iPhone 5 Announcement to be Steve’s Swan Song?

We know, you get it, the man resigned. But what you may not see are all of the ramifications of his early exit. There’s a lot of people in the world with a lot riding on Apple’s success, and their world just got a whole lot scarrier.

Sure, Tim Cook has the business-sense to keep Apple afloat. But he seems to lack Jobs’ creativity and showmanship. Can you imagine him unveiling a new product?

With that in mind, the iPhone 5 announcement is expected to take place within the next few weeks. And there has been some rumblings around the web that the retired CEO might make an appearance.

The newly-named Chairman of the Board of Directors might take the stage one last time at the upcoming iPhone event. The move would certainly calm nervous investors, and the extra media attention wouldn’t hurt.

But you also have to expect that Tim Cook will be highly visible. You know, because he’s the new CEO, and Apple wants to prove that the company is just fine without Jobs at the helm.

Obviously, a Jobs-Cook combo would be the perfect balance, but it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. Maybe Tim Cook won’t be the visible CEO that Jobs was. Maybe Jobs stays away from the event to avoid overshadowing the products, or undermining Cook.

Here’s hoping we at least see an appearance from Steve this Fall, if for no other reason than to confirm he’s ok.

Who do you hope to see introduce the iPhone 5? Will Steve be the one to come back on stage for “one more thing?”