At Apple Keynote, Talk Is of Products, Not Steve Jobs or Tim Cook

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tim Cook waves during the keynote address at the Apple 2012 World Wide Developers Conference.

Last year, when Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, took the stage in San Francisco to present the new iPad, he was watched like an alien who had just landed at Area 51.

Bloggers and reporters analyzed his tone, his pace on stage and even his clothes. (He wore a button-down black shirt! It was untucked!)

And of course people compared Mr. Cook’s every move to Steven P. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who often commanded an Apple keynote with the charisma and presence of a rock star.

Something different happened during Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where the latest MacBook computers and Apple operating systems were unveiled. No one was talking about Mr. Jobs. They weren’t talking about Mr. Cook’s presentation style, either.

Instead, there was a constant chatter, and often excitement, about the products that were being unveiled during the event. The new apps for iOS; Siri’s upgraded commands; the new MacBook Pro; and Apple’s stunning new maps app.

I was sitting at the event, squished in among other reporters and bloggers, and while many of us were live blogging and tweeting, the conversations during the lulls of the event were not about Mr. Cook but instead about the latest Apple products that had just been unveiled.

It seems that Mr. Cook understands that he can’t compete with Mr. Jobs when it comes to charm and allure on stage. After all, it was Mr. Jobs who clearly perfected that ceremony.

If Monday’s keynote is a signal for the future, it seems that Mr. Cook is instead resting his laurels on Apple’s products, which is a ceremony in its own right.