GIN INC JOURNAL

A handful of Apple Inc. (AAPL) executives has emerged as the company's new crop of leaders as expectations grow that Chief Executive Steve Jobs will take a less active role when he returns from medical leave later this month.

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who has assumed Jobs' day-to-day responsibilities since the Apple co-founder went on leave in January, and senior vice president for marketing Phil Schiller, who has stood in for Jobs at several important company functions, are the most visible stars on Apple's deep bench. Others include Scott Forstall, who runs Apple's iPhone software operations, and Jonathan Ive, who heads the team that designs Apple's sleek products.

These and other members of Apple's management team took on new importance over the weekend after The Wall Street Journal reported that Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, had gotten a liver transplant. Jobs is credited with being the visionary behind products like the iPod music player and the iPhone smart phone, both of which helped resurrect a once-pioneering computer company that had fallen on hard times.

Analysts say that giving some of these executives responsibilities that used to be Jobs' won't disrupt the company. That's because the executives have worked with Jobs for years and learned from him.

"All of Apple's top management uses the 'What would Steve do?' mantra," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Inc., who has tracked Apple for decades. "That would continue to be the case even if Steve was not there to guide them in person."

An Apple spokesman had no immediate comment for this story.

Jobs also sits on the board of Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and became its largest shareholder in early 2006 when it agreed to acquire Pixar Animation Studios, where Jobs served as chairman and chief executive.

Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger has said he frequently consults Jobs on business decisions, and Jobs helps oversee the company's animation businesses with a seat on a special six-man steering committee. So the new revelations about his health situation could lead to more questions about Jobs' ability to perform his duties at the media giant.

Disney didn't respond to an inquiry for this story, but its chairman, John Pepper, was questioned about the issue at Disney's annual shareholders meeting in March after Jobs was a no-show.

"We have not thought at all of the contingency of Steve not being on this board," Pepper said. "Our only thoughts are with him and his rapid recovery."

Already, Apple has demonstrated that it can function smoothly without Jobs' presence. Its latest iPhone, introduced last week, is outpacing sales expectations and has gotten rave reviews. Meanwhile, the company has delivered two quarters of Wall Street-pleasing results. And even without Jobs, Apple shares have surged 75% from a 52-week low hit in late January. On Monday, Apple shares fell 1.5% to $137.37.

Cook is the most visible of Apple's stars, establishing himself as the CEO-in-waiting since taking over for Jobs.

Cook joined Apple in 1998 as senior vice president of operations, and four years later was promoted to executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations. He was promoted to senior vice president of operations in 2002. In 2004, his responsibilities were expanded to include Apple's Macintosh division. He was named COO in October 2005.

Cook and Jobs are the tech industry's odd couple. Cook is known for being easygoing, and Jobs' edginess is legendary. While Jobs is Apple's brilliant idea man, Cook is an operations wizard who turns those visions into reality.

Cook's ability to make Apple's sprawling operations move on time has many observers betting he'll be appointed CEO when and if Jobs takes a diminished role upon his return. The Wall Street Journal has also reported he may be appointed to Apple's board as well.

"He's as intense as Steve is, but with a different style," said Michael Janes, who worked at Apple for five years under Cook and Jobs, and now runs online ticket bazaar FansSnap.com

Schiller, who went to work for Apple in 1997, is now responsible for Apple's product marketing, developer relations and business marketing programs.

Forstall is arguably in charge of the company's most important product: the software that runs the iPhone. He joined Apple about 11 years ago and was one of the original architects of Apple's Mac OS X operating system software and, most recently, worked on Mac OS X Leopard.

Ive, a Londoner, has also been making lots of appearances at Apple events. His team is responsible for designing the look and feel of Apple products, which are widely considered to be among the most aesthetically pleasing in the tech space.