The first time Apple dumped Steve Jobs, it nearly folded. Apple brought him back as CEO and he made the company "sing the money song" again. It will be interesting to see what happens with Apple now that Steve is gone for good.
To say that steve wasnt hugely important to apple is stupid, and to be honest, to say that apple is not an important company is also stupid. Steve was the big reason apple is viewed today as cool, it has a certain cool factor, not just because the products look cool, it's innovative at the same time as somewhat honest, I think apple will go hunting for a guy who is already somebody, someone from outside maybe from google or something... who knows if there is a guy in house who is willing to step up, my guess is no because a guy like jobs, who made himself the heart and soul of a company does not surround himself with competition,