Cooking the apples before putting them in a pie depends on the type of pie you're making and the texture you want to achieve.  Precooking apples can help ensure that they are evenly softened and cooked through in the pie.This is particularly important for pies with a short baking time or pies with a crumb or streusel topping, where the apples might not have enough time to fully cook during baking. If you're making a pie with a longer baking time, like a double-crust apple pie, you might choose not to precook the apples. Apples will naturally release their juices during baking, and the longer baking time allows the apples to soften and cook through.