Any time a company’s stock has a year like Apple shares have had between late September 2012 and now, investors and industry watchers are bound to get antsy. Many eyes obviously turned to CEO Tim Cook as Apple’s stock tumbled more than 30%, but now that Apple is launching new devices and smashing sales records again, sentiment is starting to turn. As for the job Cook has done since taking over as Apple’s chief executive, opinions will always vary despite Apple’s solid financials. According to former Apple CEO John Sculley, however, Cook should ignore critics and stay the course because he’s doing a “terrific job” at Apple’s helm.
“I think Cook is doing a terrific job,” Sculley told CNBC Asia during a recent interview. “He’s not trying to be Steve jobs; only one person could be Steve Jobs and that was Steve. Steve could make the big creative leaps. What Tim is doing is continuing the Apple philosophy of no compromise and quality of their products and great styling. I think people are giving Apple a bum rap on what is still a great company with great products.”
Sculley acknowledged that rivals have gained on Apple and even passed the company by some measures, but he’s certainly not worried about the company’s future or the future of its flagship product, the iPhone.
“I’m still very optimistic that Apple’s going to do just fine,” Sculley said. “It doesn’t mean that Android won’t be larger in market share, it already is, but Apple makes great quality products.”
