APPLE SHOPS FOR NEW CEO AS TIM COOK PREPARES TO LEAVE by Benson Agoha

Tim Cook, Chief Executive of Apple may be set to leave the company after two years at the helm. And this may be as early as next month, after the management review set to hold in September.

The CEO was Apple's Operating Officer before his appointment in August 2011.

As Chief Operating Officer, he was said to have done extremely well, being responsible for Apple's worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of its supply chain. But in the space of that time, Apple has faced stiff compeition mounted by Samsung.

Apple's iphone 5(pictured) was seriously challenged in the market by Samsung's Galaxy S4, and Samsung continues to give the `impression' of a vibrant company full of initiative and unbeatable foresight. It's hardly surprising because for the past twenty years, Samsung has proven they possess the capacity to continually innovate through research. Rumours has it of a possible release of its Galaxy S5 in 2013. Tech analysts believe that Samsung might bring the release date nearer because of declining sales of its Galaxy 4S range.

But Apple (worth about $600bn against Samsung's $200bn - going by 2012 estimates for both firms) remains a highly valuable company even though the CEO is worried.

His departure is surprising, coming only a month, after the CEO talked about Apple's attempt to change the way the television is viewed when he wrote “We are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall and across 2014,”

Nick Bilton and Brian X. Chen for the New York Times hinted that rumours from people close to the company is that although it “was not actively being built, but Apple would eventually make a television.”, They wrote "..speaking at the D: All Things Digital technology conference, (in March), Mr. Cook said Apple had ”a very grand vision” for the television".

The technology community are eargerly waiting for the next hot news to come out of the Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. But whoever emerges as his replacement in September, the new CEO would need to be as visionary as expected - and some love.

* Twitter: @bensonagoha.