Earlier this morning on "Squawk Box" (CNBC, weekdays 5:00a ET), Anchor Carl Quintanilla posed this question-- "Has he done so much that were he to leave, he would have [put so much] creativity into the company that..."

Quintanilla didn't get a chance to finish his question.

Reporter/analyst Joe Besecker who covers Apple--one of them Macworld--responded saying, "Certainly. He built a culture that is like no other. He's created that culture, he's created that environment. I wouldn't want to see him leave."

He added, "He can take inanimate objects and make them sexy!" (like the new iPod shuffle which he went on to describe and mention on the air).

Anchor Joe Kernen added his two cents, saying "Steve Jobs is the reason Apple is a $70 billion company again."

Though he throws in, "There's already great concern though about what's next?," commenting that when the iPod loses its steam, where does Apple go from there?

Besecker attributes the whole problem to the corporate side of the company, separating it from the business side. "The business is zooming. Their website almost melted down [the other day] from so many people downloading iTunes."

He adds, "This guy's a genius. I think it would be very upsetting if Jobs wouldn't be staying there."

[CNBC put a disclaimer graphic on the air, letting viewers know that Besecker owned Apple stock].

Let's 'Zune' (Zoom) in on this Thought for a Moment

Only adding more proof to the popularity and dominance (at least, currently) of the iPod, as mentioned previously by Joe Besecker on CNBC, Apple's website "almost melted down" the other day due to high traffic on the iTunes Music Store.

AppleDefects.com reports today that many customers were airing their frustrations with being unable to download songs, or even initiate the purchasing process, while some not even being able to access the store at all.

The Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday that the number of customers affected isn't currently known and that Apple wouldn't reveal what the problem was and whether or not it has been fixed.

The AP quotes Piper Jaffray's senior research analyst, Gene Munster as saying "If anything it could be a positive-- demand was better than [Apple] was expecting."

No word yet on how Microsoft's Zune fared this holiday season.

(And, uh, no word expected... don't hold your breath).

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