Tim Cook Says Apple Products 'Change the World' and Aren't Priced Just 'For the Rich'

[Mr. Dee]

if you made $100,000 a year then...

$1000 to t.Cook is like $12.



(based on him making ~$8.5m / year)

Not necessarily, he might be making that, but he might look at the value of certain things differently. For instance, he probably wouldn't spend $12 on a burger for instance.

I remember a few years ago, Bill Gates checking account from Equifax leaked. It showed he only had $800 spending money in it. Which is understandable, he is not gonna walk around millions of dollars either. We are talking about a guy who still buys $2 tacos at Taco Bell.

What I realize about some people about their approach to wealth, they tend to compartmentalize their value of things.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

What a perfectly put and beautiful reply... I love this...

The hypocrisy is bleeding everywhere... Apple has lost perspective as it has the Elite running a company for the rich and famous, they look down on people who are not rich, those they call Employees at Apple Retail...

My Reply to Tim Cook is simple... "PROVE IT!"

He can't. His credibility was destroyed a long time ago on the day he introduced the gold Apple Watch revealing the price of $10-17K, while sweating like a pig on stage. I remember it very well. He looked extremely uncomfortable uttering the numbers. You can sense it from his voice.

 

[normanfox]

When you live a certain life as Tim and Phil, your lifestyle and wealth becomes distorted. This does not only apply to someone like Kim Khardashian or Ivanka Trump or Bill Gates. I for instance, don't know what its like to live on $1 per day, but thats the life for many in impoverished nations around the world. When I pay $6 for a burger for lunch, that is sometimes a persons monthly income somewhere else: Cuba, Venezuela, parts of Africa or the Middle East.

Tim Cook is basically out of touch because he doesn't understand or never understood what the sacrifices are to purchase an iPhone for many. This guy who has been exceptionally successful most of his adult life, worked at IBM, Compaq and Apple.

So, $1000 to Tim Cook is like $100 dollars to you and me. Its a negligible purchase in some cases. I have the funds to buy the iPhone X right now, but the point is, I don't think its right for me to spend that money just because its innovative.

That said, if you can afford it and want it, it shouldn't be a guilty pleasure either.

Tim Cook is not a politician. so out of touch is not his thing to worry about. He runs a business for profit to satisfy investors and stock holders, like yourself if you own Apple stocks.

At the end of the day, if his company makes money or alot of it, then he is successful. obviously, his company high profit is also an indication of producing right products for the right population who are willing to pay for it. if he targets the rich only or produce a bad product, then his company won't make alot of money. Apple has load of cash and profit. No doubt they have done two things right: quality products that target a large consumer base.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Correction, Apple "changed" the world, they no longer are doing so. Samsung is changing the world now, first they brought us phablet phones and everyone laughed at them but then Apple copied, and then they pushed stuff like OLED, inductive charging, waterproofing, etc all of which Apple is adopting years later.

Cook should have never uttered "changing the world" when the company has already been doing that since 1976. He's only saying this just to sound inspirational and get attention, in a way that's a defensive shield of sorts to continue the illusion of relevancy.

I shudder to think what garbage will come out of his mouth on tomorrow's keynote. If they had fired him, we wouldn't be hearing this nonsense from him anymore.

They're gonna pull a 'Everything's all rosy with Apple' song and dance tomorrow. Expect Cook or Schiller to sweat like pigs trying to convince the audience on selling points when they reveal their most expensive products, especially the iPhone X.

 

[flat five]

You know what. I think we're looking at this from the wrong side.

or maybe just the wrong idea about what rich actually means.

in the U.S, you're generally considered 'wealthy' at around $2.5m... 'rich' means you're making over ~$450,000/year...

if t.Cook is speaking from that perspective (which he is-- if you read the quote vs. the headline) then it's a valid statement and probably a lot more people would agree with it..

----
that said, statements like these don't sit well with most of us regardless of the actual meanings/intent.

 

[GtrDude]

Well, if Cook says it.....it must be right....

They probably also didn't just raise the price on their Macbook and Macbook Pros and iMacs while dropping the quality significantly.

Tim Cook's version of "rich" is very different from just about everyone else in the world. With the exception of very few people.

So when I spend 4k on a MBP and 1K on an iPhone and 1K on an iPad and 6k on a Mac Pro, that's no big deal to him. Even though most of us have to do it on payments WITH interest.

But heck, if Cook says it, that's enough and is all we need to know.

 

[flat five]

Cook should have never uttered "changing the world" when the company has already been doing that since 1976. He's only saying this just to sound inspirational and get attention, in a way that's a defensive shield of sorts to continue the illusion of relevancy.

actually.. if you read the first sentence of the OP :

Apple has ranked third on Fortune's annual list of companies that "change the world" based on the social impact of their core businesses, and CEO Tim Cook sat down for a related interview with executive editor Adam Lashinsky.
​

...you'll see Apple was included on a list of companies that change the world.. and some dude Adam interviewed him about it.
it's not like Cook was giving a speech and uttered 'changing the world'

 

[ryanwarsaw]

I think he underestimates how many people buy an iPhone on a monthly plan from their carrier and if they didn't have that option they'd not have one at all.

How many people do that with a $1,500 4K televsion, $350 sound bar, $4,000 sectional living room set, $150 a month net cable bill?

Now ask yourself how many people can finance a product like a Ferrari? The difference is the Ferrari is simply unobtainable for most people that aren't rich. A kid with a part time job at Burger King can save up enough for an iPhone. It isn't exactly a penthouse in Monaco.

If you aren't wealthy and can get financing to buy a product it isn't the exclusive privilege of the rich to have one. You may however never become rich using such purchasing decisions.

I buy my phones unlocked and pay cash. I am not by any means rich. If you truly believe that one has to be rich to own any Apple product you must be leaving under abject poverty.

The argument that is more meaningful is the value for money aspect but that is pretty subjective. Sometimes I feel an offering from Apple is over priced but don't feel that I would have to be rich to own one.

 

[GtrDude]

Considering that IBM switched their employee's computer lineup to Macs because it was cheaper in the long run, I can't fault Cook for saying this.

IBM is a little wealthier than most of us.

 

[pika2000]

To be fair apples less expensive iPhone 6S & SE are 2 years old, and if my '14 iPhone 6 is anything to go by will be like walking through treacle next year.

I think you could replace my £1000 dollar question with £700.

The iPhone 6S still beats the Galaxy S8 on speed tests.
You can buy other phones if you don't like Apple prices. I don't see people complaining about the Note 8 being $1k.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

Lol... TC is fully enclosed in the RDF. Even though iDevices are a bit pricier (and maybe justifiable depending on use cases) the statements come across more like excuses for the high prices. iPhones may not be for the riches but normal folks may not be able to afford $1K phone on a whim.

The horrors! Normal folks might have to go two years between upgrades!!!

 

[Mr. Dee]

Tim Cook is not a politician. so out of touch is not his thing to worry about. He runs a business for profit to satisfy investors and stock holders, like yourself if you own Apple stocks.

At the end of the day, if his company makes money or alot of it, then he is successful. obviously, his company high profit is also an indication of producing right products for the right population who are willing to pay for it. if he targets the rich only or produce a bad product, then his company won't make alot of money. Apple has load of cash and profit. No doubt they have done two things right: quality products that target a large consumer base.

What does being a politician have to do with sensitivity to how much customers are willing to spend on Apple products? Also, I think you lost the script, because you are assuming that he is targeting the rich and he didn't say anything like that.

Also, Tim Cook is not a politician, but he certainly does voice his opinion on social issues: DACA, Human Rights, the Environment, Civil Rights. All of which, are political issues. The company has lobbyist in Washington who cheerlead to get measures passed in the company's favor. He is always giving his opinion on the US tax code for businesses; and why it needs to be reformed so he can repatriate all that cash Apple has overseas. So please, step out of your bubble.

Considering the company's philosophy since its inception was to make computers for the rest of us. I guess the rest of us to you is Ivanka and Rihanna. Another thing, Apple kept the iPad at a premium and sales tanked for so many quarters. It didn't recover until the introduction of a cheaper iPad, which not only increased volume but sales, too.

 

[rvinny]

Correction, Apple "changed" the world, they no longer are doing so. Samsung is changing the world now, first they brought us phablet phones and everyone laughed at them but then Apple copied, and then they pushed stuff like OLED, inductive charging, waterproofing, etc all of which Apple is adopting years later.

isn't the Note 8 going for $900 or something as well? After years of price decline on phones, seems the manufacturers are catching on to a new upwards trend. I am to the point where what the 7 or a S8 / G6 / Pixel offers is good enough. Not sure I need to venture in $1k territory. Plus the return of the glass back is fugly. I like the matte black on the 7.

 

[greenmeanie]

Well rich to TIM is someone who makes Billions of dollars a year.
For the average joe like most of us Rich is someone who makes over 100K/year.
SO ya to Tim everyone can afford them.

 

[usarioclave]

You know, I've been buying Apple products since the Apple ][, and they've always been made for rich people. Tim is using a different definition of rich than most people do. Of course, he's rich...like Orca rich.

 

[amolediphone]

Tim is right, they aren't just for the rich, they are also for the 'heavily in debt'.

Yeah? They're also for people who have SAVED UP FOR THEM. I know, an astounding concept eh? Some people are capable of being not very well off BUT wanting that one special purchase a year which they save and save for and buy with their own HARD EARNED money, once per year. I am not one of them, I can't justify such an expense, I do not NEED (or want) latest & greatest, but for the normal man on a normal wage who pays HIS OWN cash, and enjoys it, who are any of us to pass judgement.

There's an old fashioned principle - "If I can't afford it and don't have the money NOW and SPARE, I don't buy it." (read: very good - most "old fashioned" principles and morals are good, and the absence of them in modern day life, under the transparent, horse sh** guise of "progressive", is why the world has gone VERY VERY BAD.)

This retarded society needs to go back to OLD principles - wisdom is all but absent, and that AIN'T IN ANY WAY a good thing.

 

[flat five]

You know, I've been buying Apple products since the Apple ][, and they've always been made for rich people. Tim is using a different definition of rich than most people do. Of course, he's rich...like Orca rich.

heh.. he said:

you can buy an iPad today for under $300. You can buy an iPhone, depending upon which one you select, for in that same kind of ballpark. And so these are not for the rich.​

..so, what about the other products @tim?

 

[AdonisSMU]

Samsung charges $969 bucks US so...Timmy is accurate even with a 1000 dollar iPhone on the horizon.
[doublepost=1505180710][/doublepost]

Pricing is tough to call anything but mid to high end consumer. That being said, my gateway into modern Apple products came in the form of 2nd hand devices for the first few years. What is nice is their licensing model for software even on older equipment.

Cheaper in the long run not in the short run. People are just greedy and think they should have a new phone every year.
[doublepost=1505180868][/doublepost]

Yeah? They're also for people who have SAVED UP FOR THEM. I know, an astounding concept eh? Some people are capable of being not very well off BUT wanting that one special purchase a year which they save and save for and buy with their own HARD EARNED money, once per year. I am not one of them, I can't justify such an expense, I do not NEED (or want) latest & greatest, but for the normal man on a normal wage who pays HIS OWN cash, and enjoys it, who are any of us to pass judgement.

There's an old fashioned principle - "If I can't afford it and don't have the money NOW and SPARE, I don't buy it." (read: very good - most "old fashioned" principles and morals are good, and the absence of them in modern day life, under the transparent, horse sh** guise of "progressive", is why the world has gone VERY VERY BAD.)

This retarded society needs to go back to OLD principles - wisdom is all but absent, and that AIN'T IN ANY WAY a good thing.

good point. People are using their extra income to fund all kinds of things I don't approve of.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I realize paying $1,000 for a cell phone sounds expensive in isolation.

But how many people pay for their phone through their cell phone carrier? How many people have never paid the full retail price for a phone?

You're gonna have a monthly cell phone bill for the rest of your life... so why not roll the cost of the phone into the bill you're gonna pay anyway?

My current iPhone had a retail price of $850. But it worked out to $35 a month over two years for the phone itself... plus around $70 a month for the service.

I'm fine with that.

The $1,000 iPhone will be around $42 a month for the phone portion of my bill. I'm fine with that too. It's an extra $7 a month for this new phone.

I don't consider that "going into debt" for an expensive toy since I'll be paying monthly to the cell carrier anyway.

Perhaps if carriers demanded an entire year or two worth of payments all at once... then it'd be a different story.

 

[bunnicula]

The answer is no he wouldn't, Jobs was as hard faced as they come he wouldn't have had any problem bashing the competition he just wouldn't have followed it up with the hypocritical soft soap nonsense that Tim Cook has here.

We'll agree to disagree.
[doublepost=1505183396][/doublepost]

That is like saying the Apple Watch Edition isn't priced for the rich...

I love Apple products; have for decades. I've lost count of how many Apple products I bought over the decades, despite the budgeting I had to do. However, Tim is clearly out of touch with reality if he is claiming they price them for everyone. Maybe if he meant second hand, 5 years later after release, sure.

Nah... the Edition for 10k plus and an iPhone with infinitely greater usage value for 1k are hardly in the same class of consumer goods.
[doublepost=1505183471][/doublepost]

This is a perfect example of how wealthy individuals are out of touch with us regular peasants. Maybe a $1000+ is affordable in his world but that's rent money for a lot of folks.

Apple products aren't necessarily for rich people. But you have to have a pretty decent income to afford apple products.

This is the same company that sells a macbook charger for $70 and then charges an additional $20 for the usb-c cable.

Don't even get me started on the 2017 macbook pricing.

You claim to be a "regular peasant" but your list of Apple goods begs to differ.
[doublepost=1505183572][/doublepost]

I hear luxury car dealerships say the same line too...
"Owning a Porsche/BMW/Mercedes/etc. isn't just for the wealthy"

Technically, it's not.

But, their whole mystique is that they are selling luxury goods so I doubt they'll say otherwise.

You can lease a lower end luxury vehicle for less than a pickup truck. You can buy one used at Carmax... the possibilities are endless. But, plenty of people who aren't rich have a luxury vehicle.
[doublepost=1505183888][/doublepost]

How many people do that with a $1,500 4K televsion, $350 sound bar, $4,000 sectional living room set, $150 a month net cable bill?

Now ask yourself how many people can finance a product like a Ferrari? The difference is the Ferrari is simply unobtainable for most people that aren't rich. A kid with a part time job at Burger King can save up enough for an iPhone. It isn't exactly a penthouse in Monaco.

If you aren't wealthy and can get financing to buy a product it isn't the exclusive privilege of the rich to have one. You may however never become rich using such purchasing decisions.

I buy my phones unlocked and pay cash. I am not by any means rich. If you truly believe that one has to be rich to own any Apple product you must be leaving under abject poverty.

The argument that is more meaningful is the value for money aspect but that is pretty subjective. Sometimes I feel an offering from Apple is over priced but don't feel that I would have to be rich to own one.

All this. But, especially the bolded.

I buy my iPhones unlocked and pay cash. I sell them the next year, recoup a little bit of the money, and by that time I've already bought the newer version. Eh. I like new phones.

I do NOT buy every laptop, iMac, etc that hits the market. I just got the new touchbar MBP this year, and I did buy the regular MB, but I tend not to upgrade laptops so often. I don't load them up. I buy them fairly basic.

I would like an iMac Pro, but damn... not for that price. That said, I'm sure someone else thinks it's a good deal for their intended use.

I could buy any of those things, is the point. But, I am not going to.

I cannot buy a Ferrari at this point unless I want to go live in a tiny house to pull it off.
[doublepost=1505184041][/doublepost]

You know what. I think we're looking at this from the wrong side. Maybe he's not talking about the line up today, but Tomorrow the pricing could change completely.

Could be that he slipped and there will be a price cut to < $300 tomorrow on the Ipad.

And perhaps we've all be hoodwinked in believing in a $1000 iPhone, and we see a realistic price band.

I think 1k is realistic for the new model, though. Not sure it's realistic for the 64MB, but the middle tier phone? Sure. If middle is 256kb, the current 7 plus was selling for 969 for 256KB, so tell me, what's the huge difference? That said, if the 256kb winds up being closer to 1100, will it really be more than a 100-dollar price increase? Nope.

 

[iamtheonlyone4ever]

tomorrow Phil will say, this is the best and fastest iPhone we have ever build
one thousandth of an inch slimmer, 1/4 of an ounce more light
only 999.99

you can buy a cheap use car for 1,000 dollar to go to your job
or you can buy an iPhone and walk to your job while you talk or text
make sure you use that health app to monitor you heart rate


iPhone 8 come in two models
iPhone 8 R for the rich and iPhone 8 P for the poor

 

[flat five]

you can buy a cheap use car for 1,000 dollar to go to your job
or you can buy an iPhone and walk to your job while you talk or text
make sure you use that health app to monitor you heart rate

you have a pretty crappy job if these are your only options

---
(that said.. i actually do walk to work.. so maybe that's why i can afford macs )

 

[Feenician]

you have a pretty crappy job if these are your only options

When people are, for some bizarre reason, arguing against what other people spend their money on, false dichotomies are all they have.

 

[iamtheonlyone4ever]

you have a pretty crappy job if these are your only options

---
(that said.. i actually do walk to work.. so maybe that's why i can afford macs )

i bought a 8,000 dollar used car cash my dear brother, if i wanted a could have taken out a brand new car out the dealer but i don't like making monthly payments, i'm happy and satisfied with what i have, i only used the 1,000 dollar analogy because that is what the iPhone is going to cost, you can buy a bicycle or walk that is completely fine depending on how far is your job, i have a 5,000 hackintosh just the tower alone, the complete set up in my room including, sound system , 4k monitor , projector etc etc is almost 10,000 dollars all together, i'm not rich but is not about the money, i personally won't spend 1,000 on a phone, not because i can't buy it is because i don't want to buy it. and if i buy one i will keep it for a few years, whats the point of changing the phone next year for another grand, buy an factory unlocked phone and put a Obama chip in there and boom there you have no monthly charge unless you talk more than 500 minutes a month.

 

[amolediphone]

mispost, sorry.
[doublepost=1505186362][/doublepost]

I realize paying $1,000 for a cell phone sounds expensive in isolation.

But how many people pay for their phone through their cell phone carrier? How many people have never paid the full retail price for a phone?

You're gonna have a monthly cell phone bill for the rest of your life... so why not roll the cost of the phone into the bill you're gonna pay anyway?

My current iPhone had a retail price of $850. But it worked out to $35 a month over two years for the phone itself... plus around $70 a month for the service.

I'm fine with that.

The $1,000 iPhone will be around $42 a month for the phone portion of my bill. I'm fine with that too. It's an extra $7 a month for this new phone.

I don't consider that "going into debt" for an expensive toy since I'll be paying monthly to the cell carrier anyway.

Perhaps if carriers demanded an entire year or two worth of payments all at once... then it'd be a different story.

Nice try with attempting to "justify" $1,000 phone, lol. Yes, it sounds expensive because it is, and if an animal chases mice, drinks milk and meows, it's not because "it appears to be a cat", it's because IT IS a cat.