Five ways Cook can keep Apple king

One repeated criticism of Apple has been its lack of openness, its so-called "walled garden" approach. This manifested itself in the battle with Adobe and the lack of compatibility between Flash and iOS.

There are some areas where Cook would be wise to open up, however. In particular, Apple will have to keep developers interested.

"As they move forward, Apple will have to open up elements but not so they spoil what they've got," Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, told IT Pro.

"They have to define the layers where they allow open connections to stimulate the ecosystem. They don't want to make developers feel hamstrung. Perhaps they will want to look at APIs and how much they take from developers' share of sales."

4. Keep it simple, keep it quality

Apple's rise relied heavily on having a slim lineup of products, none of which were really aimed at the lower-end of the market. As time has gone on, Apple has entered new markets, most recently with the iCloud. Up until now, every move Apple has made into a new space has been an astute one.

Recent rumours of an entry-level iPhone will be cause for concern amongst some, however. If Apple does diversify into new areas, it will not only risk its image as a company which values quality over quantity, it will be pandering to the market something it has never openly done. Would it be a mistake to introduce a low-end phone?

"It would be a mistake if it was just regarded as a cheaper version of the iPhone," Bamforth said. "It would have to be a new category device, not a cheaper iPhone lookalike. Consumers can find those elsewhere."

Jobs was known as the man who took on Wintel and won with his own brand of simple, workable, classy technology. Cook will want to continue in that vein, otherwise Apple won't appear to be as unique or as powerful as it does.

5. Keep the A team together

Despite Jobs' evident impact on Apple and its success, Cook was proof having the right team in place is vital to any company wanting to become a real force.

There are some big names who will need to be kept on board, including Scott Forstall, the force behind iOS, and marketing man Phil Schiller.

Jonathan Ive will truly be key. The British designer behind some of Apple's most significant technologies the iPhone being one will be invaluable as the tech giant looks to keep ahead of the curve.

Cook will have to find a top quality COO too one with the same passion for operational efficiency and supply chain management that the new CEO has evinced since 1997.

If Cook can do all this and more, Apple will be just fine. More than that, it'll ensure the firm remains insanely profitable and a true innovator something Steve Jobs always wanted.