaders on our Inc. Female Founders 500 list," Bonny Ghosh, editorial director, said. "The honorees on this year's list include innovators in AI, beauty and wellness trendsetters winning devoted fans, and nonprofit leaders making a real impact in their communities. Together, they're showing all of us what trailblazing female leadership looks like."

The Houston founders featured on the 2026 list are:

Sassie Duggleby, CEO and co-founder of Houston space tech and engine company Venus Aerospace. Duggleby also serves on the Texas Space Commission board of directors.
Stephanie Murphy, CEO and executive chairman of Aegis Aerospace, which provides space services, spaceflight product development, and engineering services. Murphy also serves as chair of the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium Executive Committee.
Laureen Meroueh, CEO and founder of Hertha Metals in Conroe, which has developed a cost-effective and energy-efficient process that converts low-grade iron ore of any format directly into molten steel or high-purity iron in a single step.
LaToshia Norwood, managing partner of L'Renee & Associates (LRA), a full-service project management consulting firm.
Lauren Rottet, president and founding principal of Rottet Studio, an international architecture and design firm focused on corporate, lifestyle and hospitality projects
Nina Magon, founder and CEO of Nina Magon Studio / Nina Magon Consumer Products, a residential and commercial interior design company. She also co-founded KA Residences earlier this year.

"Grateful to be recognized again on the Inc. Female Founders 500," Duggleby said in a LinkedIn post. "The best part of building Venus Aerospace has been working with an incredible team pushing the boundaries of flight—and helping bring more women into aerospace along the way."

In total, 29 Texas female founders made this list, including Amber Venz Box, founder of the Dallas-based LTK shopping platform, and Austin jewelry mogul Kendra Scott.

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

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