Agenda Setters: Where are they now... Steve Jobs

As the countdown begins to silicon.com's sixth annual Agenda Setters poll of tech's 50 most influential individuals, it is time to look back at those individuals who held top 10 positions in 2004. Today we catch up with Steve Jobs.

Apple boss Steve Jobs scraped the number two place in last year's Agenda Setters poll and went one better in the readers vote.

Can we expect to see the Apple head honcho make another good showing in this year's Agenda Setters? It's more than likely. With a transformed company, a sterling set of financials and a raft of natty - and not so natty, although equally agenda setting - products behind him, Jobs is practically a sure thing for the 2005 top 10.

With a transformed company, a sterling set of financials and a raft of natty - and not so natty, although equally agenda setting - products behind him, Jobs is practically a sure thing for the 2005 top 10.

Jobs has been called a somewhat unlikely Agenda Setter in the past - while Apple may not have the sheer financial clout of an IBM or the all-encompassing spread of a Microsoft, there's no doubt that when Jobs speaks, the tech world listens.

He hasn't been at the helm of the Cupertino company all year, however. He took several months off following an operation for a rare form of pancreatic cancer. Happily, the surgery was successful and the Apple boss was soon back at work.

Over the past 12 months Apple has refused to stand still, updating the Macintosh with the G5 and 'starter Mac', the Mac mini. The all-conquering iPod got a facelift, with the Shuffle and Nano making their first appearances. And the company unveiled the latest iteration of the Mac OS, Tiger, and Apple's first European store.

Another notable string to Jobs' bow is the expansion of the iTunes brand beyond the iPod. This year saw the release of the long-awaited iTunes phone, the Motorola Rokr.

Unlike the Nano, released at the same time, the Rokr has had lukewarm reception and prompted one wit to dub it 'the Lemn'. Nokia and Sony Ericsson already have music-playing phones, analysts pointed out - this isn't something new.

However, as the screeds of press generated by the launch testify, the release of a new Apple product instantly gets tech's collective mouths watering.

While second guessing Apple's latest release may have turned into an obsessive sport of late, it's not one that Jobs is a fan of. At the start of the year, Jobs filed lawsuits against a clutch of Apple devotee rumour sites demanding they unveil their confidential sources.

Apple has drawn its share of criticism for the suits but it's also had some unexpected good news. The iPod 'halo effect' does actually seem to be working, with the Mac maker selling more desktops than ever before and iTunes - an encouragement to iPod buying rather than a cash cow itself - predicted to be earning five per cent of Apple's revenue before too long.

Our bet is Jobs does at least as well on the Agenda Setter poll as last year - if not better.

silicon.com's Agenda Setters panel, made up again of CIOs, analysts, VCs, consultants, lawyers, academics and other experts, convenes in September at our London offices with the results revealed at the end of the month. If you want to pass on your comments for our experts - about Steve Jobs or any other contender - drop us an email at editorial@silicon.com.