As Tim Cooks 15-year tenure as Apple CEO comes to an end next month, the overall consensus is that he has been a good CEO, expanding Apple into new product categories, services and uncharted territory, becoming the first company to hit a $1, $2 and $3 trillion valuation.
Despite this, there are complaints of a lack of innovation during the Cook era, with similar product releases year over year. These complaints often overlook the fact that Apple only had four product categories when he took over in 2011, and core Apple services such as iCloud were still yet to launch.
Below is a look at the Apple website, the day Cook took over as CEO:
So, whilst Tim Cooks legacy may be dominated by services, here's a look at the top 3 product launches in the past decade and a half, that changed the world.
Apple Watch
Often regarded as the world's best-selling watch, Apple Watch launched in 2015 with 3 different models; Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition.
Each model was made to serve a different purpose, health & fitness, fashion and luxury. Whilst changes have been made, today the company still takes a similar approach. Apple Watch Series is the mainstream device, for both fitness and fashion. The company sells a Hermés edition as their luxury model, and have expanded the lineup to include both entry-level and extreme sports models.
Apple Watch debuted with a three ring fitness system, one to measure active calories burned, one to record exercise minutes and one to log stand hours. This system was so effective, it remains as a core feature of the device today - 11 years later.
Why Was Apple Watch So Significant?
This was the first major new product category Apple had expanded into since Steve Jobs departure, marking a new era for the company under Cook.
The device marked Apple's first steps into health & fitness, providing users with technology that was designed to make them more health conscious. Tim Cook himself has spoken about health in interviews before, calling it Apple's biggest contribution to mankind.
AirPods
Today, it's almost impossible to leave the house without seeing someone wearing a pair of AirPods.
Apple launched their wireless earbuds in 2016, alongside the iPhone 7, which was controversially the first iPhone model without a headphone jack.
At launch, many criticised the look of AirPods, comparing them to toothbrush heads and complaining that they would be easy to lose. Customers were also shocked by the high price, and believed that Apple had removed the headphone jack from the iPhone to make customers buy their new AirPods.
However, AirPods have quickly become an essential part of life. The earbuds have got smaller over the past decade, features automatic switching between devices and now have many listening modes, such as noise cancellation and transparency mode.
Apple's competitors have since caught on, despite early criticism, with Samsung releasing their Galaxy Buds in 2019.
Why Are AirPods So Significant?
AirPods are extremely popular for their convenience, small non-intrusive design and quick pairing among the ever-expanding Apple ecosystem.
The product is so popular, that in the last month on amazon.co.uk, over 15,000 AirPods have been sold, according to their website. AirPods success could also be measured by the fact that all wireless earbuds are often referred to as 'AirPods', rather than the generic device name.
Apple Silicon Macs
The launch of Apple Watch and AirPods were expansions into new product categories, yet one of the biggest impacts under Tim Cook might have been the transition of Mac from intel processors to its own Apple Silicon.
Often seen as the revival of the Mac, Apple debuted their extremely efficient and powerful M1 processor in 2020. The chip debuted in a flurry of devices, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini.
The continued expansion of Apple into their own silicon, has allowed for better software optimisation and introduction of new features, such as iPhone Mirroring - which requires an Apple Silicon Mac or Apple T2 Security Chip.
This software optimisation continues today, with the first macOS version to drop support for Intel Macs, set to release next month. This release comes with speed improvements, bug fixes and battery life improvements.
Why Are Apple Silicon Macs So Significant?
There was a period of time during the Cook era where the company was pushing for customers to use iPad Pro as a computer, and leave the Mac behind. This included a marketing campaign with the slogan 'your next computer is not a computer'.
Since the launch of Apple Silicon, Apple has revitalised the Mac lineup, reintroducing essential ports to the MacBook Pro, slimming down the iMac, further miniaturising the Mac mini, and introducing new products to the lineup, such as Mac Studio and MacBook Neo.
Mac sales are also up, with a 29% increase in sales year over year recently reported in Apples Q3 2026 earnings report.
Final Thoughts
Tim Cook has undoubtedly taken Apple to new heights under his leadership, with the release of the world's best-selling watch, extremely popular in-ear earbuds and overhaul of the company's Mac lineup.
Whilst newer releases, such as Vision Pro, have not been as successful, the company continues to prove it can make world-class technology with the genuinely impressive visionOS platform.
Looking forward, as long-term Apple hardware engineer John Ternus takes over next month, the company may have some of its best hardware releases ahead. Ternus has helped develop all of Cook's hardware successes, and is even expected to overhaul Apple's Vision category with the debut of Apple Glasses, as early as 2027.
Image Credit (in order of appearance):
Thumbnail: Using image of Tim Cook by Tessa Bury Image 1: Everything Apple Image 2: Thomas Skowrown, Wikimedia Commons Image 3: Unsplash Image 4: Unsplash
