Tim Cook Starts India Trip With Temple Visit and Meetings in Mumbai

[jedifaka]

Tim is really trying to pucker up to China lately and I guess since he's in the neighborhood, India gets some brown-nosing too. It's not always clear what his motives are, but we've seen this kind of behavior many times in the past few years and there isn't much to show for. I'm not saying Tim isn't a good CEO, he just seems to have lost touch with what made Apple great, and is leading Apple down a bumpy road. Apple is a little messy lately, and kind of stale and boring. The magic is beginning to fizzle.

His motives are so obvious as to hurt. Share price is affected by a perception that the China market is less friendly to Apple. Apple's CEO has to hit India to build the perception that India is different, that it represents vast potential growth.
It's the dude's primary responsibility and it should not be cause for suspicion that he's actively doing it.

 

[Apple Corps]

It's not. This place has become a pit of toxicity. I generally just avoid the front page articles now.

So you say, but HERE you are posting negativity about people being negative

Perhaps you are simply in a different pit?

 

[Toltepeceno]

I wonder sometimes how many people here are paid trolls. It's fine to have opinions, but I don't understand why you'd hang out all day every day on a forum about a company that you hate.

There's a difference in hate, reality and worship. One guess which category you are in.

I quit going so much into the other areas. Post a problem and the real haters come out, not understanding how anyone could dare post a problem with an apple product.

[doublepost=1463596475][/doublepost]

It's the dude's primary responsibility and it should not be cause for suspicion that he's actively doing it.

All companies are about money, it's expected for him to do it by the shareholders. I think Cook is screwing up apple, but I would not hold this against him.

 

[jedifaka]

There's a difference in hate, reality and worship. One guess which category you are in.

I quit going so much into the other areas. Post a problem and the real haters come out, not understanding how anyone could dare post a problem with an apple product.

[doublepost=1463596475][/doublepost]

All companies are about money, it's expected for him to do it by the shareholders. I think Cook is screwing up apple, but I would not hold this against him.

I'm on your side. As an enthusiast, I like to be wowed. I like awesome stuff and if it's cool, I don't care what the margins are on it. It doesn't appear, though, that you can have it both ways. Maybe being insanely profitable precludes you from being insanely great; the decisions you make are incompatible.
Probably some fans would welcome more product greatness even at the expense of profit greatness. But that's not the system we live in.

 

[MacMan988]

See how energetic and motivated looking that indian guy is talking to Tim Cook there?
I have heard that those Indians who works in the IT industry are basically willing to work for food and shelter these days..

 

[diipii]

His motives are so obvious as to hurt. Share price is affected by a perception that the China market is less friendly to Apple. Apple's CEO has to hit India to build the perception that India is different, that it represents vast potential growth.
It's the dude's primary responsibility and it should not be cause for suspicion that he's actively doing it.

You have totally missed the real point. Making the best computers in the world is all about making the best computers in the world. Not lies, spin, weadling, stealing, marketing, advertising etc etc ad nauseum.
Just make the damn computers, get out of the way and let the customers get on with it their way.

 

[oplix]

Tim Cook is so lost on how to innovate he is traveling the world in hopes to innovate once again... or at least have someone do it for him.

 

[bpeeps]

So you say, but HERE you are posting negativity about people being negative

Perhaps you are simply in a different pit?

The irony. By all means, perpetuate the cycle.

 

[Toltepeceno]

I'm on your side. As an enthusiast, I like to be wowed. I like awesome stuff and if it's cool, I don't care what the margins are on it. It doesn't appear, though, that you can have it both ways. Maybe being insanely profitable precludes you from being insanely great; the decisions you make are incompatible.
Probably some fans would welcome more product greatness even at the expense of profit greatness. But that's not the system we live in.

Yes, absolutely.

Margins are whatever the market allows and what people will pay, as of late quality seems to be slipping in some areas though and most people do expect great quality along with high profit margins.

It seems like Cook is worried more about keeping the margins by spreading rather than by increasing storage in base products, doing away with hd's where osx runs like crap, releasing less buggy software, etc. to increase the market share in his current base.

It would be very nice if he could do both.

Making the best computers in the world is all about making the best computers in the world. Not lies, spin, weadling, stealing, marketing, advertising etc etc ad nauseum.
Just make the damn computers, get out of the way and let the customers get on with it their way.

This. By appearances it seems like apple is more interrested in spreading than keeping their current base happy. A short term solution at best.

While many people do not see an iphone sans headphone jack as a big deal I tend to think it will be in poorer countries. Just another expense tacked on to a phone already more expensive than it goes for in the us.

 

[Abazigal]

Reduced sales growth of Apple products in America, Europe and China. Rather than trying to solve the issue by coming out with more refined and properly tested Operating System software and new innovative hardware, they just move along by trying to push their products and services onto the Indian market...

At least most people in India are used to service outages. So no one will go crazy when things don't work from time to time like us... gotta love Tim!

I don't see how the two are mutually exclusive. The people working on bringing Apple into India likely aren't the same people working on improving iOS and OSX so there is very little opportunity cost here.

Likewise, what I am seeing here is a very US-centric view. Apple's ecosystem may be very well-established in the US, but it still lags heavily in many parts of the world. I don't see anything wrong with Apple working to bring its services to more parts of the world, especially when they don't pay any less for their Apple products. After all, it's Apple's hardware, software and services working together that gives me the "Apple experience".

I suppose one could argue that the time and resources spent on say, bringing new instrument tracks to GarageBand could have been spent on updating iWorks, but it seems that people are complaining simply because Apple is apparently prioritising the needs of another demographic of users over their own.

Sour grapes much? What I am seeing here is basically "me, me, me" masquerading as "the needs of the people".

Get over yourselves already, people.

 

[DevNull0]

If only we could impeach this women. Worst premier ever

Yeah, the fact that she won the election just shows how bad the province has become. I think she'd win a majority if there were an election today, I don't know what it is about the Liberals. They have no platform or policy beyond "say whatever the idiots want to hear today", but the voters are so dumb it works.

 

[Toltepeceno]

Likewise, what I am seeing here is a very US-centric view. Apple's ecosystem may be very well-established in the US, but it still lags heavily in many parts of the world. I don't see anything wrong with Apple working to bring its services to more parts of the world, especially when they don't pay any less for their Apple products.

Any less? People in countries like this pay more. I posted earlier that the price for a base se is about the same in india as here in mexico, 525. Us dollars. If apple wants to compete in these places it will take something remotely close in price to the phones they want to compete with. 525.00 us dollars for a mini phone in countries like this is non competitive.

So really there is a brick wall ahead, a high hard one.

India's middle tops out about what someone making even 8.00 an hour in the us and goes down from there but have to pay 525.00 for the entry se. A lot like here in mexico where the percentage that own apple products is 6%.

 

[CFreymarc]

I'd be pretty nervous if I were an Apple Software Engineer.

Steve Jobs absolutely hated outsourcing. Paid the best for the best and from that came great products and a high valuation. You have a guy like Cook, it becomes an glorified accountant position. Even Ray Croc refused to put in soybean filler into the beef for the first generation of McDonald's hamburgers. I wish I could bring a burger back from McDonald's fifty years ago so you can see the difference in taste. Those burgers didn't keep long due to lack of preservatives.

 

[Laserducky]

Tim went to China and India because they are two of the most corrupt governments in the world and they will make life difficult for Apple in those countries unless he personally panders to them. All this pandering is becoming extremely cringeworthy. You would never have seen Steve Jobs do it.

Great. Another 'if Steve were here' scenario.

Sure, if Steve were here, he would have brought all the jobs back to the US and asked China and India to get lost ?

Cheers !

 

[smorrissey]

I smell desperation...

 

[CFreymarc]

Great. Another 'if Steve were here' scenario.

Sure, if Steve were here, he would have brought all the jobs back to the US and asked China and India to get lost ?

Cheers !

He'd also play back channel politics and be a Donald Trump supporter. Both are disruptive to make things go right. However, The Donald is the ultimate in disruption challenging business-as-usual, post-war American political infrastructure and not letting the press control the story line. Sound familiar?
[doublepost=1463614569][/doublepost]

I smell desperation...

We are going to see a lot of Phoenix from the ashes before the decade is out.

 

[smorrissey]

He'd also play back channel politics and be a Donald Trump supporter. Both are disruptive to make things go right. However, The Donald is the ultimate in disruption challenging business-as-usual, post-war American political infrastructure and not letting the press control the story line. Sound familiar?
[doublepost=1463614569][/doublepost]
We are going to see a lot of Phoenix from the ashes before the decade is out.

an intelligent car for everybody? sure....good luck with that...if you are rich of course

 

[CFreymarc]

I have heard that those Indians who works in the IT industry are basically willing to work for food and shelter these days..

Pretty much so. We are seeing a western exploitation of the Caste system. However, when they get to America and see the other side, many wonder why those in a higher caste should be in their position without merit.

Also, those that have "worked in America" are like Rock Stars once they return to India. A few that I've worked with told me, as soon as they came to America to work in an IT contract, their mother was getting calls from higher caste families to arrange marriages.

Some of these girls were already in America and introductions were being made at local Hindu centers. One Hindu wedding I was at, he only met her bride the day of the wedding. Didn't know that still happened.

 

[garirry]

You know, I was thinking that if I were to take the picture of this article and flip it horizontally, I could make it look like Cook is wearing a coat with the swastika. Then make it viral and watch as plenty of idiots begin to think this is real.

 

[Dr.Chroma]

India will be a great resource for Apple to expand in Apple Stores and manufacturing plants in the future. And it would create a lot of potential job growth for such a beautiful country.

 

[Laserducky]

See how energetic and motivated looking that indian guy is talking to Tim Cook there?
I have heard that those Indians who works in the IT industry are basically willing to work for food and shelter these days..

Well, at least he's talking to the CEO of the world's richest company while people like you and me are here, peddling our own thoughts and opinions and you belittling Indians...... and sure, Nadella and Pichai et al are just working for food and shelter according to you. I can see that you're still stuck in the dark ages....

Cheers !
[doublepost=1463618261][/doublepost]

Pretty much so. We are seeing a western exploitation of the Caste system. However, when they get to America and see the other side, many wonder why those in a higher caste should be in their position without merit.

Also, those that have "worked in America" are like Rock Stars once they return to India. A few that I've worked with told me, as soon as they came to America to work in an IT contract, their mother was getting calls from higher caste families to arrange marriages.

Some of these girls were already in America and introductions were being made at local Hindu centers. One Hindu wedding I was at, he only met her bride the day of the wedding. Didn't know that still happened.

True, I believe every Indian IT worker dreams of being deployed in US and/or settling down there eventually.

And yes, I do understand that this 'ups' their chances of getting married but then isn't that true of everything in life ? Well heeled people or people perceived to be well heeled will always get the girl eg lottery winners etc.

So yes, while I agree with your observations, I believe that we are in danger of stereotyping Indians in general : just like some Indians in India upon seeing a Western lady, automatically assume that she's fair game due to her having no inhibitions and being ultra progressive (as per their mindset.)

Cheers !

 

[simonmet]

Tim: "I'm not Hindi but I'm prepared to make myself look ridiculous because I care about the share price and my pay packet."

 

[Karma*Police]

The level of toxicity probably correlates rather well with the decline of the share price.

People are short-sighted and easily over-react, that's for sure. It was only a year and a half ago when Apple could do no wrong because iphone 6 and 6 plus were selling like hotcakes. That's why most people buy high and sell low and patient investors like Warren Buffet profit from their emotional distress.

I liken it to sports... when the team starts losing a few games, the QB has to go, the coach has to go, the line needs to be revamped... and then the team gets hot and goes on a winning streak and wins the super bowl, and all is forgiven and everyone is stupendous.

 

[zeram1]

Let's see how MacRumors forum members spin this one negatively.

Homosexuality is criminalized in India for up to ten years. So that either means he'll be arrested, or he just sold out for the rupee.

 

[emm386]

I don't see how the two are mutually exclusive. The people working on bringing Apple into India likely aren't the same people working on improving iOS and OSX so there is very little opportunity cost here.

Likewise, what I am seeing here is a very US-centric view. Apple's ecosystem may be very well-established in the US, but it still lags heavily in many parts of the world. I don't see anything wrong with Apple working to bring its services to more parts of the world, especially when they don't pay any less for their Apple products. After all, it's Apple's hardware, software and services working together that gives me the "Apple experience".

I suppose one could argue that the time and resources spent on say, bringing new instrument tracks to GarageBand could have been spent on updating iWorks, but it seems that people are complaining simply because Apple is apparently prioritising the needs of another demographic of users over their own.

Sour grapes much? What I am seeing here is basically "me, me, me" masquerading as "the needs of the people".

Get over yourselves already, people.

There is nothing wrong with Apple's expanse. On the contrary - i SINCERELY wish them good luck and success on new markets!

But I have the impression they are on the verge of forgetting what made their devices and software great in the first place.

So yes, I would have preferred reading news headlines such as "Cook visiting India to tie new bonds while Jeff Williams is meanwhile restructuring the iOS software department in the US".
Call me selfish... I want my Apple devices back that "just work"...