Cook for Apple: Can We Change the World

Mr. Cook may not be as charismatic as Mr. Jobs, or he may know better than Mr. Jobs how to run a giant company.

Jobs' influence is omnipresent at Apple, and all Cook has to do is follow Jobs' successful strategy of building on Apple's existing platform strengths, steadily deploying a variety of outstanding technologies, and tapping into growth opportunities such as emerging markets to maintain Apple's global leadership.

"Changing the world," yes, familiar, was Jobs's lifelong quest. And Cook is continuing to direct Apple along the path he laid, and within a few years, Cook's company will be on top of the industry.

The 23rd Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which takes place every June and has become something of a pilgrimage for tech geeks around the world, kicked off in California on June 11.

It was Cook's first time on the WWDC stage as Apple's CEO. The VWVDC, held at San Francisco's Moscone West Convention Center, is Apple's most important annual event and the venue where Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs left his legacy. This year, it's Cook's first year at Apple.

Xiao Guan Cao Sui's "Cook"

Since Jobs' death last October, the unsmiling, seemingly uncharismatic cook has become the focus of attention in the global technology industry. Many years ago, it took Jobs five minutes to convince Cook to leave Compaq for Apple; Over the years, Cook has served as Jobs's right-hand man, diligently managing Apple's supply chain and operations in his shadow.

Apple, Jobs' company; With his black jumper, Levis jeans, and New Balance sneakers, Steve Jobs's classic look has been the hallmark of almost every major Apple event. Though Cook has made several appearances on stage, the impression is that the black-rimmed bespectacled, prudish-looking operations guru is Jobs's, go-to man.

The past year has been momentous for Cook. When Jobs became terminally ill and was forced to step down as Apple's CEO in August, Cook, who had been a standout performer for years, was the logical choice to take over. Just two months later, after Cook led Apple to launch the iPhone 4S, Jobs died, leaving Cook with a giant company that had already reached the top of its industry.

It is hard to start a business, but harder to keep it. Mr. Jobs built Apple, which with its mobile troika of iPods, iPhones and ipads overtook its old rival Microsoft to become the world's largest technology company by market capitalization. But with Apple at the top, and without a founder and a steering hand, will Cook steer the ship steadily forward, or will he continue to slide, as so many incumbents do?

After Jobs' death, Cook presided over the launch of Apple's new iPad, unveiling a product that was "upgraded but not innovated." While the product is still ahead of the competition, there is still some disappointment from the outside world, which has been used to Mr. Jobs's magical new products for years. And at WWDC, Cook officially announced his "strategy to fight the nerds" with a series of new products.

The operating system the biggest advantage

Steve Jobs's Apple is a designer-led company, and design and function have always been the best part of Apple products. iPhone, iPad, Macbook Air, each product has led the trend of the industry, become several years of enduring hot products, but also become many competitors to imitate the object. After seeing counterfeits take over the market for its smartphones, tablets, and laptops, Apple has resorted to patent litigation, hoping to slow down sales of Samsung, HTC, and others.

Hardware design and functionality have always been relatively catch-up areas. The current hardware competition has become a red sea, with Samsung, Nokia, MOTOROLA Mobility, and Huawei all approaching or even surpassing Apple in a specific design or function. Software is Apple's most important strategic asset at a time when its advantage over cameras, thinness, and screens is shrinking.

Mobile was Apple's most important product to reach the top of the industry, with huge sales of the iPhone and iPad driving Apple's fortunes. IOS is where Apple is leading the way. Although Google's Android platform has gained more than half of the market share of its dominance in the mobile market, Apple's iOS is still the best mobile platform in terms of profit margins, developers, and other key metrics.

Building on the strength of the iOS platform has been a key part of Cook's strategy to push Apple forward, and the new release of iOS 6 follows in that direction: Siri, its 3D maps, Safari, iCloud, carrier Facetime, Do not disturb mode, and more. While patching the original features, iOS 6 continues to deliver a better user experience.

He who gains application gains the world

Despite Android's dominance in numbers, Apple's iOS is still the platform of choice, if not the only one, for app developers. The vast number of software versions, thousands of hardware devices, the difficulty of providing a unified experience, and the lack of willingness to pay are all important reasons why app developers have a love-hate relationship with Android.

And Apple clearly understands that, too. During his WWDC keynote, Cook made several references to the tremendous contributions of app developers. "Apps have the most impact on humanity, people have the most fun with apps, and hundreds of thousands of developers use Apple's hardware and software to create incredible apps," he says, with a smug tone.

In Apple's promotional videos, apps help blind people find their way and children in Mumbai learn, all built on Apple's hardware and software. "We're proud of the hardware, software, and devices that only Apple can deliver because they're the best example of what Apple is all about." Cook's subtext was clear: Apple is the best platform for app developers.

As a result, Apple shows off a giant check to developers at every event. At this year's WWDC, that check became $5 billion. Apple's App Store now has more than 400 million accounts and more than 650,000 apps, including 225,000 for iPad. Users have downloaded more than 30 billion apps. These numbers are Apple's greatest strength and the strongest foundation on which Cook can rely for years to come.

Change the world again

For years, Apple was seen as Jobs's company, and his influence was deeply embedded in its DNA. Cook, who has followed Jobs for years, clearly knows the company better than anyone and knows that "innovation is what drives Apple."

Mr. Cook may not be as charismatic as Mr. Jobs, or he may know better than Mr. Jobs how to run a giant company.

Jobs' influence is omnipresent at Apple, and all Cook has to do is follow Jobs' successful strategy of building on Apple's existing platform strengths, steadily deploying a variety of outstanding technologies, and tapping into growth opportunities such as emerging markets to maintain Apple's global leadership.

"Changing the world," yes, familiar, was Jobs's lifelong quest. And Cook is continuing to direct Apple along the path he laid, and within a few years, Cook's company will be on top of the industry.