Tim Cook on the Urgency of Solving Problems, Unpredictability of Apple, and Industry Disruption

[MoreAwesomeDanU]

Originally Posted by teknikal90

really?
what has he done this year that is truly great? (to the level of the past winners)

well he did make a somewhat successful transition for the world's most valuable company

[StarPower]

VERY well deserved. Great to see him finally getting some recognition.

He has done an unthinkable job taking over the reigns of the worlds greatest company, leading it through its best year ever, all after its creator and the most pivotal and influential (read: greatest) innovator of our time passed away just weeks after he took over as CEO.

He thinks quick, acts quick, and seems to have a fire and passion for all things Apple.

[Michaelgtrusa]

Solving what problems? The industrial base problem?

[Allenbf]

Originally Posted by MoreAwesomeDanU

since ipad and iphones are almost ubiquitous in most people's lives to a certain degree, it would be awesome to see some of the everyday life things mentioned by other posters to be tied into the apple ecosystem. Like controlling the entire home on the ipad or something along the lines of that

TV just doesn't seem interesting enough... Im doing fine without cable right now just through hulu/netflix/ipad apps offered by different stations. On top of that, the idea of buying a $2000 TV from apple just doesn't sound very appealing, and anything less of that wouldn't bring enough disruption to the industry IMO.

The only thing that would be disruptive (involving TV) would be unbundled channel options. That could be revolutionary. Otherwise, I agree with you. An Apple branded TV just doesn't have enough appeal to me based on the rumors thus far.

[IJ Reilly]

I've been waiting my entire life for someone to say that they suffer fools gladly. The wait continues.

[Banyan Bruce]

Many of my students are very keen to get iPad Minis but the price is simply killing them, so they are going for cheaper Samsung tabs instead. There is a real feel of recession and bout of belt tightening going on in the UK this Christmas and with future reductions in ICT spending due next year, Apple needs to consider price because value is a perceived metric tempered by the real ability to pay.

Apple needs to get the price point right...these kid's and their parents don't, and can't afford to, buy tablets every year and as MS discovered if you catch them early then they stick with what they know rather than change. No matter how good the alternative is, the other option has got to become onerous before they'll consider change. That's why MS office is so entrenched and Pages et al is still a very distant second in the real world. Don't blow it, Apple

[akatsuki]

Originally Posted by gmanist1000

The biggest thing Cook will oversee is the "real" Apple TV. If it's as revolutionary as the iPhone was, then he can be named a true innovator.

Since Jobs reportedly "cracked it" before dying, I don't think Cook can cleanly take credit.

There are plenty of industries that are still out there to disrupt, but I don't see Apple making the impact with TV that they did with music - VOD and other services are already there and the interfaces suck, but hopefully will improve.

Cars or appliances - maybe, but not terribly exciting either. They should just do a deal with Tesla to replace that screen with an iPad and relevant apps. Sticking an iPad on the fridge just isn't that big of a deal.

Shared interactive computing - maybe something like the Surface? That would be interesting, but Apple likes to disrupt existing markets rather than create new ones.

[rmwebs]

Dear god fire the photographer.

[louis.b]

Thumbs up for Tim.

NOw fire the Apple geniuses who have NO idea how to fix my laptop.

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Originally Posted by Banyan Bruce

Many of my students are very keen to get iPad Minis but the price is simply killing them, so they are going for cheaper Samsung tabs instead. There is a real feel of recession and bout of belt tightening going on in the UK this Christmas and with future reductions in ICT spending due next year, Apple needs to consider price because value is a perceived metric tempered by the real ability to pay.

Apple needs to get the price point right...these kid's and their parents don't, and can't afford to, buy tablets every year and as MS discovered if you catch them early then they stick with what they know rather than change. No matter how good the alternative is, the other option has got to become onerous before they'll consider change. That's why MS office is so entrenched and Pages et al is still a very distant second in the real world. Don't blow it, Apple

What also sucks is that it looks like they dont offer education discount anymore.

[TennisandMusic]

Originally Posted by IJ Reilly

I've been waiting my entire life for someone to say that they suffer fools gladly. The wait continues.

You won't ever hear it. The people that do are usually fools themselves and have no clue what's going on.

[Liquorpuki]

Can't wait to see how Apple disrupts television

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Originally Posted by akatsuki

Shared interactive computing - maybe something like the Surface? That would be interesting, but Apple likes to disrupt existing markets rather than create new ones.

To be fair sometimes they disrupt a small market nobody cares about and blow it up to have a huge marketspace (MP3 players, tablets). It's market creation in a sense

[Jessica Lares]

Anyone read the piece in TIME? I laughed so hard at those first few paragraphs.

[Eriden]

All the ruthlessness of Jobs. Let's see if he has any of the visionary spirit. Will be too soon to tell for several years, as Jobs was reportedly involved with strategic product decisions several years out before he passed.

[AppleDroid]

I like Tim. When he helps plan and launch the next "iThing" from the ground up successfully then I can see bestowing him with the title.

[koban4max]

Originally Posted by Banyan Bruce

Many of my students are very keen to get iPad Minis but the price is simply killing them, so they are going for cheaper Samsung tabs instead. There is a real feel of recession and bout of belt tightening going on in the UK this Christmas and with future reductions in ICT spending due next year, Apple needs to consider price because value is a perceived metric tempered by the real ability to pay.

Apple needs to get the price point right...these kid's and their parents don't, and can't afford to, buy tablets every year and as MS discovered if you catch them early then they stick with what they know rather than change. No matter how good the alternative is, the other option has got to become onerous before they'll consider change. That's why MS office is so entrenched and Pages et al is still a very distant second in the real world. Don't blow it, Apple

Apple's price is right. If they don't have the money, they have no business to get apple's products. Why does apple gotta hand out to folks with no money.

[balamw]

Originally Posted by louis.b

What also sucks is that it looks like they dont offer education discount anymore.

http://store.apple.com/us-hed

B

[PhilTanny]

Here's my 2 cents. I'd like to see Apple focus on two key elements of it's brand which are unlikely to go out of style.

1) Ease Of Use: Apple's always been about ease of use, and should keep it's eye on this ball. A key reason people don't buy stuff is often not the financial cost, but the burden of yet another thing in their life that has to be learned and managed etc. Apple may be in danger of becoming somewhat complacent here, resting on it's former laurels etc.

2 Reliability: Apple's always been sold as the quality alternative to Windows/PC and other providers. Apple's always been sold that way, but it hasn't always delivered. There are just too many technical problems for Apple to keep a solid lock on the "quality alternative" brand.

These quality control issues are often rationalized by both Apple and many Apple users and advocates too. That's a mediocre mindset that's got to go. A significant cultural shift is needed in regards to hardware reliability. Without that shift, Apple is just another manufacturer that faces the task of explaining why they're more expensive than other providers.

Apple is very focused on what's cool. Here's what's really cool.

Stuff that actually works. Stuff that doesn't break. Products that aren't shipped with a "we'll fix it in warranty" mindset.

Slow down Apple. Make it right the first time. Be the real quality alternative.

[mr.bee]

I think it would be amazing of Tim Cook, to see Apple disrupt the video gaming industry with the ipad (ipod touch), imac & apple tv.

an ipad combined with an apple tv or imac is almost the same as a nintendo wii u. just turning a few more knobs and they are a true competitor. They already have an amazing itunes store to back this up!
allowing a bluetooth keyboard sets the door open for hand controllers :-)

TV is predictable, go with video games )

btw where are his printers?

[ConCat]

Originally Posted by GeekLawyer

Truly one of the most interesting people in the news this year. I could have seen Time naming him with the top honor.

Tim Cook is interesting? I take it you've never seen his keynotes?

[haruhiko]

Originally Posted by ConCat

Tim Cook is interesting? I take it you've never seen his keynotes?

Retina Displeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeighhhhhhhh.

[topmounter]

"...the legends..." Wow, they are layering the BS on pretty deep, but I guess they need to manufacture the mythology for the Wall Street crowd more quickly than he can actually earn it.

Hopefully Steve's Ghola can get beyond the creepiness sooner rather later.

[LeoCastillo]

For those complaining about the photo, I believe they were trying to go to a similar style with the Obama photos.




I dunno, I kinda liked it.

Leo

[chineseguy38]

I'm glad Tim Cook didn't get the honour. He doesn't deserve any. He only cares of money and not like Steve Jobs focusing on user experience.

[Eriden]

Originally Posted by topmounter

Hopefully Steve's Ghola can get beyond the creepiness sooner rather later.

Unfortunately, the official Steve Jobs clone is currently banging its head against padded walls in a secret underground Apple bunker since Apple insisted on using iSalamiri in his construction instead of importing the real thing from Myrkr.

[kalsta]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Anyone read the piece in TIME? I laughed so hard at those first few paragraphs.

I haven't… but I did enjoy the quotes in the article, particularly this:

He remains, like all great Apple products, a paradoxical combination of open and closed, polished and user-friendly but also sealed up tight against anybody who's curious about what's inside. You know there are reams of code churning away down there, just below the surface, but you'll never know exactly what's going on.

A clever metaphor I thought!