5 Myths About Apple

Apple is bound to lose its edge without Steve Jobs in charge, yes? Not so fast, writes Darrell Etherington at the Washington Post. In busting "Five Myths About Apple," he writes that it's easy to take Jobs successor Tim Cook for granted. But Cook "is far from by-the-book," and his outside-the-box thinking on the supply chain over the last decade is a vital reason why Apple is what it is today. The risks he took with the iPad Mini show "a determination not to remain rooted in what has worked before."

Other points:

• Innovation: Keep sight of the big picture. Consider that Apple's latest operating system has the "incredibly useful" Passbook wallet application. "Not as sexy as the iPad, but from a business standpoint, it might represent a huge leap forward."
• Growth: Skeptics say there's no way Apple can sustain its growth, but they forget about the developing world and one massive market in particular: "Apple’s sales in China are only beginning their upward arc."

Click for the full column. (More Apple stories.)