An Apple CEO on stage at the yearly All Things Digital D Conference in southern California is nothing new. The late Steve Jobs made five such appearances, most memorably opposite long-time rival Microsoft founder and former CEO Bill Gates. Now it’s new-ish Apple CEO Tim Cook’s turn. He’ll take the D-stage tonight for the first time opposite ATD’s Walt Mossberg.

I’ve already had some fun speculating what Cook could say at the D10 event, which kicks off tonight and runs through Thursday, but soon we’ll find out exactly what’s on the long-time Apple employee’s mind. He may not introduce a new product, but it’s guaranteed to be interesting.

Cook, who officially took over for the ailing Jobs last year, is a 14-year Apple veteran and an expert at operations. Expect Mossberg to press him on the controversy surrounding the Foxconn plants where many of the beloved Apple products are built. While he’ll likely be asked about the product pipeline in the post-Jobs era, it’s not guaranteed that Cook will reveal much. Mossberg will press and, if we’re really lucky, there’ll be an open Q+A session where Mashable and others can ask Cook our questions.