Cook Reflects on Lessons from 15-Year CEO Tenure: Apple Maps Launch Was 'First Major Mistake'

More details of Cook's recent speech at Apple's all - hands meeting have been released.

On April 22nd, Cook, who will step down as Apple's CEO in September, mentioned while summarizing the lessons learned during his tenure at the meeting that the hasty launch of Apple Maps was "the first truly big mistake".

"The product wasn't fully mature at that time, but we thought it was ready. Because we mainly tested local - related content, we launched it into the market without adequate preparation." However, Cook emphasized that it was also a valuable experience.

In 2012, Apple officially launched its self - developed map application in the iOS 6 system, replacing Google Maps, which had been in cooperation with Apple for many years. What was supposed to be the core highlight of the system upgrade ultimately became the annual "fiasco" in the tech circle.

According to user feedback and media reports at that time, this map application had serious functional defects: some towns disappeared on the map, the locations of towns in certain areas were incorrect, clouds appeared in the 3D real - view map, obscuring the terrain, a large number of primary and secondary schools couldn't be located on the map or were mislocated, and many roads were distorted...

For this reason, Cook once issued a public apology letter on Apple's official website for the failure of Apple Maps. He said at that time that Apple had always been committed to creating world - class products and providing users with the best possible experience, but Apple Maps failed to deliver on this promise after its launch. "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused to users and are going all out to improve the map service," Cook said.

While improving the map, Apple also rarely advised users to temporarily use competing map services such as Google and Nokia.

More importantly, this mistake directly triggered the first major management adjustment during Cook's tenure. Scott Forstall, a key figure under Jobs and the then - head of Apple's software department, was fired because he was mainly responsible for the Apple Maps project.

In his latest speech, Cook didn't shy away from the above - mentioned issues and said that the list of mistakes he made was "surprisingly long". However, Apple has basically avoided large - scale product recalls and cancellations that other consumer electronics companies have faced in the past 15 years.

Besides the mistakes, Cook specifically mentioned that the Apple Watch was his most proud work and was touched when he first received an email from a user saying that the Apple Watch had saved their life.

On April 20th, Apple officially announced that John Ternus, the senior vice - president in charge of hardware engineering, will take over as CEO on September 1st. Cook, who is 65 years old, will become the executive chairman of the board. This is Apple's first CEO change since 2011.

At the all - hands meeting, Cook specifically responded to the outside world's speculation about his health, saying, "I'm in good health and full of energy, and I plan to serve in the new position for a long time." He explained that he was stepping down because the company's business was performing excellently, the product roadmap was clear, and the successor was well - prepared. The combination of these three factors constituted an ideal opportunity for "the best transition in history". He promised to focus on strengthening Apple's global partnerships in his new role and would always provide experience support to Ternus. "Apple will always be my top priority. It's the foundation of my career."

Since taking over from Jobs, Cook has led Apple for nearly 15 years, transforming the company from a technology pioneer with a market value of about $350 billion into a global business giant with a market value exceeding $4 trillion, a growth of over 1000%. During this period, Apple's annual revenue has nearly tripled, increasing from $108 billion in fiscal year 2011 to over $416 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Ternus, the incoming CEO, expressed his confidence in Apple's future at the meeting. This veteran who has worked at Apple for 25 years said that he was very excited to take over as CEO at this moment because Apple "is about to change the world again". In his view, Apple has an incredible roadmap ahead. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the most exciting time to create products and services at Apple in my entire career."

Ternus said that artificial intelligence will create almost limitless potential. Apple will continuously unlock new possibilities and create brand - new opportunities for its products and services. Ternus took over the company's design team last year, and he also promised to continue to put the appearance and experience of Apple products at the core. "We will continue to focus on design because design is at the core of everything Apple does. Apple has brought excellent design to more people than any other company in history."

"As a company, our essence won't change," Ternus emphasized. "Our mission won't change."

This article is from "Jiemian News", reporter: Song Jianan. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.