I've never seen Tim Cook present but even if you're the world's best presenter, following in Steve Jobs' footsteps as a savant on the stage... would be somewhat daunting.

So I went on a search - what is Tim Cook like in front of an audience?  To set the tone, here is Steve Jobs giving a commencement speech at Stanford in 2005:

Steve Jobs does an excellent job captivating the audience early on.  He tells them straight up that he's going to tell 3 stories so the audience knows exactly what they will get (so there is no uncertainty that leads to lack of attention).  He then proceeds to tell a very personal story - this is important as the audience feels they are getting information that no one else will get.  Steve gets his message across by telling a story that everyone in the audience can associate with (going to college, doing what you love) and outlining lessons to be learned from that experience.  Even the tone of his voice is interesting to listen to, as it lilts up and down.

Here is Tim Cook giving a commencement speech at Auburn in 2010:

It is a pronouncedly different experience listening to Tim Cook speak. Tim decides to talk about "some discoveries" after a lengthy intro, then recites an Apple (corporate) history lesson.  It's a decidedly less approachable speech and - personally speaking - I find it far less engaging.

I am very curious to see Tim Cook's presentation on October 4th.  All eyes will be on him and I wonder if he will have had coaching, and if his stage presence at the event is significantly different from the above.  The keynotes are also a collaborative effort and I'm curious to see whether the help of professional writers (who I'm sure helped out during Steve Jobs' keynotes too) will have an affect on the impact.

It may sound like I'm hand-wringing and waiting to see the guy bomb - that's definitely not the case.  I'm sure we all want Tim Cook to come into his own as a presenter and follow in Steve's footsteps in that regard, it's just going to be interesting to see if he can pull it off the first time or if it's going to take a few attempts...