Steve Jobs the co founder and creative face of Apple, has decided to call it a day as far as running the company is concerned, though he may step into the Chairman's role.

Life without Steve is something that Apple and it's investors have had plenty of time to consider, as Steve has had three prolonged bouts of absence, following a liver transplant in 2004, due to pancreatic cancer.

The market knee jerk reaction to the news is to sell Apple shares 6% lower in after hours US trading.

This is not so much due to Apple losing a leader, as Tim Cook, his replacement has run the company for substantial periods of time during Streve Job's illness related absences, it does however reflect a general view that Apple might lose their creative drive.