Apple has a history which quite reasonably sees stock prices diving if Steve isn't around. Steve got kicked out and Apple tanked. Steve came back and Apple thrived. It doesn't matter how good the team he leaves behind is, they are unlikely to have the power or the will to propel a vision for the company. Without vision, Apple loses its bold product presentation and singular reputation. Competence isn't enough. Making a good product isn't enough. You have to have someone at the helm who is constructing products that people don't yet know they're going to want bad enough to pay a premium for. It's not that Steve is a product guru, but rather that he's a narcissist and he's rich. With that comes indifference to failure and confidence in ones choices. That's not something we're likely to see come along in Apple's next leader.

Personally, I'm glad I don't have Apple stock at this point in time.