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Tim Cook Succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple CEO Nine Years Ago Today

ArtOfWarfare said:
Tim Cook hasn't been horrible, but he hasn't been great.

He has an intense focus on making money and has thrown the idea of having insanely great products and happy customers out the window.

If somebody wants to make a company that Steve Jobs would have been proud of (I'm sure he'd be ashamed of the monstrosity Cook has made) then that'd be the angle to go at. But we're in a post-PC world, and the post-phone world is coming.

Focus on where the puck is going, not where it is. Jump straight at AR and beat Apple with something insanely great. Give it actual killer apps that everyone needs but doesn't know they need yet - beat back the soulless crap that Apple, Google, and Microsoft will make.
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How does Tom Cook make Apple money? The answer is simple: selling products people want to buy. And buy they do. Of course this is a general statement as with the vast number of customers Apple has, not all will agree.

Im sure Steve WOULD NOT be ashamed of today’s Apple.
 
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nutmac said:
No one can and should deny that Tim's performance. His usual operations excellence. Attracting, recognizing, and delegating to great talents. Fantastic investor performance. Successful launches of new products (e.g., Apple Watch, AirPods).

Sure he lacks charisma, technical knowledge, and visionary foresight of Steve Jobs, but few can match aforementioned excellence.
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Tim is every bit a visionary as Steve...albeit with a different style.
 
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swingerofbirch said:
I wonder if Apple, and Steve Job's, greatest fear was of going bankrupt like they almost did before so they picked the safest choice. I hear stories of people who started off life poor and are now extremely wealthy and they say they constantly have thoughts of losing it all. Tim Cook was the one responsible with procurement and manufacturing, and he did a good job mastering China to Apple's benefit. I mean that's what he did at Compaq, as well. But I'm sure Steve Jobs of all people must have seen there wasn't a lot going on in Tim Cook's mind regarding product development.
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Does Tim Cook need to be both Apple’s CEO and it’s product visionary? Seems like that’s what Jony Ive’s role was. Tim Cook is there to make sure the trains arrive on time and Apple remains a well-run ship and he has discharged that role magnificently.
 
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Can you just imagine, how much further along Apple would have been had Scott Forstall taken over instead of Tim Cook... We wouldn’t have had to wait this long for the Mac product line to make the ARM switch. They would have dominated the low end laptop/high-end desktop/server markets. Instead Tim expanded out the Mobile Roadmap, and pretty much ignored the competitive Laptop/Desktop market. Personally, I’m not sure how much credit Tim deserves: he has been a good CEO, However he hasn’t pushed the company, or lead it in any exciting new places. He essentially extended out the ARM Roadmap, and kept business as usual; it worked, but thats only because Apple was so far ahead when he took over. (the “hard-work” had already been completed, he just kind of had to keep the company on auto-pilot)
 
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the dress code has definitely changed for the better...let's discuss :)
 
I would love to know the inner workings and conversations at Apple Lol. I wonder what they TRULY think about Tim and how the company has been since Steve. I’m sure they love Tim, but damn... to be a fly on the wall in their meetings.
 
I7guy said:
Tim is every bit a visionary as Steve...albeit with a different style.
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Adjective: thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom

Have we ever seen Tim come across as a true Visionary? I am comparing him to Xerox's Alan Kay, Apple's Steven Jobs.

He's good with people, motivation, empathy, being ethical, financially sound, likely great debater, but visionary?
 
I7guy said:
If you discuss recycling let’s start with the 5c. Steve had to have a hand in that model. So if recycling old parts is discussed, it has been seemingly a hit. New tech goes to the top end, recycled parts go to the iPhone se(2020) and some iPads. Don’t see anything wrong with the strategy as it lets Apple more easily cater to a wider audience.

Now where did the word “constant” come into play here?
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I don’t think the 5c was something he wanted. At the time there was a big leadership shake up and a huge crappy redesign of iOS, so I think the 5c was something Jony Ive really wanted.

You’re right that the recycling thing works, but I’m not saying it doesn’t. I’m just wondering if it’s necessary to do it. It certainly hurts the image of the company as a relentless innovator and in my opinion it’s just an easier and cheaper way of gaining new customers. The top end is not something mind blowing either. Year after year they just add a slightly better SoC, camera and maybe some extremely minor change in the design that normal people won’t notice and that’s it. And I’m not even mentioning other categories.

If they would do just one iPhone in smaller and bigger size but more innovative (mainly in terms of design) I think it would convince more people to upgrade year to year. Also why there’s like three version of iPads? You know, I think the big problem with Apple is, that they focus too much on the "pros" and kinda forget about the 99% of people. Now every product except Apple Watch and iPod Touch have to have a pro version and I don’t think that’s right. The "Pro" moniker basically stands for higher price and maybe one more color to choose from.
 
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I think Tim has done a great job. There were swings and misses under Steve too. The point is how well one deals with those misses. Look at how much better the product line is now than 2 years ago, especially the Mac. Now look at where Apple Silicon will take the Mac in the future, not to mention iOS devices. I’m optimistic.
 
Tim has steered Apple in wonderful and woeful ways. I can only imagine how much more profitable Apple will be once Quality Control returns.

My issue with Tim‘s Apple is the drop in hardware and software quality, especially over the past five years. With Apple Silicon, I truly hope these are tweaked, fixed (where necessary), and improved. Ditto with the iPads. I’d be more open to some of Apple’s services if the hardware and software QC are given much more TLC. Balance these and I’d become a more vested Apple user.

Still love using Apple tech to create and look forward to diving back into this with my next Mac and iPad. That’s all I want really, to create and have fun with Apple’s products.

I may not like some of Tim’s decisions, but I’d happily ignore these for stable hardware and software. I think we may see that again.
 
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MacRumors said:


Nine years ago today, on August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO for the final time. Jobs was immediately named Apple's chairman, with then-COO Tim Cook taking over leadership of the company.

Tim-Cook-Steve-Jobs.jpg

Jobs sadly passed away just six weeks later, on October 5, one day after Apple introduced the iPhone 4s with Siri. He was 56. His death resulted in an outpouring of condolences from family, friends, colleagues, Apple fans, and notable figures around the world, ranging from Steve Wozniak to Bill Gates to former President Barack Obama.

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," said Cook. "Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

Apple under Cook has grown to become the world's most valuable company. While nothing has truly compared to the iPhone, perhaps the most successful consumer product of all time, one major device introduced during Cook's tenure is the Apple Watch, praised for its life-saving features like the ECG app, Emergency SOS calling, and fall detection.

Cook has previously said that Jobs' DNA will always be the foundation of Apple, which named the Steve Jobs Theater after him in 2017.



Article Link: Tim Cook Succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple CEO Nine Years Ago Today
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That Job’s DNA has been subject to more and more self-destructive mutations... Look at all the mess in Catalina, and now Bug Sur with its hilarious design.
 
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I know people here like to hate on Cook but he has been a successful CEO at keeping Apple as close to Steve's Apple as possible.

Many other people would've come in and screwed with the formula, brought random corporate asshats in and generally messed the company up.

He was easily the best option.
 
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weup togo said:
Single biggest mistake of Steve's life. People who mistake stock price for doing the job right will never understand.
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I don't really think so. Looking back now to this 9 years I believe that everything unfolded as Steve has planned it before passing away. There was strong need to establish Apple as top mobile devices manufacturer and that has been acomplished by iPhones, Apple Watch and iPads (last 2 categories don't have any real competition). Sure, the Mac platform has been pushed back because of it but since 2017 it was coming back strong (iMac Pro, then Mac Pro and now 2020 iMacs lineup has best price / performance ratio ever). And now the future is here with Apple Silicon. If you really are fan of technology, you must admit that last 9 years under Cooks leadership have been full of inovations as well and now, finally, the circle has been completed with arrival of Apple Silicon and true interconnection of ALL Apple devices and software to one large ecosystem.
 
HiVolt said:
Not only that, but some issues under Cook's leadership look especially bad. Butterfly keyboard is one of them.
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So what... The hinges on my Ti powerbook really sucked. I loved it anyway: what a great machine... and the thing still works after all these many years. Awesome piece of hardware for its time and still useful.

Same love-hate sentiment with what for me are some swing-and-miss moves at Apple under Tim Cook, and not just stuff like a keyboard that wasn't great.

There have doubtless been days when Cook might like to have the head(s) of whichever staffer(s) talked him into precisely the butchery of iTunes into the components that we have ended up with, and which remain at best works in progress all this time later. Each of the pieces has aspects that don't yet please anyone, and probably close to everyone hates something about at least two of those apps.​
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I sure have my list of flaws, but I don't hold Tim Cook responsible for all the details any more than I would have held Jobs responsible for letting iTunes get too bloated. A CEO is a CEO, not some superhuman combo of visionary and shop floor supervisor.​
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"It will all work out...."​

Bottom line: Cook is managing a hugely different critter compared to the Apple that Steve Jobs came back to revitalize. Sure, Jobs did a great job and perhaps especially upon his return. But Apple's continued growth and product line evolution in themselves speak to the fact that Tim Cook is doing a great job too.

Human beings are not perfect. Only perfect folk are us, the armchair quarterbacks with 2020 hindsight.
 
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