Tim Cook Poised to Receive Around $120 Million in Apple Stock as Tenure and Performance Award

[Peperino]

Isn't ROI the main purpose of running a company? They make the best computers in the world, they fit in your pocket. With the best sales numbers and customer satisfaction in history, maybe they aren't the problem? Maybe those stuck in the past will simply be left behind.

As much as you like iOS, computers will not go away. There is so many things you can do in a phone/ipad.
iOS is for basic consumer users. You cannot do any Pro work.
We are not stuck in the past. Apple has simply been neglecting the entire computer line up. THAT is a fact.
For an Apple computer that cost $4500 i can get a Hackintosh for $1500.00. Unfortunately, many Pro users that have been investing many of their dollars throughout the years feel betrayed. Both quality and design of the entire computer line up is outdated and overpriced.
iMac Pro- Ridiculously expensive and can not even update the internal HD since it is soldered...
Mac PRo- Not updated in how long? They have been saying they will release a new one for 2 years now. Too little too late. I believe it when I see it.
MacBook Pro- overpriced, and a complete failure.
Mac mini- Not updated in how long?

 

[PG(Austin)]

Wow...did I ever take the wrong career path...

 

[Peperino]

200,000,000+ per year customers would disagree with you. Also your juvenile disparaging of Mr. Cook’s last name is behavior straight out of high school. And I prefer engaging with adults.

Because millions of flys eat trash, that does not mean it is good.
There are million of customers that buy bad products. That does not mean Apple is putting good innovative products.

 

[DNichter]

if the 999 macBook air comes out with a nice high res display and updated internals, I'd sell my new Stealth today and replace it with that. I miss my 2011 Air!

But this is the potential pratfall. When companies start doing things where users like us say "it's not just worth it anymore" for minor reasons like i've listed, there should be cause for concern by the executive. It's rare that a companies fortunes turn overnight due to 1 thing. It's usually the old "Death by a thousand cuts"... How many people like me, who are willing to shop around is Apple willing to lose as a customer before they take notice? Obviously not 1. Obviously not 100. But every company needs to be mindful of people who are making these sorts of decisions.

So far, Apple has handled it, in an interesting way. They've clearly identified from a financial position that growth isn't happening as much as it used to on the volume side of things anymore (numbers from their launches indicate growth has mostly stopped). But revenues continue to climb. This from the financials indicate that Apple has opted to raise prices to make up the difference. So the question is, How many users will these new price points drive away further?

is Apple doomed? Of course not. That's just a stupid meme used to shut down legitimate conversation. But Apple also cannot ignore user bases if they wish to remain growing. Mac sales the lowest since 2010 is a flag that shouldn't be ignored. 2018 iPhone sales being flat (and slightly down overall for the year) compared to 2017, should also not be ignored.

From a business studies perspective, this is just all very interesting and i'm excited to see how Apple responds to these sort of criticisms.

from an Investor stand point? Apple hasn't done a thing wrong, hence why they approved the big payout to Tim. But it's going to be insanely interesting to see what happens 5-10 years from now.

All good points. I find it somewhat hard to believe that they will keep the MacBook Air chassis as is and upgrade the screen and internals. It would be a very iPhone SE like move though, so definitely possible. Ultimately I think Apple will focus on their largest user base (iOS), but they are starting to come around with more of a Pro focus when it comes to the Mac lineup. I don't think they'll ever be able to hit on everything for everyone, but I believe they see pressure from Microsoft in this area as a relevant issue and will work to combat it. It seems they will address any slow downs in iPhone volume this year as well, with a lower cost option. I feel like this will be a significant blow to Samsung considering their high end phones haven't been selling well as is. Now they'll have an option that either is considered better or comparable in a lot of ways, but at a lower cost. All in all, you're right, it will certainly be interesting what happens in the near future, but Apple is in a solid position however things shake out. I question how companies like Samsung and Google will fare, but feel confident Microsoft have positioned themselves well also.
[doublepost=1535036803][/doublepost]

As much as you like iOS, computers will not go away. There is so many things you can do in a phone/ipad.
iOS is for basic consumer users. You cannot do any Pro work.
We are not stuck in the past. Apple has simply been neglecting the entire computer line up. THAT is a fact.
For an Apple computer that cost $4500 i can get a Hackintosh for $1500.00. Unfortunately, many Pro users that have been investing many of their dollars throughout the years feel betrayed. Both quality and design of the entire computer line up is outdated and overpriced.
iMac Pro- Ridiculously expensive and can not even update the internal HD since it is soldered...
Mac PRo- Not updated in how long? They have been saying they will release a new one for 2 years now. Too little too late. I believe it when I see it.
MacBook Pro- overpriced, and a complete failure.
Mac mini- Not updated in how long?

I agree that traditional computers won't go away, but they will become used less and less. You couldn't be more wrong about iOS not being possible for pro work though. I manage a team of 60 people from my iPad Pro. My girlfriend is a graphic designer that uses Affinity Designer and Procreate primarily on her iPad. It may not work for you, but that doesn't mean it can't work for everyone. I agree that they have neglected their computer line up, but has performance over the last 4 years really progressed that much that we consider the current lineup a dud? I don't know, it seems that people can still get work done effectively on a Mac - I just personally find them overpriced. It does seem however that Apple understands this and will turn their focus back to the pro segment. Whether or not it is good enough for you and others in the same boat, who knows.

 

[LordVic]

All good points. I find it somewhat hard to believe that they will keep the MacBook Air chassis as is and upgrade the screen and internals. It would be a very iPhone SE like move though, so definitely possible. Ultimately I think Apple will focus on their largest user base (iOS), but they are starting to come around with more of a Pro focus when it comes to the Mac lineup. I don't think they'll ever be able to hit on everything for everyone, but I believe they see pressure from Microsoft in this area as a relevant issue and will work to combat it. It seems they will address any slow downs in iPhone volume this year as well, with a lower cost option. I feel like this will be a significant blow to Samsung considering their high end phones haven't been selling well as is. Now they'll have an option that either is considered better or comparable in a lot of ways, but at a lower cost. All in all, you're right, it will certainly be interesting what happens in the near future, but Apple is in a solid position however things shake out. I question how companies like Samsung and Google will fare, but feel confident Microsoft have positioned themselves well also.

I just find it really ... short sited and wierd how much they ignored the Mac lineup over the years. Even if we remove the issues I've mentioned, the Mac is still integral and CORE to the ecosystem.

iOS for example STILL requires App development on a Mac. There's no iOS apps without it currently. Leaving the macs to sort of... get stale, could have reprocussions on the availability and quality of stuff available on iOS.

So if iOS is the future platform of choice, they're doing a sort of piss poor job ensuring that the ecosystem supporting it is healthy.

I Think Google's going to fare a lot better, mainly due to the advertising business side of things. Whether we like them or not, Ads have been a staple of our lives since early mankind shouted out from the hills to come try their wares. The medium might change, but as long as Google stays on top of whatever is the current platform for media delivery, advertisement is a "safe" business. As long as they don't have any catastrophic leaks of data.

Samsung is an interesting beast. Could they hurt and suffer in the mobile space? Yes. But they're extremely diversified. Shut down the mobile sector today and it will hurt them, but not kill them. Samsung corporation is in so many sectors, from Automotive, silicon design and manufacturing, televisions and displays, even part of the easts military industrial complex.

Microsoft is in good place and have managed to transition themselves very well away from "the desktop people" to the "internet of things" people. Enterprise relies on them for things that there are just no replacements for outside of Microsoft. This has, and will continue to be their bread and butter since nobody is even trying to eat their cake on this side. Apple bowed out years ago. linux is great for many things but can't fully replace Microsoft's services in all places.

Apple is the one I question. They're very reliant on the consumer market, which can be a fickle beast if you piss off enough consumers. They don't have real enterprise penetration outside of iOS devices, which have some limits on them and limits on how far they can go (but getting better). Many of their revenue streams are reliant heavily on the iOS platform. If suddenly next year Apple sold 20, or even 10% less iOS devices, that could have greater impact that trickles down the lineup. how much less service revenue due to less iOS users? what about sales of iOS exclusive accessories like the watch or homepod? these are I believe legitimate questions that I don't think Tim has really addressed. These are only "what ifs" at this point, as they're mental excercises. But they're consideration that any executives running a company such as Apple need to pay attention to. What if for example more large companies with Apps follow Netflix's recent change to stop providing Apple revenue from in-App purchases by removing in-app purchases?

 

[DNichter]

I just find it really ... short sited and wierd how much they ignored the Mac lineup over the years. Even if we remove the issues I've mentioned, the Mac is still integral and CORE to the ecosystem.

iOS for example STILL requires App development on a Mac. There's no iOS apps without it currently. Leaving the macs to sort of... get stale, could have reprocussions on the availability and quality of stuff available on iOS.

So if iOS is the future platform of choice, they're doing a sort of piss poor job ensuring that the ecosystem supporting it is healthy.

I Think Google's going to fare a lot better, mainly due to the advertising business side of things. Whether we like them or not, Ads have been a staple of our lives since early mankind shouted out from the hills to come try their wares. The medium might change, but as long as Google stays on top of whatever is the current platform for media delivery, advertisement is a "safe" business. As long as they don't have any catastrophic leaks of data.

Samsung is an interesting beast. Could they hurt and suffer in the mobile space? Yes. But they're extremely diversified. Shut down the mobile sector today and it will hurt them, but not kill them. Samsung corporation is in so many sectors, from Automotive, silicon design and manufacturing, televisions and displays, even part of the easts military industrial complex.

Microsoft is in good place and have managed to transition themselves very well away from "the desktop people" to the "internet of things" people. Enterprise relies on them for things that there are just no replacements for outside of Microsoft. This has, and will continue to be their bread and butter since nobody is even trying to eat their cake on this side. Apple bowed out years ago. linux is great for many things but can't fully replace Microsoft's services in all places.

Apple is the one I question. They're very reliant on the consumer market, which can be a fickle beast if you piss off enough consumers. They don't have real enterprise penetration outside of iOS devices, which have some limits on them and limits on how far they can go (but getting better). Many of their revenue streams are reliant heavily on the iOS platform. If suddenly next year Apple sold 20, or even 10% less iOS devices, that could have greater impact that trickles down the lineup. how much less service revenue due to less iOS users? what about sales of iOS exclusive accessories like the watch or homepod? these are I believe legitimate questions that I don't think Tim has really addressed. These are only "what ifs" at this point, as they're mental excercises. But they're consideration that any executives running a company such as Apple need to pay attention to. What if for example more large companies with Apps follow Netflix's recent change to stop providing Apple revenue from in-App purchases by removing in-app purchases?

I think the recent gap of focus on the Mac won't be a regular trend for Apple. Google will obviously continue to sell ads, but I think the recent focus on privacy may make their business model much more challenging. They are considering a new OS, taking more of a locked down approach like iOS. I think this is the right approach for them although I am not sure how successful it will be. You're definitely right, Samsung isn't going anywhere, but I see Apple owning the West and Huawei owning the East. Their recent approach of going after the top end won't win, while the low-mid tier could easily be eaten into by Apple (if they want) and a ton of other manufacturers. I question how profitable their mobile business can be in the long term with this approach. Totally agree on Microsoft. I think Apple is in a fine position. iPhone's are still the phone of choice for many people, I don't see that changing in the next 5-10 years. iPad's are only going to become more powerful and take on more desktop-like features, potentially replacing traditional computers for a lot of people. The Apple Watch dominates, and the fitness approach will only become more important to people as health conscious fads become more prevalent. HomePod is just released so who knows where they'll go with it, but it's a great product if you own one. Services also play a big part, with Apple Music doing well, and a rumored TV service coming also. I think in the end, the Apple brand is too strong to fail - at least in the next 5-10 years. I expect them to adapt as they have been.

 

[citysnaps]

Because millions of flys eat trash, that does not mean it is good.
There are million of customers that buy bad products. That does not mean Apple is putting good innovative products.

Got it. You’re the final arbiter on what makes a good or bad product. And you believe your views have more weight over the 200,000,000+ Apple customers who feel differently.

In a word...astonishing.

 

[I7guy]

Got it. You’re the final arbiter on what makes a good or bad product. And you believe your views have more weight over the 200,000,000+ Apple customers who feel differently.

In a word...astonishing.

I agree about the juvenile nature of the post from the op quoted. However to be fair we don’t know why 200,000,000+ bought an Apple product, we only know they did. They could be buying the best of the worst. Not likely, but within the realm of consideration.

 

[Peperino]

Got it. You’re the final arbiter on what makes a good or bad product. And you believe your views have more weight over the 200,000,000+ Apple customers who feel differently.

In a word...astonishing.

You know what is astonishing...

That Apple tries to sell you Macbook so called Pro
1- with soldered components That cannot be updated. HOw is that Pro?
2- That goes backwards, removing one of the best features (Mag-safe)
3- that you cannot connect your own iphone/ipad.
4- Complete design mess regarding headphones. You cannot connect your iPhone headphone into your MAcbook and viceversa. Have airpods... guess what you cannot connect it and recharge it either without dongle.

Guess what is the fastest growing product category... Adaptors and dongles...that should give you a hint how poorly the products are being designed.

Users are tired of buying overpriced underperforming uncustomizable garbage.

Maybe you should listen to all the reasons why people are actually returning the Macbook Pros. I would love to see the return rate of the Macbook Pros 2016-17 but Apple would never release that.

 

[Cosmosent]

AAPL has accumulated over $100B of Debt under Tim Cook, yet the AAPL Board decided to authorize a $100B stock buy-back, AFTER the company's stock had just doubled the past 2 years !

Where is the wisdom in that, except to Prop-Up a Ponzi Scheme ???

First, it is my personal opinion that Congress should change the laws so that such a move is illegal !

A company should NOT be able to buy ANY of it's shares on the Open Market if it has ANY debt ! ... & there should be a 60-day period between paying off Debt & RE-starting one's share buyback program.

Second, I'm UN-aware of even a single so-called Pro Stock Analyst who has correctly broken down AAPL's sales by iPhone ... NOT Rocket Science, but they ALL appear to have flunked Basic Math.

Third, I believe the world economies could (soon) Tumble, led by those companies who have been Prop-'d-Up the most !

If that happens, do NOT be surprised if AAPL loses more than half it's market cap in less than a month.

Trump really needs to step things up & put some protections in place, because we are right back @ CY2000-01, for a completely different reason, too much Corp Debt this time !

Those with FRESH POWDER will make a killing when things so South !

Finally, it's a TOTAL JOKE for AAPL to call it a Perf Award, when the company has a $100B stock buyback in place ! ... drop the stock buyback program, & let's see how low the PPS goes !

NOT a fan of Tim Cook ... he has done NOTHING (since becoming CEO) to fix the (catastrophically broken) iOS App Store !

 

[I7guy]

You know what is astonishing...

That Apple tries to sell you Macbook so called Pro
1- with soldered components That cannot be updated. HOw is that Pro?
2- That goes backwards, removing one of the best features (Mag-safe)
3- that you cannot connect your own iphone/ipad.
4- Complete design mess regarding headphones. You cannot connect your iPhone headphone into your MAcbook and viceversa. Have airpods... guess what you cannot connect it and recharge it either without dongle.

Guess what is the fastest growing product category... Adaptors and dongles...that should give you a hint how poorly the products are being designed.

Maybe you should listen to all the reasons why people are actually returning the Macbook Pros. I would love to see the return rate of the Macbook Pros 2016-17 but Apple would never release that.

Can you prove that dongles are the fastest growing product category for the products that Apple produces.

You may have some legitimate criticism of Apple, but apple’s 1T cemented cooks $120m. It is what it is.

And it’s satisfying to read some of the rants, railing against how well Apple is doing and how the ceo is compensated based on that performance.

 

[Lioness~]

I strongly suggest that Tim would raise the salary for everyone who works on Apple. Apple certainly can afford it.
Heard that they are underpaid in the thread about his donations.
Maybe that will motivate them to do better
And we might see less bugs

 

[macpeach55]

I agree that traditional computers won't go away, but they will become used less and less. You couldn't be more wrong about iOS not being possible for pro work though. I manage a team of 60 people from my iPad Pro. My girlfriend is a graphic designer that uses Affinity Designer and Procreate primarily on her iPad. It may not work for you, but that doesn't mean it can't work for everyone. I agree that they have neglected their computer line up, but has performance over the last 4 years really progressed that much that we consider the current lineup a dud? I don't know, it seems that people can still get work done effectively on a Mac - I just personally find them overpriced. It does seem however that Apple understands this and will turn their focus back to the pro segment. Whether or not it is good enough for you and others in the same boat, who knows.

I cannot agree with you on this. In my Field of Work, Macs are the favoured PC. Because nearly everyone involved in what I do travel constantly and often needs a "Computer" of sorts literally in the field, many, many people have tried the iPad. Everyone is back on Macs. The New Guys try the same, and... year in, back to Macs.
I totally appreciate that IOS can work for some lines of Business, but for others, it simply does not, so I strongly hope that Apple keep supporting both areas.

 

[DNichter]

I cannot agree with you on this. In my Field of Work, Macs are the favoured PC. Because nearly everyone involved in what I do travel constantly and often needs a "Computer" of sorts literally in the field, many, many people have tried the iPad. Everyone is back on Macs. The New Guys try the same, and... year in, back to Macs.
I totally appreciate that IOS can work for some lines of Business, but for others, it simply does not, so I strongly hope that Apple keep supporting both areas.

I agree with everything you said? I know it doesn't work for everyone. As Apple adds more features and developers bring more and more desktop like apps to iPad, that number will grow. That's all I am saying. The Mac isn't going anywhere, but it will certainly be used less in 5 years time.

 

[bingeciren]

There is a definite correlation between the number of dissatisfied old Apple users and Tim’s wealth tied to AAPL which I have yet to understand the reason behind it.

 

[dan110]

Well deserved.

Apple is firing on all cylinders, for an old Apple dog like me (Powermac 7100) this whole situation is basically science fiction turned into reality.

That's sad that you've been around this long and think the company is doing well aside from the its finances?
[doublepost=1535048321][/doublepost]

Too bad he's not poised to receive a pink slip...

There's a bigger problem here. People respond to incentives and Tim is no different.

His incentive as CEO is to push the share price up. His whole compensation package and business legacy are seamlessly tied to that fact. This incentive is so strong that he has shown that he's willing to lose the company's soul in the process.

So, whoever Apple's CEO is, they're going to be strongly incentivized to increase the share price ... always moving in an upward direction ... no matter what.

Steve really didn't care so much about being "filthy rich" and thus was able to make Apple the company that it was prior to his death.

 

[8281]

I am talking about the tech products. None of Google's tech products are successful and Amazon is glorified re-seller that treats their employees terribly. I don't consider them a major tech player.

LOL are you serious?? They both make “tech products.” Google search is a product, Amazon’s entire infrastructure is a tech product. Amazon Web Services alone is a massive business. Android is used on over 2 billion devices.

 

[DNichter]

LOL are you serious?? They both make “tech products.” Google search is a product, Amazon’s entire infrastructure is a tech product. Amazon Web Services alone is a massive business. Android is used on over 2 billion devices.

Google is an advertising company and Amazon is a glorified retail middle man. Neither one of them have any products that bring in a significant profit, which is the end goal of a for profit company.

 

[Peperino]

Can you prove that dongles are the fastest growing product category for the products that Apple produces.

You may have some legitimate criticism of Apple, but apple’s 1T cemented cooks $120m. It is what it is.

And it’s satisfying to read some of the rants, railing against how well Apple is doing and how the ceo is compensated based on that performance.

Do not need to prove it.
Go yourself to any Apple store. Look at how many dongle they have. Then look at how many computers they have.
Also before 2015 they did not use to have that many dongles, since computers had all the necesary ports.

 

[I7guy]

Do not need to prove it.
Go yourself to any Apple store. Look at how many dongle they have. Then look at how many computers they have.
Also before 2015 they did not use to have that many dongles, since computers had all the necesary ports.

That’s the rational, look at the dongles in an Apple store? Dongle $10, computer $1,000. Seems logical more dongles than computers.

 

[DNichter]

That’s the rational, look at the dongles in an Apple store? Dongle $10, computer $1,000. Seems logical more dongles than computers.

Every computer they have should be on the store floor, obviously.

 

[I7guy]

That's sad that you've been around this long and think the company is doing well aside from the its finances?
[doublepost=1535048321][/doublepost]

There's a bigger problem here. People respond to incentives and Tim is no different.

His incentive as CEO is to push the share price up. His whole compensation package and business legacy are seamlessly tied to that fact. This incentive is so strong that he has shown that he's willing to lose the company's soul in the process.

So, whoever Apple's CEO is, they're going to be strongly incentivized to increase the share price moving in an upward direction ... no matter what.

Steve really didn't care so much about being "filthy rich" and thus was able to make Apple the company that it was prior to his death.

It’s interesting to see the comments that people believe they know about Steve Jobs.

As far as Tim Cook if you believe the company soul is lost did you switch to android? Because he isnt going away unless Apple tanks.

 

[dan110]

It’s interesting to see the comments that people believe they know about Steve Jobs.

As far as Tim Cook if you believe the company soul is lost did you switch to android? Because he isnt going away unless Apple tanks.

Yup, already started the process.
[doublepost=1535057992][/doublepost]

Google is an advertising company and Amazon is a glorified retail middle man. Neither one of them have any products that bring in a significant profit, which is the end goal of a for profit company.

Amazon not a tech company but a glorified reseller. Dude, I thought you were smarter than that.

 

[I7guy]

Yup, already started the process...

For my opinion, apple has the best ethos for all of the phone manufacturing companies, but you have to be happy and okay with your tech life.

Good luck. I'm not sure you will be missed, however, by Apple.

 

[DNichter]

Yup, already started the process.
[doublepost=1535057992][/doublepost]

Amazon not a tech company but a glorified reseller. Dude, I thought you were smarter than that.

Not about smarts. We just look at things differently. When I think of tech companies, I don’t think of Amazon as an innovator in any way. They have market share with cheap echos to collect info and sell you products. It’s the same thing as Google products or services - it’s a means to an end, advertising. You don’t have to agree, it’s just my opinion.