Since taking over as chief executive officer of Google in April, Larry Page has called for the search giant to focus on improving the experience on mobile phones, shut down some expensive experiments and overseen the deployment of a redesign and Google's first true social network.

Now, Apple's incoming CEO, Tim Cook, has the chance either to follow Page's course by tightening Apple's mission or to maintain Apple's current pace by relying on the wisdom of Apple Chairman Steve Jobs.

Cook has been running the day-to-day operations of Apple for most of the year while Jobs stayed away on medical leave. The quiet, unemotional and operationally-savvy Cook seems to favor staying the course that has turned Apple into the nation's most valuable technology company.

"I spent some time with Tim Cook last week in New York, and walked away from my discussion with him thinking that he was much more in charge at Apple then people think," one market analyst told Reuters. "He has emerged as a most competent person who could carry Steve Jobs' vision into the future."

Many of Apple's products also are developed well in advanced, other analysts told the Huffington Post. And they said Jobs will continue to influence from his new platform. All of that means Cook, unlike Page, probably won't order significant changes anytime soon in the look, feel and operations of Apple products.