IW 50 Best: Apple's Road to the Top

The Future

Looking exclusively at the tablet market in the coming year, Purdy maintains that Apple is still very much on the rise.

According to his projections, by 2016 there will be 367 million tablets in the market, while today there are between 60 and 100 million. If Apple simply holds onto its current market share during this growth period, he says, it can double or triple its income just on the iPad in whatever form it takes.

Looking further ahead, he sees Apple potentially stepping out of the improvement business and once again into innovation.

"If there is another multibillion-dollar market, it's probably not another mobile device," he says. "The thing we're waiting on is how is Apple going to play out in the home -- specifically in the home theater market."

Apple, he explains, is uniquely positioned to take on this new market.

"Bringing a TV to market isn't revolutionary. Revolutionary would be integrating Apple's hardware, software and in particular the iCloud services and iTunes content," he says. If they manage that, Cook would have his first claim to world-changing innovation.

With these opportunities before them, one thing is clear, he says: "I don't think we have to worry about Apple hitting a plateau anytime soon."