Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Tim Cook Has Now Been Apple's CEO for Longer Than Steve Jobs
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think he deserves a lot of credit for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods. However, I think missing the AI boat could come to cost Apple dearly. I think the Vision Pro has been a bit miss too, I just don't think it'll cost nearly as much as missing the AI boat.
Apple has a major succession problem. I mean all people at the top of the company are old, and I'm sure they'll want inside people to run the company. I don't see them hiring someone from Pepsi to run it. Not only a problem for the CEO job but all other leadership roles too.
While people say he is not visionary, Cook brought M Silicon chips to the world. It has been a CPU and GPU revolution. It is not a small step and Jobs never had overseen a creation of a new chip (in Jobs' era, all Apple CPU's have been produced either by Motorola or Intel). So, Cook has been implementing quite a vision.
Last edited:
Cook just signed off on it. It’s the hardworking hardware engineers, etc at Apple that brought M chips to life. All Tim did was tell us we’re going to love it and then had Craig tell us all about it.
While I understand the critique, I believe rating him a D+ might be a bit harsh. lol....
Considering the remarkable successes of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Silicon, it's clear that there have been significant wins under Cook's leadership. These products not only pushed technological boundaries but also set new industry standards. And lets not overlook the Vision Pro. While it's still early in its journey, it holds promising potential and may very well become a major success as it matures a few generations in.
That said, it's fair to point out some areas of concern. Recently, Cook seems to have underestimated the significance of large language models, which has impacted the rollout and development of Apple Intelligence. And in my opinion, the overall quality of Apple’s software appears to have declined, losing some of the magic, originality, and innovative flair that once defined it.
Taking all this into account, I’d rate Tim Cook’s performance in the products department as a solid "B." In comparison, Steve Jobs would undoubtedly earn an A+ for his visionary approach to products and software, though perhaps a C+ for maintaining company stability and profitability. Both leaders have their strengths and shortcomings, but each has undeniably left an indelible mark on Apple’s legacy.
But to wrap it all up, I think it's time for some fresh blood. Farewell Mr Cook, I think it's time to leave
Do you mean products like Apple Lisa, Apple III, Apple HiFi, Apple PowerMac G4 Cube, Apple 20th Anniversary Mac, Apple Pippin, Apple Newton, Apple eMate, Apple iPod Sox, etc.?
All flops released under the previous CEO.
Just curious, how do you know jobs would have dropped diamonds on all of these category’s. Every company swings and misses multiple times. Steve Jobs also didn’t have a trillion dollar company under his watch so….
So who is making "innovative products that people want to buy?"
Who is out there on the cutting edge? Who do you consider to be doing that? And if there is someone, on what scale are they doing it?
Last edited:
It's funny people can never seem to answer such a simple question.
While it is true that Cook keeps a lot of older product in the mix, he does it to address markets that do not have the disposable income to afford the latest product. So he is doing it to "grow the brand" and add customers who otherwise would choose a non-Apple product due to the lower cost.
Or if they do answer, they answer with the latest "gadget" that is effectively still a lab prototype and sold in the thousands, at best.
arguably the iPod and even to appoint the iPhone and iPad were just accessories for your Mac/PC when Steve Jobs introduced them.
remember before iCloud in 2011, you literally could not boot your iPhone, could not see the home screen, could not activate the SIM card… Without connecting it to iTunes first.
but yes, everything has become an accessory to the phone.
Apple still makes the phone.
Apple still sets record profits on the phone.
it’s very unlikely anything is going to replace the phone any time soon, phones have been around longer than automobiles, personal computers and vinyl records.
Well done Tim!
Please consider retirement and relaxation.
Go enjoy Auburn sports in the fall, full time.
Please consider retirement and relaxation.
Go enjoy Auburn sports in the fall, full time.
It’s not a duopoly. There are many companies creating phones — you’re talking about the main OS alternative. The phone market is incredibly competitive compared to others.
And in the end, no one creates any product that fits perfectly every individual person needs. But based on sales, it seems like the iPhone is the closest for many people.
You don't get the profits and margins Apple does without making products people want to buy.
You could say that about virtually all C-Suite members. Jobs was no engineer, and while he had a great influence on design he didn't write code or engineer hardware. If that is your criteria, Woz was the guy early on and all Jobs did was sign off on products as well.
War Eagle...
I do think it’s very funny that people blame Tim for ridiculous things like the $999 display stand, which, fine, completely fine argument.
and then when you ask them who they should replace him with, they say… The guy that actually stood on stage and announced that $999 display stand.
lol, people don’t actually care about having a product guy in charge, they’re just bored.
The thing is he missed the AI boat because he was fixated with his pet Vision Pro project.
So a double whammy.
My guess is that had the Vision Pro turned out to be a roaring success, Tim might have stepped down as it would cemented his legacy as both a great financial and creative CEO.
But having dropped the ball, he'll stick around long enough to right the AI ship, perhaps through acquisitions.
Can you share your basis and business experience in the relevant areas that would convince me to agree with your opinion?
Where is Boot? And how will moving to Boot change anything about the Apple ecosystem?
Of course! Woz is the hands-on wizard of apple and jobs was the man that could sell you sand in the desert. That’s the difference between jobs and cook, cook doesn’t stir enthusiasm or belief in the products. The cats out of the bag as each day passes that cook just wants to inflate those numbers instead of spending more of it to actually build something earth shattering. He should just resign at this point, its long overdue
I am not sure Apple has missed the AI boat, yet. IMHO, much of it is overhyped and a not ready for prime time player as of now. I've tried it to do some professional analysis of data and the results varied and far too often resulted in me think "Never mind..."
It will get better, and the winning companies, IMHO, will be the ones that avoid the hype and actually find ways to make it accurate and useful.
Let me guess: from MacRumors...
it is obvious you don't understand how a multibillion company works, or, for that matter, how any company works in the world. it is not just signing papers, it is preparing mid and longterm strategy, making midterm and annual business plans, securing funds and organizing market research, while explaining that to investors and carefully preparing a whole team for Apple Silicon and then planning for entire transition of Apple hardware and software to new architecture. CEO manages all that.
Last edited: