Apple's Design Chief Is Now a Knight

What's next for America's top tech company

(NEWSER) - The death of Steve Jobs has everyone wondering: What’s next for Apple? Can it maintain its killer momentum without its visionary? Here’s what people are saying:

• Don’t panic too much: Before dying, Jobs helped shape a product roadmap that covers at least the next three years, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . Apple insiders also say Jobs burned his high standards into subordinates—"One former employee said he constantly considered Mr. Jobs' preferences despite having never met the man."

Mark Zuckerberg tops it, along with other tech execs

(NEWSER) - Vanity Fair put another feather in Mark Zuckerberg’s cap today, naming him to the top spot in its “ New Establishment ” list for the second year in a row. What’s the “New Establishment” you ask? Well, in the magazine’s words, it’s “an innovative new breed of buccaneering visionaries, engineering prodigies, and entrepreneurs.” That clear things up? Didn’t think so. More»

Apple boss reportedly turned down invite to speak at Labour conference

(NEWSER) - Steve Jobs came thiiiis close to being an honorary knight—before then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown stepped in and put the kibosh on his nomination, one former lawmaker tells the Telegraph . What had Jobs done to earn the honor? Why make nifty-looking gadgets, of course! More»

(NEWSER) - Creativity is a tough thing to put your finger on, but Fast Company takes a shot at picking world’s top 100 business innovators. The first five:

• Jonathan Ive: Apple’s design chief—responsible for the iPhone, iPod, MacBook, and iMac—ushered in an era of “design perfection” that became “the benchmark by which companies in all industries judge themselves.”

New commercials stop trying to paint it as a serious game-changer: Essay

(NEWSER) - Apple seems to be finally waving the white flag in its quest to push Siri as some kind of hyper-efficient personal assistant of the digital variety, writes Rebecca Greenfield at AtlanticWire . Witness the new commercial with John Malkovich: He's goofing around with Siri, "using it as a form of entertainment, rather than a useful tool," notes Greenfield. More»