Apple made a big announcement today – one that is sure to have an impact not only on the future of the company but also on the millions of Apple device owners around the world. The company announced today that Tim Cook will soon step down from the role of CEO of the company. He will be replaced by John Ternes, currently Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, and the changing of the guard will take place on September 1, 2026 – just before Apple’s collapse event.
Does this mean that Ternus will introduce the iPhone 18 series this year? Maybe, but we’ll know for sure only at the launch event later this year. For now, the focus is on current CEO Cook, who has spent 15 years leading the company one product and one service at a time.
For those of you who have spent little time worrying about Apple other than its products, Timothy Donald Cook or Tim Cook, as he is popularly called, joined Apple in 1998 as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations. Before joining Apple, Cook briefly worked as vice president of corporate materials for Compaq, which he joined after a short stint working as CEO of the reseller division at Intelligent Electronics. He started his career at IBM where he spent about 12 years in various roles.
In his role as head of worldwide operations at Apple, Cook oversaw Apple’s shift away from owned factories and internal warehouses toward contract manufacturing by the likes of Foxconn and Wistron. He reduced the company’s on-hand inventory from months to days and secured long-term deals for critical components, which ultimately fueled Apple’s growth in the early 2000s. He assumed the role of chief executive officer of Apple on August 24, 2011, after Apple founder and then-CEO Steve Jobs resigned from the company due to health issues.
So why are we talking about all this? Because Cook’s journey as the leader of worldwide operations at Apple paved the way for his role as CEO of the company, in which he focused on improving efficiency while introducing new hardware and software products, which ultimately led to growth in the company and turning a $350 billion company into a $4 trillion giant.
Tim Cook and Apple’s hardware journey
Cook is often referred to as the ‘operations guy’ at Apple for building a ruthless supply-chain ecosystem that has helped the company save billions of dollars. Contrary to that claim, Apple has introduced at least five new hardware product categories since Cook became CEO. We’ll talk about software and services in a minute, so hang in there for a while.
is the first apple watchWhich was introduced as a fashion accessory on September 9, 2014 (launched in early 2015). At the time, there was no built-in GPS or array of sensors that constantly monitored your health parameters, from sleep and stress to your heart activity and more. Instead, it syncs with your iPhone to track your location. But it came with a built-in heart rate sensor, 8GB of storage, and controls to manage Apple Music on the iPhone. Today, the Apple Watch is one of the most popular smartwatches in the world.
came again AirPodsWhich the company launched with iPhone 7 on September 7, 2016. These came with the custom Apple W1 chip and gave birth to one of the biggest trends in the electronics industry, i.e. ditching the old 3.5mm jack for a pair of wireless earphones. Today, the market is filled with AirPods clones and companies are offering 3.5mm jack in their smartphones as a luxury. And in case you’re wondering, the iPhone 7 is the first iPhone to come jack-less!
The following year, Apple announced its homepod WWDC 2017 saw the entry of the smart speaker market which was led by Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Sonos. That said, the category didn’t really take off and today Apple has two smart speakers in its portfolio – the classic HomePod which costs around ₹33K and HomePod Mini which costs approx ₹11K.
Another important step Apple took during Cook’s tenure is the switch from Intel chips in-house apple silicone Its in all PCs and laptops. The announcement was made at WWDC 2020 and the process started with the release of the Apple M1 chip which was released in November of the same year. Today, all Macs, MacBooks, and even iPads are powered by Apple silicon.
The list does not end here. Apple introduced airtag Marking its entry into the Bluetooth-based trackers-category on April 21, 2021. At that time it came with Ultra Wideband technology which enabled the Precision Finding feature in these devices. Think of it like a GPS for locating the AirTag. The second generation device was launched earlier this year with extended connectivity range and better search capabilities.
Finally, Apple announced apple vision pro Entering the mixed-reality headset category at WWDC 2023. It blends digital content with the real world, giving users an immersive mixed-reality experience.
Additionally, Cook is also known for introducing ‘Pro’ iPhone models. You can read more about it here: From AirPods to ‘Pro’ iPhones: Apple’s Tim Cook era is over
Tim Cook and Apple’s journey of software and services
While Cook has launched many new hardware-based products and product categories in his 15-year-long tenure as Apple’s CEO, his true legacy lies in transforming a hardware-centric firm into a services and software powerhouse. Under his leadership, Services grew from software that supports Apple hardware to an independent vertical that drives nearly a quarter of Apple’s revenue.
One of the early decisions he took under his direction was to focus icloudA service jobs announcement was made in early 2011. At the time, iCloud was a cloud-based service for storing content from iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac or PC. However, Cook described it as a ‘long game’ strategy. Speaking at a conference in 2012, Cook said that iCloud was not just a product, but the “strategy for the next decade” of Apple’s business. Over time, iCloud has evolved into a service that not only stores users’ data but also provides a consistent cloud-experience across all Apple devices.
Under Cook, Apple has also moved into the fin-tech sector on apple in 2014. At the time, it was the second contactless payment service launched by an electronics company after the launch of Android Pay and Google Wallet in 2011. Currently, it is available in over 100 countries and is expected to come to India later this year.
Cook adds another significant feather to his cap with the launch of apple music In 2015. Yes, this is the same service you use to listen to all your favorite tracks and discover new music, including the latest Taylor Swift songs! The service now has more than 95 million subscribers.
As noted, Cook’s major contribution to the services sector came in 2019 when Apple launched Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple News+ and Apple Card – Suddenly. Today, Apple TV+ is estimated to have over 45 million subscribers with popular shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Severance.
Cook also introduced apple one 2020 marks a clear shift in priorities, from just hardware and devices to including software and services. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem and still don’t know what it is, here’s a recap for you: Apple One is a subscription service that bundles Apple’s services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and iCloud into one plan. It’s similar to the Google One plan and starts here ₹195 per month in India.
Ultimately, Cook will go down in Apple history as the man who started Apple’s great AI push by announcing apple intelligence At WWDC 2024. However, the service has not yet been able to provide what Apple promised during the iPhone 16 launch.
Apple and its major acquisitions under Cook
In addition to introducing new products and services, Apple has also strategically acquired companies to enrich both its hardware and software portfolio. These acquisitions began with Apple completing the acquisition Anobit Technologies Its price is between $400 million and $500 million. The deal helped the company secure flash memory components for its iPhones. Similarly, it acquired Authentec in 2012 and primesense in 2013. These formed the basis of the TouchID and FaceID features on iPhones and iPads.
On the audio front, Apple under Cook’s leadership acquired beats electronics and beats music For a total of $3 billion. The deal formed the basis of Apple Music (launched in 2015) and advanced audio devices like the AirPods Max. Apple also sells Beats products such as headphones, earphones and charging cables separately. The company also acquired Shazam For approximately $400 million in 2017. It is now available as a feature on Apple devices, while its website and Android apps are available to users outside Apple’s ecosystem.
Similarly, it acquired texture In 2018, which later became Apple News+. It was also acquired pixelmator The platform’s entire creativity suite will be brought into Apple Creator Studio for an undisclosed amount in 2024. In the same year, DarwinAI And Xnor.ai Joined the company, boosting its AI arsenal.
On the chip front, Apple acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business It spent a whopping $1 billion in 2019 to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm modems and design its own 5G modems, as it does with Apple silicon and its A-series chips that power its iPhones. Apple’s first 5G modem chip, C1, appeared in last year’s iPhone 16e. The latest modem, C1X, can be found in the latest form-first iPhone, the iPhone Air.
It is safe to say that when Cook took over as CEO of Apple after Jobs, there were doubts whether he would be able to replace the company’s founder and chief innovator. 15 years later, Cook not only took on the responsibility of that role but also created a legacy of his own.
