TIM COOK: Here's How Steve Jobs Influenced The Apple Watch

On Tuesday, Apple returned to the Flint Center - a venue it's used just twice previously, in 1984 to unveil the original Macintosh, and again in 1998 to unveil the iMac - to introduce its new iPhones and first wearable device.

It was a big day for CEO Tim Cook, and one that will undoubtedly stand out in his tenure as leader of the company.

After all, the introduction of the Apple Watch marks the first time the company has debuted an entirely new product category since Steve Jobs announced the iPad back in 2010.

According to Cook, Jobs' influence still strongly impacts how the company designs its products, as he told ABC News' David Muir after Tuesday's event.

"I think he would be incredibly proud to see the company that he left us, which I think was one of his greatest gifts to mankind was the company itself, be doing what it's doing today," Cook said to ABC referring to Jobs. "I think he's smiling right now."

Apple didn't start working on its smartwatch until after Jobs had passed, Cook told ABC, but that doesn't mean his influence isn't strongly present in the product.

"To me, it's not as a big deal whether he saw something or didn't," Cook said to ABC. "It's that his thinking, and his taste, and his incredible perfectionist kind of view and his view that you should always innovate. All of those things are alive and well in the company."

Check out the full interview with Cook below to learn more about how Jobs' influence affected the way the Apple watch was created.

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