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Tim Cook: 2020 Was Apple's 'Top Year of Innovation Ever'
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Yeah - the possibilities of what the Watch can do are innovative. The rest? Product variations. Even the M1 is an advance of the Ax series chips that have been used for years in iPhones and iPads. The first Ax series chips were innovations - not these so much. Perhaps he's referring to use of 5 nm technology, which might be innovative at the fab level.
Unless this interview was entirely fluff for marketing purposes, which might be an even bet, maybe this gives us all insight of what the CEO of Apple thinks innovation is. Real innovation certainly could be in the form of products and what's inside, like the original iMac, iPod, and iPhone. Or it could be capabilities such as found in the Watch for health monitoring. Changing the size of a bezel may be appealing and creative, but I don't think it's really innovative. Maybe this gives us an idea of what to expect in the future. (Operating system "upgrades" that deliver more bugs than ever?)
Design is not just how something looks, it's also how it's made and how the new internals are integrated into the existing look. You need to remember that Apple has brand value on how their devices look and so they do not change them often and for no reason. A perfect case in point is the original Airpods looking exactly like the EarPods but without cables. That design mattered as it afforded trust to those who liked them and recognized them, but were new to wireless headphones. The design was to take all the wireless internals and make them fit in an established design.
Design — and innovative design — is much more than cosmetic appearence.
Apple turned the Macs, especially the laptops into a fashion accessory, hopefully this will reverse with the introduction of the M1 CPUs.
Cook an innovator. Jobs is rolling in his grave.
cook is a manager
cook is a manager
The Mac still seems like an afterthought even with M1. Their focus still seems to be on iOS/iPadOS. Once the redesigns for iMac and MacBooks drop this year we'll start to fully realize their revamped direction. Both have looked the same for well over 10 years.
Just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. LOL
I’m struggling to think of ANYTHING innovative that happened in 2020.
If anything the world collectively began adopting technology we’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years.
I’m struggling to think of ANYTHING innovative that happened in 2020.
If anything the world collectively began adopting technology we’ve been pushing for nearly 20 years.
Not really. It's like saying "Our fastest MacBook ever". You will never equal the innovation of Steve Job's Apple. It was a good year indeed, but not the best.
It seems to me that this site typically defines innovation by the casing design Apple puts on their products.
I’d say the Mac alone makes 2020 a huge innovation year.
I’d say the Mac alone makes 2020 a huge innovation year.
And the flip side is, because it's not acknowledged doesn't mean it didn't happen. Apple has hundreds of millions customers, shareholders, observers and commentators, etc...don't expect everybody to have the same collective opinion. Usually the objective truth is in the middle.
Oh certainly. MagSafe and M1 are good examples. One was retired then resurrected but not quite in the way we’d hoped or imagined.
The other was a surprise for those who’d not been paying attention to the last 7 years of work Apple had been doing in ARM based chip design.
If by innovation we are using the most literal definition then every single product release is an innovation regardless of how little it may have changed.
In that vein, did we see more products released by Apple in 2020 than in prior years? Maybe with the 6 different iPhone and the iPad and iPad Pro refresh as well as the introduction of M1 macs.
From a bean counting perspective Tim may be spot on. But most people have a slightly different interpretation of innovation. They usually equate that to an invention, something entirely new.
I don't think it was the best, certainly not. But it was a pretty good year for Apple IMO. M1 Macs alone will be a huge leap forward, some good iDevice release, for me the SE, 12 mini and Air 4 are great. The only area I feel they regressed is in their OS design, but that's just me... Plenty of people disagree. I'd say 2020 was one of the best years for Apple certainly in the last 6-8 years.
I wish Cook would retire and pass the baton on to the next young Steve Jobs. Innovation is not recycling old designs for the iPhone or adding new Watch faces.
Think in about three years you will get your wish. You can bet Apple is already succession planning.
Interesting, I personally refer to the guy as "Low Tech Tim" !
Ask yourself, why does Tim Cook's Apple NEVER recommend OR promote "High-Tech" Third-Party Apps in the Today tab of their App Store App ?
I'll answer that for you; it's Cook is so IN-secure about Apple's "Lack of Innovation" under his Leadership !
Steve Jobs had many faults, but I don't think he was an IN-secure person.
Cook, IMO, has some of the same bad traits as Trump.
It's NOT OK for Apple to suppress third-party App Innovation just because the guy at the top is IN-secure !
And certainly NOT if they want to maintain their Monopoly !
Ask yourself, why does Tim Cook's Apple NEVER recommend OR promote "High-Tech" Third-Party Apps in the Today tab of their App Store App ?
I'll answer that for you; it's Cook is so IN-secure about Apple's "Lack of Innovation" under his Leadership !
Steve Jobs had many faults, but I don't think he was an IN-secure person.
Cook, IMO, has some of the same bad traits as Trump.
It's NOT OK for Apple to suppress third-party App Innovation just because the guy at the top is IN-secure !
And certainly NOT if they want to maintain their Monopoly !
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Cook never mentioned Dark Mode. He was referring to Night mode, the camera feature. The author of this article likely misinterpreted his words.
Correction. Cook is a rich, soda pop salesman, who has taken the valuation of Apple to new highs. Had a blockbuster record-breaking quarter. Record breaking revenue in some services sectors. Record breaking revenue in wearables.
While Apple may not be batting 100%, they are up there in the high 90s.
For a soda pop salesman, Apple is doing quite well under his leadership.
Meh. So Apple came out with an overpriced MacOS ARM Chromebook without touch and pen inputs. $500 Lenovo Yoga 6 with AMD Ryzen 4650U is more practical than my Macbook Air M1. More excited about upcoming 5nm mobile Zen 4.
Aesthetic design is hardly innovation. Not when compared to what is actually meant by it.
Hmm. I’d pick the year they introduced the product that literally changed everybody’s lives and made Apple a trillion dollar company: the iPhone. You can hardly compete with that.
I think many, many MR members need to realize that their definition of innovation is often not Apple's roadmap. I think many MR members have unrealistic expectations from their comfy armchair quarterback position.
I agree with Tim. I think Apple did an excellent job last year in innovation.
I agree with Tim. I think Apple did an excellent job last year in innovation.
True for Apple in 2007.
But that doesn't diminish the contribution that Tim Cook made as CEO since 2011.