Who will replace Cook as the next CEO of Apple? These three executives have the greatest chance – Part 1

Tim Cook, the chief executive officer of Apple, recently said that considering that he is 60 years old, he may leave the company in the next 10 years. It's not clear who will succeed Cook as the next CEO, despite the dominance of many candidates in the company's executive team. However, age is obviously an important factor. Investors on Wall Street, as well as employees and consumers, want to be assured that whoever succeeds Cook needs not only the ability, but also the willingness and ability to serve as Apple's captain for a long time.

The best choice: Craig Federighi, Greg Joz Joswiak and Jeff Williams

Craig Federighi has a strong voice of succession. He is very elegant, and deeply loved by employees. He has started to set foot into Apple's software business, and his career in Apple can even be traced back to NeXT. This 51-year-old senior vice president of Apple software engineering has Apple's unique qualifications, which are particularly important in an iconic, personality driven company.

Everything above about Craig Federighi applies also the same to Greg Joz Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of global marketing. He has been working for Apple since 1986 and is very popular both inside and outside the company, and he is a well-known figure. Although his current job is marketing, 56-year-old he also has technical background. He worked with the Macintosh team before and helped develop the original iPod and iPhone.

The third most likely successor is Jeff Williams. Before taking over as CEO, Cook served as COO of Apple, which is currently held by Williams. Williams, 58 now, has worked for Apple since 1998 and played a key role in the launch of the first type of iPhone. He also led the engineering development of Apple watch, a wearable product far ahead of its competitors. Apple has become the world's largest maker of smart watches.

If Cook leaves at the age of 70 in 10 years, Federighi will be 61, Joswiak will be 66 and Williams will be 68.