We already know how most of you feel about Steve Jobs’ departure as CEO of Apple this week, but what about some of the company’s manufacturing partners in Asia? A new report claims that the resignation will have minimal impact on them, particularly because new CEO Tim Cook was already overseeing most of that business in the first place.

DigiTimes is reporting that Foxconn Electronics and Quanta Computer, two of Apple’s major suppliers out of Asia, won’t feel much impact from the departure of Steve Jobs as the company’s CEO. According to sources with the companies, successor Tim Cook “was already responsible for manufacturing-related business” even before taking the new post.

“However, Jobs' departure should affect the company's brand recognition, and creativity and innovation,” the same sources said. “It is only a matter of how deep the impact will be, depending on whether Apple manages to find another driver of innovation like Jobs for its continued success.”

Since the bombshell news on Wednesday evening, a few reports have surfaced claiming that Jobs’ departure may be good news for Apple competitors to finally get a chance to play catch up, an opinion shared by DigiTimes sources who cite HTC and Samsung as “potential competitors for Apple in the future” -- never mind the fact that both companies are already rivals, and in the case of Samsung, a manufacturing partner as well.

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(Image courtesy of DigiTimes)