Tim Cook made his name by making Apple’s production and storage process super-efficient. He announced in 2011 that the company was selling every iPad 2 it could make, a remarkable feat. So Apple will, at least, continue to run with its trademark efficiency securely in place. In a letter to his employees, Cook assured them that Apple will not change, that it would remain focused on making the best possible products. Which is good, as Apple’s dedication to excellence in its products has been one of its keys to success since Jobs returned to the company in 1997.
Cook still has the same stable of brilliant innovators and managers that served under Steve Jobs, and reports indicate that Apple’s business plan for the next two or three years had already been mapped out when Jobs stepped down. As a CEO with a vision for his company and the discipline to make it happen, Tim Cook is largely untested. In the days and years ahead it will become apparent if he can make the transformation from day-to-day CEO to the kind of CEO Steve Jobs was, the kind who will take risks to avoid stagnation and continue leading the technology industry.