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New Profile on Apple CEO Tim Cook Details Influence on Product Development, iWatch Plans

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A new profile on Tim Cook done by the New York Times has shared a variety of details discussing the Apple CEO's leadership style over his nearly three year tenure as the head of the company, including his influence on product development, brand expansion, and "quiet" approach to design. The profile also sheds new light on the development of Apple's highly-rumored "iWatch" smartwatch.

The report notes Cook's differences in management compared to Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, sharing how the CEO has made key decisions to release unique new products and acquire new talent over the past few years. Moreover, his attempts to broaden Apple's brand by expressing support for initiatives such as environmentalism and charitable giving were also highlighted.

A number of Cook's peers spoke on Apple's pressure to deliver another breakthrough product, with Apple design chief Jony Ive saying that Cook has "not neglected" the company's central mission of "innovation," noting that it has been "hard" for the company and its CEO to "be patient."
Honestly, I don't think anything's changed," he said. And that includes the clamor for some exciting new thing. "People felt exactly the same way when we were working on the iPhone," Mr. Ive added.
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New details were also shared on Cook's influence on the iWatch, with the report noting Cook has been "less involved" in the direct engineering of the device, delegating the hands-on roles to other executives such as Ive. Cook is said to be interested in the smartwatch's "broader implications", taking an interest as to how the device could help people monitor their health more efficiently. Sources said that the iWatch is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year, which is in line with previous reports.

Cook has also managed to acquire new personnel throughout the past few years, hiring personnel such as former Burberry chief Angela Ahrendts to head Apple's retail efforts and former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to lead "special projects." U2 lead singer Bono, who worked closely with Apple through the (Product) RED initiative, says that Cook is amassing a "creative brain trust," adding that Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics was done to expand the company's creative perspective in the absence of Jobs.

Disney CEO and Apple board member Bob Iger also shared perspective on Cook's decision making towards new products:
Since he took over, the company has released a number of upgrades, including a smaller tablet, the iPad Mini. Mr. Cook "thought the world would love a smaller and less expensive tablet," said Robert A. Iger, the chief executive of Disney and a member of Apple's board. It was a product that Mr. Jobs thought did not have a market, he said.
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The profile finally speaks on Cook's approachability as told by developers and employees at the company, highlighting the CEO's ability to hold conversation and express his activism and perspectives. Overall, while Apple has experienced criticism amid slowing revenue growth and the lack of drastic product expansion, the profile notes that Cook has gained a considerable amount of influence throughout his tenure as CEO.

Apple is expected to launch a variety of new products this year, including bigger iPhones, a new Apple TV, and refined iPads, as well as new MacBooks and an upgraded iMac in addition to the aforementioned iWatch.

Article Link: New Profile on Apple CEO Tim Cook Details Influence on Product Development, iWatch Plans
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/15/tim-cook-profile-product-development-iwatch/
ThomasJL

ThomasJL

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Oct 16, 2008
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Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs. Jobs was an innovator who created things that Microsoft and Google copied (example: Mac OS and iOS). Cook is a follower who copies Microsoft and Google (example: flat design).
 
d4rkc4sm

d4rkc4sm

macrumors 6502
Apr 23, 2011
438
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Jobs was a visionary. He saw where technology would be in 5-10 years down the road. Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs!
 
S

silentmajority

macrumors member
May 3, 2013
53
12
Steve Jobs is dead. Not sure if some of you are aware of that. Tim Cook didn't steal Apple away from Jobs, so it's pointless to keep saying that "Cook is no Jobs". Though I'd point out that he's aware of that, which is why they're busy assembling a "creative brain trust".
 
macs4nw

macs4nw

macrumors 601
Sep 21, 2010
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Next-door from the little old lady from Pasadena..
I'm not surprised the New York Times' profile gave TC a fairly good review, with little to no criticism, and most of those interviewed, giving positive feedback about the 'new' CEO.

Tim has so far done an admirable job, under very challenging conditions, imho. Is his management style different? Absolutely. But that may turn out to be a good thing.
 
mertyz

mertyz

macrumors regular
Sep 21, 2011
201
4
IMHO, comparing people is silly. Saying Jobs was "one of a kind" and then expecting someone else to be like him is even more silly. Apparently, Cook is aware of his strengths and weaknesses. He is certainly better than Jobs in analysing the market in an unbiased fashion. Recent hires and acquisitions, as mentioned in the article, is a try towards feeding the company's hunger for creativity. Time will tell how all of this will work out but for the time being, Cook is a really good successor.
 
sshambles

sshambles

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Oct 19, 2005
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Cook has done a great job in continuing the legacy of Apple and leading it into the future. He is the perfect guy for the role, and is doing a pretty great job so far. :apple:

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mertyz said:
IMHO, comparing people is silly. Saying Jobs was "one of a kind" and then expecting someone else to be like him is even more silly. Apparently, Cook is aware of his strengths and weaknesses. He is certainly better than Jobs in analysing the market in an unbiased fashion. Recent hires and acquisitions, as mentioned in the article, is a try towards feeding the company's hunger for creativity. Time will tell how all of this will work out but for the time being, Cook is a really good successor.
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Well put.
 
T

tuckerjj

macrumors regular
Jan 6, 2010
111
293
ThomasJL said:
Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs. Jobs was an innovator who created things that Microsoft and Google copied (example: Mac OS and iOS). Cook is a follower who copies Microsoft and Google (example: flat design).
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Right, like how Jobs created the MP3 player, the smartphone, and the tablet.

Innovation doesn't mean creating something new, it means doing something better in a way that has a significant impact on society.
 
C

cloudyo

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2012
144
242
d4rkc4sm said:
Jobs was a visionary. He saw where technology would be in 5-10 years down the road. Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs!
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Cook knows that he is no Steve Jobs, thats why he is hiring creative talent. Knowing what you can't do is just as important as knowing what you are good at. In that regard he is doing a great job so far.
 
BMcCoy

BMcCoy

macrumors 68000
Jun 24, 2010
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cloudyo said:
Cook knows that he is no Steve Jobs, thats why he is hiring creative talent. Knowing what you can't do is just as important as knowing what you are good at. In that regard he is doing a great job so far.
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Agreed.
Cook is behaving like a CEO.
Jobs was unique - defined by people more eloquent than me.

Two different people, with two different challenges at two very different stages of this company.
 
Mr Fusion

Mr Fusion

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2007
841
1,061
Cook is a good CEO. Problem is the tech world is out of good ideas with which Apple can make products out of.

Apple's got a product lineup of varying screen sizes that all generally do the same thing. iWatch will fit nicely into the small end of those.

Question is where do we go from here? Until someone else figures it out, Apple can't improve upon it.
 
P

porky

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2003
172
6
BELGIUM
I always ask myself, what if Steve Jobs would have died before inventing the iPhone & iPad. Mobile wouldn't be so big i suppose. What would our phones look like? And more important, what if he still would be alive, would there be a new (reinvented) amazing product that we now will miss?
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,485
43,410
He's managed the business of Apple pretty well, but only time will tell if Apple has been innovating under his leadership.

At the moment, there are definitely good signs, like the nMP, and what they did with OSX/iOS8. Apple needs to roll out new products to remain relevant however.
 
M

mrtravel123

macrumors regular
Aug 9, 2007
198
2
If only Apple would update every Mac at least 1x annually. For example, it has been 600 days since the last Mac Mini update. If it is not updated until this fall, it will have been 2 years.

We all appreciate innovation. But, neglecting existing products (that some customers are very loyal to) doesn't make sense. At least spec updates should be happening. Throw in some faster processors or something.
 
M

MellowFuzz

macrumors 6502
Sep 11, 2013
337
638
Errr... this is the publication that hates Apples and gets awards for publishing unfair hit-pieces.
 
C

Cali Fornia

macrumors regular
Feb 27, 2012
150
0
Vienna, Austria
ThomasJL said:
Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs. Jobs was an innovator who created things that Microsoft and Google copied (example: Mac OS and iOS). Cook is a follower who copies Microsoft and Google (example: flat design).
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I still prefer the new more open approach though. Things like extensiens and apps speaking to each other would probably not have happened under Jobs.

As sad as it is, Apple had to follow Google and M$ to a certain extent, because Job's approach on the totally closed system would have backfired in the longer run.
 
N

nexusrule

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2012
623
758
ThomasJL said:
Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs. Jobs was an innovator who created things that Microsoft and Google copied (example: Mac OS and iOS). Cook is a follower who copies Microsoft and Google (example: flat design).
Click to expand...

Yes, and Jobs was no Cook. Without Cook ability to optimize processes, expenses, making Apple an efficent machine, closing strategic deals for components, complety revolutionizing the distribution chain probably many of today successful Apple products would have had the destiny of the Cube and similar Job's revolutionary new ideas.
 
K

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,361
3,378
I think Tim Cook does a good job so far of hiring and managing the team he has got now. It seems to me that people often forget to mention that Apple was never a one-man company, even though it appeared like it under Steve Jobs. He had lots of creative and talented people around him that contributed probably just as much to Apple than Jobs himself. The notable difference is that Jobs took a larger personal stake in the company, whereas Cook focusses a lot more on facilitating the right people. He's creating the right breeding ground.
 
P

Pair

macrumors member
Jan 31, 2011
68
56
jbrown said:
IMHO iWatch ( alone with Apple TV ) are now waaaay to long in development :rolleyes:
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So you are the sort that would release an unfinished product, or shelve it because you no longer had the patience.

I'm sure there are plenty of openings at Samsung (if you even have the skills) for your approach.

Hopefully Cook builds a more reliable 'brain trust' than these lot:
180px-BrainTrust.jpg
 
A

apolloa

Suspended
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Well I for one am glad for Mr Cook, because I have ordered a lovely retina iPad mni, he perhaps has better visions and insights of the markets then Jobs did as he felt their was no market for a smaller iPad :rolleyes:

They seem to be doing alright, I think the new Mac Pro is a perfectly acceptable 'wow' product too. Will be interesting to see how this iWatch turns out.
 
sshambles

sshambles

macrumors 6502a
Oct 19, 2005
766
1,128
Australia
On doing what's right...

'one shareholder — who later described himself as having free-market values — asked Mr. Cook whether Apple should avoid embracing environmental causes that lacked a clear profit motive.'

Ahh suits and shareholders. Profit and Greed or gtfo. :confused:

A company should be responsible for its imprint on the world, no matter the size, sustainability counts. Keep going Tim. Great work. :apple:
 
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