India, July 22 -- With Apple COO Jeff Williams officially stepping down, speculation is intensifying over who will succeed Tim Cook as Apple's next CEO. While Cook has not announced a departure date, insiders and analysts agree the decision is likely already made, and it's almost certainly someone already inside the company.

Apple has a strong track record of promoting from within, a strategy that ensures continuity in a company operating at a multi-trillion-dollar scale. Bringing in an outsider could risk unnecessary shifts in direction. Among current executives, three names stand out as the most likely contenders:

Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, is widely recognised as the public face of Apple's...