For people who are curious about how Apple’s new chief executive, Tim Cook, will compare to the company’s previous C.E.O., Steve Jobs, there’s not a lot to go on yet.
AppleTim Cook, chief executive of Apple.
Mr. Cook took the helm of Apple from Mr. Jobs only in late August. Even then, Mr. Jobs was still chairman of Apple until his death last week at the age of 56. There was, however, one tantalizing clue about how the two men differ at an Apple event to introduce the new iPhone last Tuesday, the day before Mr. Jobs’s death was announced:
Mr. Cook didnt demonstrate any new Apple products.
Instead, he left all of the demonstrations of new technologies like the iPhone 4S to his lieutenants. This may seem like a picayune detail, but it could underscore one of the biggest differences between the two men.
Technology, product design and marketing were among Mr. Jobss abiding passions. The level of attention he paid to all three areas was unusual for the chief executive of such a large company. While Mr. Jobs sometimes delegated new product demonstrations when he was chief executive, he invariably showed off the most important products for the first time, like the iPad, iPhone and iTunes.
Mr. Cook, in comparison, is a sales and operations guru who whipped Apples supply chain into an efficient machine over the past 14 years. At the event, Mr. Cook said he loved Apple and considered his career at the company the privilege of a lifetime. He let a trio of Apple senior vice presidents with stronger product credentials — Eddy Cue, Scott Forstall and Philip Schiller — show off Apples new toys.
Van Baker, an analyst at the research firm Gartner, was at the Apple event and said he thought Mr. Cook was wise to avoid trying to seem Steve-like. I think one of the things Tim did was to, in essence, put a stake in the ground and say Im not Steve, dont expect me to be Steve, he said.
In the end, it may not matter much if Mr. Cook can effectively delegate the responsibilities Mr. Jobs previously held as de facto editor in chief and chief pitchman for Apple products. The change in style certainly hasnt hurt Apples products yet, despite the grumbling from some quarters about Apples decision to leave the new iPhone largely unchanged on the outside from its predecessor. Apple sold one million iPhone 4Ss in the first 24 hours after it became available for online ordering, compared with 600,000 in the same period for the iPhone 4.
On Sunday though, the venture capitalist and former Apple executive Guy Kawasaki posted a list of lessons he learned from Mr. Jobs, including one he titled: Real CEOs demo. Mr. Kawasaki asked why, in contrast to Mr. Jobss hands-on approach, do many chief executives call on their underlings to do product demonstrations.
Maybe its to show that theres a team effort in play, Mr. Kawasaki wrote. Maybe. Its more likely that the CEO doesnt understand what his/her company is making well enough to explain it. How pathetic is that?
AppleTim Cook, chief executive of Apple.Mr. Cook took the helm of Apple from Mr. Jobs only in late August. Even then, Mr. Jobs was still chairman of Apple until his death last week at the age of 56. There was, however, one tantalizing clue about how the two men differ at an Apple event to introduce the new iPhone last Tuesday, the day before Mr. Jobs’s death was announced:
Mr. Cook didnt demonstrate any new Apple products.
Instead, he left all of the demonstrations of new technologies like the iPhone 4S to his lieutenants. This may seem like a picayune detail, but it could underscore one of the biggest differences between the two men.
Technology, product design and marketing were among Mr. Jobss abiding passions. The level of attention he paid to all three areas was unusual for the chief executive of such a large company. While Mr. Jobs sometimes delegated new product demonstrations when he was chief executive, he invariably showed off the most important products for the first time, like the iPad, iPhone and iTunes.
Mr. Cook, in comparison, is a sales and operations guru who whipped Apples supply chain into an efficient machine over the past 14 years. At the event, Mr. Cook said he loved Apple and considered his career at the company the privilege of a lifetime. He let a trio of Apple senior vice presidents with stronger product credentials — Eddy Cue, Scott Forstall and Philip Schiller — show off Apples new toys.
Van Baker, an analyst at the research firm Gartner, was at the Apple event and said he thought Mr. Cook was wise to avoid trying to seem Steve-like. I think one of the things Tim did was to, in essence, put a stake in the ground and say Im not Steve, dont expect me to be Steve, he said.
In the end, it may not matter much if Mr. Cook can effectively delegate the responsibilities Mr. Jobs previously held as de facto editor in chief and chief pitchman for Apple products. The change in style certainly hasnt hurt Apples products yet, despite the grumbling from some quarters about Apples decision to leave the new iPhone largely unchanged on the outside from its predecessor. Apple sold one million iPhone 4Ss in the first 24 hours after it became available for online ordering, compared with 600,000 in the same period for the iPhone 4.
On Sunday though, the venture capitalist and former Apple executive Guy Kawasaki posted a list of lessons he learned from Mr. Jobs, including one he titled: Real CEOs demo. Mr. Kawasaki asked why, in contrast to Mr. Jobss hands-on approach, do many chief executives call on their underlings to do product demonstrations.
Maybe its to show that theres a team effort in play, Mr. Kawasaki wrote. Maybe. Its more likely that the CEO doesnt understand what his/her company is making well enough to explain it. How pathetic is that?
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