Looking over all the changes that Apple made to its executive team, there seems to be a pretty consistent throughline: This is all about integration. Integration of the various software platforms and teams, integration of the company's key technologies across product lines, integration of online services, and integration of the hardware and software user experiences.

All this integration mirrors exactly what Apple has tried to do with its products for decades now: Take a bunch of disparate technology, software, hardware, services, and so on, and combine it into one perfect device. After Steve Jobs's death, many described Apple the company as his most enduring "product." This reorganization suggests that Cook has taken that to heart while simultaneously putting his own definitive stamp on it.