Tim Cook

Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple has faced criticism regarding a perceived slowdown in product innovation. While the company has maintained strong financial performance and expanded its services division, some analysts and commentators argue that it has not introduced major new products in recent years. For instance, stock analyst Craig Moffett noted that Apple's success during Cook's tenure has been more due to innovations in operational processes rather than new, groundbreaking products.

Additionally, Apple's approach to artificial intelligence (AI) has been a point of contention. The company has been criticized for lagging behind competitors in AI innovation, particularly in enhancing its Siri voice assistant. At the 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple acknowledged delays in its anticipated overhaul of Siri, signaling ongoing struggles to meet investor expectations for artificial intelligence innovation.

CEO Tim Cook emphasized the critical importance of AI to the company's future, equating its impact to past breakthroughs like the internet and smartphones.

Despite these criticisms, some experts defend Cook's leadership. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian from Yale School of Management argue that Cook's unmatched track record makes him uniquely positioned to steer the company into its next phase of innovation and growth.

Apple announced plans to initiate a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share and a $10 billion share repurchase program, marking the company's first dividend since 1995.

The Board authorized a $60 billion increase to the share repurchase program, bringing the total to $100 billion by the end of 2015. A 15% increase in the quarterly dividend was also approved.

Apple announced a 50% increase in its capital return program, bringing the total to $200 billion by the end of March 2017.

Apple unveiled a $110 billion share buyback program, the largest in the company's history, alongside a 4% increase in its dividend.

Apple announced a $100 billion share buyback program and a 4% increase in its dividend to $0.26 per share.

Under Tim Cook's leadership, Apple has faced criticism for infrequent updates and perceived neglect of its Mac product lines. While Cook has emphasized the importance of Macs in Apple's ecosystem, certain product lines have experienced extended periods without significant updates, leading to concerns among users and industry observers.

Mac mini: In 2017, Tim Cook assured customers that the Mac mini would remain an important part of Apple's product lineup. However, the Mac mini went without a significant update for several years, leading to speculation about its future.

Mac Pro: The Mac Pro experienced a notable delay in updates, with some users expressing frustration over the extended periods between refreshes.

MacBook Line: The MacBook lineup has seen periodic updates, but some users have noted that these updates are not as frequent or substantial as they would expect, especially when compared to other product lines.

Analysts have suggested that Apple's focus under Cook has shifted towards operational efficiencies and services, potentially at the expense of hardware innovation. This strategic direction has led to perceptions of neglect in certain product categories.

Before 2012, Apple used Google Maps as the default mapping service on the iPhone. But tensions between Apple and Google were rising, especially after Android became a major competitor to iOS. Apple decided to build its own mapping platform to gain independence from Google.

So, with iOS 6 (September 2012), Apple replaced Google Maps with its own Apple Maps app.

Upon release, users immediately found serious problems: Incorrect locations, Distorted visuals, Faulty directions, Missing data, etc.

It quickly became a public relations nightmare. The internet exploded with screenshots mocking the app’s bizarre map renderings and dangerous routing errors.

In a rare move, Tim Cook publicly apologized on September 28, 2012 - just a week after launch.

He admitted Apple Maps didn’t meet Apple’s standards and suggested users try alternatives like Google Maps, Bing, or MapQuest until improvements were made