The annual TIME Person of the Year cover is kind of a big deal. Since 1927, the magazine has bestowed the honor to some of the most influential people in the world. Among the short-list of eight finalists for the 2012 cover is Apple CEO Tim Cook. Not the first time a Cupertino CEO has been nominated -- but could this be Cook's year?

TIME announced the eight finalists on Tuesday, just 24 hours before the Person of the Year is revealed. Beyond Tim Cook, the finalists include Barack Obama; Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai; Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi; both Bill and Hillary Clinton; Yahoo! CEO, Marissa Mayer; the Higgs Boson, including Italian physicist Fabiola Giannati; and Undocumented Americans.

As you many have noticed, the Person of the Year isn't always a "person," per say. Last year's selection was "The Protester," symbolizing 2011's strong groups of political activists. The Undocumented Americans are the only group featured in this year's list of finalists.

Obviously, the list is heavy with influential figures, but Cook--having taken the helm of Apple this year after the death of former CEO Steve Jobs--stands a significant chance. Jobs was in the running for the honor multiple times, but was never actually selected. In fact, there was a bit of controversy last year when Jobs was listed among the finalists, despite his already passing. 

Back in 1982, there was an indication Steve Jobs was set to see his face on the cover of the annual TIME Person of the Year cover, but in the end, "The Computer" won. According to a passage from Walter Isaacson's biography, Jobs said the resulting article about him was "so awful" that he actually cried.

TIME will reveal the cover at 7 a.m. tomorrow on the Today show. 

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