Tim Cook Says Apple is Always Focused on 'Products and People' Over Wall Street Expectations

[justperry]

Man, rough crowd. My question to most of you is, why not just go and use another company's products? Why hang around here? I have a whole house full of Apple products that work beautifully together for the most part and look amazing. Build quality is also amazing. That's not to say things couldn't have gone more smoothly. But even when they don't go smoothly, they're still great experiences. My Macbook Pro's logic board failed after 3 months, but the Apple Store took care of me quickly and covered it under warranty.

In short, Apple provides an ecosystem of well-integrated products with outstanding build quality, supported by a network of stores globally that provide some of the best customer service in the world. Yet people still find things to btch and moan about. Maybe just switch to a Samsung phone and a Dell PC and see if that world is better for you?

I bought plenty of Apple stuff over the last 2 decades, I still think Apple is much better in many ways than others, that doesn't mean I can not criticise Apple once in a while.
For instance, iPhones and Macbook pros became considerably more expensive over the last few years, MBP by €500 and that's a lot.
I also hate certain decisions made in their OSes like the white background on iOS or software Update in macOS, it used to be a Menu Item in OS X, now you always get redirected to the Appstore, it annoys me like hell, If I get a notification to install Updates it should bring me to Updates and not the Appstore.
There are a few more annoyances here and there but overall I am still a very happy Apple User which (again) criticises Apple once in a while.

 

[kaneda]

Aren't all companies focused on selling products to people?

Nope, Google connects information.

 

[citysnaps]

The problem is that many of us are hoping that Apple will return to their old ways and produce quality products that are actually innovative and not just copying others. At least products that work better than the competition.

Such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone X, iPad Pro, and HomePod? Which products are those copying?


"At least products that work better than the competition."
My assessment is they work better than the competition's.

I'm certainly happy with mine (the iPad Pro is my wife's, a graphic artist). And use them every day. Along with my 5K iMac and MacBookPro. They all work well and are reliable.

 

[barmann]

I didn't make it past Tim Cook says .
Anything that's not utter nonsense after that ?

 

[laurim]

No they didn't. They only told people after they were caught sneaking software onto your phone and having the chutzpah to call it a "feature"

Cute conspiracy theory. Not reality.

 

[cipher29]

If this was all true and Apple truly cared mostly about their customers experiences, they would put a serious effort in QA and fixing the buggy disaster that is iOS 11 ...

 

[laurim]

Repeat with me, Mac Pro was a disaster from the start. I wonder why they did not sell many.

They only updated the iMacs internals. The outside design has not been updated in 7 years.

I use the MacPro routinely both for motion graphics design and for serving media for live events. I’m talking 8k 20 min movies sometimes. I’ve brought my own to shows in Stockholm and Barcelona only because I was able to check it in as luggage because it’s so portable. Something I couldn’t do with the old MacPro form factor. It is a great machine. But I am looking forward to the modular design that hopefully will take us back to the days where pros could upgrade themselves.

 

[Petetastic]

I loved Apple products for their flexibility and reliability. That’s slowly being taken away for things that are nice to have, but not necessary. I need at least one USB-A port on my laptop. (Dongles are BS.) I NEED a reliable, secure OS. I NEED a reliable keyboard. I don’t need a HomePod or a touch bar. If I’m spending $2k+ on a computer, these are reasonable expectations. And Tim Cook seems to have missed that.

And yes, I’m planning to go elsewhere for my next laptop. I really want to stay with Apple, and I hope that they might value what consumers say to make some small changes in how they spend their ever growing gobs of cash. But if I need to go to Linux, so be it.

 

[Pangalactic]

Oh yeah Tim? How come that Apple, the most forward-thinking company with 4 USB C on a Macbook, still has A LIGHTING PORT on the newest flagship phone, when even Huawei Mates have USB C how?!

Oh wait, the dongle business! Totally forgot about that, the most pro-consumer thing you can imagine.

 

[citysnaps]

That's the reason why Apple will soon become second in value to Amazon. Tim Cook is simply too passive. It's no wonder the things that come out of Tim Cook's mouth leaves big investors cringing and running to Amazon or any other major tech company, for that matter. What freaking greedy big investor wants to hear a CEO saying they're not into something for the money. Greed powers the stock market. Amazon never settles for a slice. Jeff Bezos wants the whole pie. It might be nice that Tim Cook is altruistic but greedy investors hate hearing that sort of talk. They don't want other people getting anything for free if it comes out of their pocket. If Tim Cook wants to think about altruism, then fine. Just don't be in the earshot of any big investor if he's going to be talking out loud. Wall Street wants Amazon to put every other retailer out of business and they're proud of it. F*** those people who'll lose their jobs when Amazon becomes a monopoly. Those things just doesn't matter if investors get wealthy.

I really liked all my Airport and Time Capsules I'd owned and now I need a newer one that will never see the light of day. Thanks, Apple for killing off a really good product line. For me, they were "set 'em and forget 'em" products. They never needed my attention except for firmware upgrades. Go figure why Apple killed them.

"It's no wonder the things that come out of Tim Cook's mouth leaves big investors cringing and running to Amazon or any other major tech company, for that matter."
Yet Apple continues to grow market cap.


"If Tim Cook wants to think about altruism, then fine. Just don't be in the earshot of any big investor if he's going to be talking out loud."
You mean an investor such as Warren Buffet, who recently purchased more than 31 million shares of AAPL, bringing his total up to 165 million shares worth more than $28 Billion? Is Mr. Buffet a big enough investor?


"If Tim Cook wants to think about altruism, then fine. Just don't be in the earshot of any big investor if he's going to be talking out loud. "
OK... Just don't feel bad if Mr. Cook declines to take your advice.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

share holders will not like what he said

Shareholders only care about Apple making more and more money. If Tim's warm fuzzy words make customers think Apple products are better: Huzzah! Mo' profit for Apple and shareholders.
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It might be nice that Tim Cook is altruistic but greedy investors hate hearing that sort of talk. They don't want other people getting anything for free if it comes out of their pocket.

Since you are for other people getting things for free that are paid for out of others pocket, I would like the new Mavic Air for free. Thanks for paying for that out of your pocket. It really shows how you aren't greedy.

 

[IGI2]

I would agree with Cook, at least if you look at Apple historically, but maybe not recently.

I am a very long time Apple fan. I have been using their products for decades, way before they were cool or fashionable.

I think at Apple's roots, they have been user experience driven company. A classic example would be the upside down Apple on the laptops.

But lately, it seems like their products, and especially the user experience has taken a backseat.

Maybe it will look good on a retrospective thought.

Maybe the removal of jack created and pushed the market for new wireless technologies (AliExpress is full of AirPods clones, fakes, similar pairs now).

Maybe the great hardware in HomePod, solid, tough is also an investment. Maybe 7 years from now, it will still rock in your home, with updated Siri by that time, but the unit will be the very this one bought today with DUMB DUMB Siri.

Maybe the Liam (a friend of Siri) who decomposes old iPhones will ensure Apple to have stable margins and for example in the future, when the cost will be rising, the price of iPhones won't get SO much higher (because it will get higher). Maybe it will allow the same margins or soften the decrease of them. As you can see with the HomePod and iPhone X, the margins are already thinner than before.

To sum up, maybe now some actions feel narcissistic and selfish but maybe when you reminisce in 10 years time it will be obvious why the stuck to HEVC and not Google's VP8/VP9. Why A10 Fusion was such a breakthrough and timeless chip. Why Apple Maps were created (maybe then, after 10 years, it will be almost on par with Google and Apple and app developers won't have to split with Google or buy some tokens for Google's API because those Apple Maps will be sufficient).

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

The camera on iPhone’s have replaced a lot of people’s cameras over the years, more and more people are using their phones camera to take pictures when on holiday and so on, the Bokeh effect on the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone and the 8 Plus is great, no it’s not going to replace a high end DSLR that pro’s use but it will replace the everyday camera that most people use.
[doublepost=1519232524][/doublepost]

Failed products? They made a mistake with the 2013 Mac Pro and owned up to it, the MacBook Pro’s are hardly a failure and what you fail to mention are all the success and great products under Tim Cook, Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone, iPad Pro.

Apple's biggest "mistake" with the 2013 Mac Pro was listening to Intel's hype about Thunderbolt adoption, and then Intel throwing a monkey-wrench in that adoption momentum by licensing fees and other hoops for Thunderbolt.

And you forgot to mention the 2016-2017 MacBook Pro, the 2017 iMac and the iMac Pro. Those have all been very successful, too!
[doublepost=1519247373][/doublepost]

I had the first Macintosh and thought it was VERY cool, and so did everyone else. When was Apple NOT considered cool?

I have my original Apple 1 from 1976.

Beat THAT!

 

[AppleScruff1]

I had the first Macintosh and thought it was VERY cool, and so did everyone else. When was Apple NOT considered cool?

Now.

 

[ipponrg]

Maybe it will look good on a retrospective thought.

Maybe the removal of jack created and pushed the market for new wireless technologies (AliExpress is full of AirPods clones, fakes, similar pairs now).

I'm having trouble looking at this from a retrospective thought.

I think it has 2 side effects. The first is that companies know people will buy Monoprice-ish accessories for Apple products because the pricing is rather absurd for what those accessories do. So those AliExpress companies will try and cap in on that. The second side effect is because Apple is in the driver seat right now. Imagine if they did this before the iPod was around. It would not have the same effect as it did today because of today's brand culture it has created.

Maybe the great hardware in HomePod, solid, tough is also an investment. Maybe 7 years from now, it will still rock in your home, with updated Siri by that time, but the unit will be the very this one bought today with DUMB DUMB Siri.

This will be interesting to see in the next few iterations. I suspect HomePod will improve to casual ears, but I suspect it will have continue to have trouble breaking into more serious situations. So far in the last 3-5 years, Apple technologies have been questionably impressive. Siri is taking forever to get updated. Apple Maps is an abomination. AppleTV works OK, but Roku generally works better. iTunes on PC is abysmal.

To sum up, maybe now some actions feel narcissistic and selfish but maybe when you reminisce in 10 years time it will be obvious why the stuck to HEVC and not Google's VP8/VP9.

Apple would almost never pay VP8/VP9 licensing to their competition.

Why Apple Maps were created (maybe then, after 10 years, it will be almost on par with Google and Apple and app developers won't have to split with Google or buy some tokens for Google's API because those Apple Maps will be sufficient).

I still wonder the same why Apple Maps was created. I've actually deleted it off my phone and use Google Maps instead. In NYC, the app is an abomination. I hope it gets better, but it feels they haven't touched it in ages now.

 

[SRLMJ23]

Oh Timmy, you cannot fool us! Well, most of us.

 

[dogslobber]

Just how would shareholders go about proving they've been hurt by reaping the rewards of investing in the richest company in the world?

Dunno. Leave that to the Harvard law grads.

 

[Abazigal]

I still wonder the same why Apple Maps was created. I've actually deleted it off my phone and use Google Maps instead. In NYC, the app is an abomination. I hope it gets better, but it feels they haven't touched it in ages now.

The reason why you even have a decent google maps app today is because of Apple maps serving as an important hedge. If Apple maps had not existed, we would be back in 2010 where Apple was completely at the mercy of google for a critical part of its ecosystem (and screw over Apple Google would).

And google maps has copied tons from Apple maps, namely its design language. So if you like the design aesthetic of google maps, again, you have Apple to thank. Google makes great services, but I don’t think they have a single design bone in them.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Yes yes & you continue with your collection of potato chips that look like Tim Cook.

The "best" cause it's the latest is almost meaningless & since all iPhones run on the same platform the X's superiority is arguable. Which IPad Pro, 12.9?, 10.5? 9.7? all the above. The best thing they do is make the regular iPad look like bargain at 1/2 the price. If Apple cars about customers why after dropping the 2 most used ports (usb & hdmi) from their MacBooks they couldn't do the courtesy the put an adapter in the damn box. What's $5 to them wholesale is nickel & dimed after sale with a 20x markup.

It's not negative to call things out on its BS. When you want to pretend there's no problems it sends the wrong message that there's nothing to fix & Apple has plenty to fix.. ain't that right Federighi?

Want some cheese to go with that WHINE?

USB-C -> USB-A Adapters are literally 3 for $5, get over it.

Yes, they removed a couple of USB-A and (perhaps) an HDMI port, and REPLACED them with Ports that can TURN INTO a myriad of configurations of up to 13 SIMULTANEOUS "Legacy" Ports PER USB-C/TB3 PORT (FIFTY-TWO SIMULTANEOUS PORTS TOTAL ON THE MBP 15"!!!)

And all you can do is WHINE.

And as far as "Saying there was nothing to fix?" Didn't Uncle Craig just announce a few weeks ago that the next version of iOS was going to focus on STABILITY and BUGFIXES? Sounds like an "Admission" that the regular pace of "New Features" has got to take a backseat for now. What more do you want?

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/30/apple-to-focus-on-ios-performance-quality-issues-axios/
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This is a quote from Tim Cook from the interview. So to be clear, they released the Homepod without Airplay 2 or multi-speaker mode. That product wasn't ready to be released Tim so why was it? - You're breaking your own rule here.

Also iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra dispel this myth he's trying to perpetrate that they don't use their customers as a laboratory. These operating systems are not stable and have needed huge amounts of minor releases to fix bugs.

You didn't do the testing well enough internally and basically treated your customers like lab rats. I hope none of you guys are buying what he's saying in this interview, what he's saying is simply not true.

They released the HomePod without a HALF-BAKED version of AirPlay2 or Multi-Speaker mode. Samsung would have gone ahead and released it with the half-working versions baked into the ROMs.

Apple HAS demonstrated both the multi-speaker (pseudo-stereo) software, and I believe AirPlay 2; but does not feel that it is ready for prime-time (hence them pulling AirPlay 2 from the most recent version of iOS betas)

 

[Labeno]

Tim’s a liar or else Apple would never have remove the MagSafe concept from the new laptops. MagSafe is not a geriatric technology like floppy discs and tube television. MagSafe was an amazing invention that should be applied to any product with a cord ( hair dryers, circular saws, etc)

 

[MrUNIMOG]

“The owner of that drone. Find him. And bring me his head.”​

This is pure genius! LMAO.

 

[kazmac]

May there be no more pipeline promises and "bad weeks" at Apple. All I'd like going forward: secure, non-buggy software and gimmick-free hardware that is available for a variety of budgets.

 

[Abazigal]

Tim’s a liar or else Apple would never have remove the MagSafe concept from the new laptops. MagSafe is not a geriatric technology like floppy discs and tube television. MagSafe was an amazing invention that should be applied to any product with a cord ( hair dryers, circular saws, etc)

Why have a MagSafe port when you could have a more versatile usb C port in its place that can double as any other data port when your laptop isn’t charging?

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Man, can we stop it with the "man, so much hate posts on MR lately" posts already?
Can it once and for all sink in that criticism of a company is mostly based on the fact that the people complaining actually care about seeing improvement?

By and large, no they don't.

How long have you been using the internet?
[doublepost=1519250847][/doublepost]

I think it's pretty obvious that he is referring to the controversy of only 2 months ago about iPhone performance being sneakily lowered to increase battery life in iPhones who's batteries were needing replaced, and how they never told the iPhone owners they were doing this, and how a (relatively) simple battery replacement would increase their iPhones performance significantly.
Lots of people felt cheated by it. I understand why they did it, but do not understand why they never disclosed it.

Because of EXACTLY the response that happened...

 

[Jesse Waugh]

As always, Cook says nothing.

If their priority would be products, they would not have had that many failed products (Mac Pro, latest Macbook Pro). You only started working on a new Mac PRo after many Pro users complained so much that Schiller had to come out and do an interview saying that Apple "still care" about their Pro users.

If their priority would be products, they would not have waited that long to upgrade the Mac mini, and the Mac Pro and the iMac.

If their priority would be people they would not have done what they did to the iPhone and cheated with the battery performance.

The only thing you care is not about innovation, products and users, but about making money with the iphones...

Sad...

Agree with everything you wrote except you stating cylinder “trash can” Mac Pro was a failure - that’s not at all true. Mine has worked powerfully and flawlessly since day one. Maybe it’s not an optimal shape, and form over function, but it’s a top notch computer. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to a modular Mac Pro - hopefully with no gimmicks!
[doublepost=1519250979][/doublepost]

Shame on you. That it a Bald Face Lie.

Cook is obviously compromised - who knows what they have on him. Everything that exits his mouth now is a calculated lie.