Tim Cook's steady hand on the wheel was a huge reason for its post-Jobs success
As Tim Cook faces his final days as Apple CEO, what he did for Apple might never be repeated.
Tim Cook's steady hand on the wheel will be missed. | Image by Apple
When I started writing for PhoneArena all those years ago, Steve Jobs was still running Apple. However, the Apple co-founder was dying from pancreatic cancer, and in January 2009 he had to take a leave of absence.
Tim Cook became Apple's CEO for good in August 2011
Jobs gave Tim Cook the responsibility of running the day-to-day operations at Apple. When Jobs returned, he had to deal with Antennagate, famously telling iPhone users that they were holding their phones wrong.
In August 2011, Jobs once again stepped down as CEO of Apple, but this time it was for good as two months later he would succumb to his illness. Jobs said back in August that Tim Cook would be the new CEO.
Tim Cook had huge shoes to fill. After all, how do you replace someone as well known as Steve Jobs was? Ever since he returned to Apple and became CEO in September 1997, Jobs was on a tear never seen before in the tech world.
The translucent iMac G3 was followed by the iMac G4 aka "The Lamp" because of the flat panel display mounted on a stainless steel arm. Then came the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. The tech industry and Wall Street were amazed as Apple rolled out a string of hot new products.
Cook shook up the iPhone and challenged Android by increasing the sizes of the screens
With Jobs gone, the analysts questioned what Apple would do. He started releasing larger screened iPhone models to take on larger Android handsets. The iPhone 5 featured a 4-inch display, up from the 3.5-inch glass found on earlier models.
Which device makes you think about Tim Cook the most?
Cook really shook things up in 2014 by releasing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus model. Where Jobs never wanted to increase the iPhone's screen past 3.5 inches, Cook responded to the attack from Android manufacturers by making larger iPhone models.
Tim Cook joins the festivities at a New York City Apple Store the day of the iPhone 16 launch.| Image by Apple
Eventually he switched from LCD to OLED and replaced Touch ID with Face ID for the 10th anniversary model, the iPhone X. Cook also came up with new iPad models with larger screens in 2015 with the release of the first iPad Pro.
Cook added the Apple Watch and the HomePod
These were busy times for Cook as he expanded the Apple product line in 2015 with the launch of the Apple Watch. First meant to be sold as expensive jewelry, the timepiece became a life-saving device thanks to its health monitoring features.
Not everything Cook touched turned into gold. Amazon started a new product line in 2014 with its Echo smart speakers. Simply a speaker with a digital assistant, Cook decided that Apple had to get in on this gold rush and released the HomePod during Q1 2018 for a whopping $349. Many smaller smart speakers were priced as low as $60-$100.
Perhaps the most impressive yet disappointing device launched under Tim Cook was the Vision Pro. The spatial computer does some amazing things and will surely help Apple become a leader in Augmented Reality smart glasses.
However, priced at $3,500 for the base model, this was not a device Apple expected to see go flying off the shelf. Cook also has been criticized for allowing Apple to fall behind in AI and plans to greatly improve Siri have been delayed multiple times.
Apple focuses on Services revenue
Perhaps the best way to judge Cook's tenure at Apple is to see how the stock has done since he took over. Since Cook was named CEO for good in August 2011, Apple's shares have risen 1900% as the company's valuation soared from $350 billion to $4 trillion.
Overall, Apple was lucky to have had Tim Cook running the show after Steve Jobs. His was a calm and steady hand on the wheel even during times like Batterygate and Bendgate. In a major move, Apple started to emphasize its Services unit in 2016.
Services included:
- App Store
- Apple Music
- Apple TV+
- Apple Pay
- AppleCare
- Apple News+
- Apple Books
- Apple Podcasts
Growing to become the company's second-largest unit after the iPhone, Services helped Apple grow revenue even when the growth in iPhone sales was slowing. That's because subscription fees are recurring.
Goodbye, Tim!
Once again, Apple now finds itself with a new leader, John Ternus. The SVP of Hardware Engineering at Apple, Ternus takes over on September 1, 2026. Apple fans are hoping that Turnus can be as steady as Tim Cook was during his 5,487 days running Apple as the tech giant's appointed CEO.
Tim Cook turned out to be the right man for the CEO job at Apple at the right time. As a tech journalist, I will miss writing about him.
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