Cook, as has become his pattern, left the actual product introduction to Phil Schiller, Apples long-time senior vice president of worldwide marketing, and to a nifty bit of stagecraft, as noted by .

When Schiller unveiled the iPhone 5, it rose from the stage floor on a smoothly-rising and rotating pedestal, pinpoint spotlights hitting the phone and only the phone, Gruber says. The rotation of the iPhone atop the pedestal was in perfect sync with the rotation of the iPhone projected on the big screen at the back of the stage. Theres no store where you buy such pedestals; Apple designed and engineered it specifically for this event. It was on stage for about a minute.

The entire event, which as Gruber notes was actually two events unveiling first the iPhone 5 and then new iPods, unfolded just as smoothly. Cook briefly gives and overview of Apple in numbers and milestones, Gruber writes, and then turns over the unveiling to Schiller, who calls on high-level specialists to talk and demo specifics. Cook closes with heartfelt coda regarding the companys ideals and goals.

Cook may lack Jobs onstage charisma and showmanship, but his approach, symbolized by that rising pedestal, in effect says heres what important: this Apple product, not me. During the two-hour event, Cook spoke for just over 10 minutes.