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Bloomberg Businessweek sat down with Apple CEO Tim Cook last week to discuss a collection of topics related to Apple and the tech industry, including augmented reality, the legacy that Steve Jobs left behind, the HomePod, and the opinions he has following his work with U.S. President Donald Trump. Bloomberg Businessweek's full interview with Tim Cook will appear in the Sunday, June 19 edition of the magazine, but for now the site has shared a few interesting snippets from the talk.

One of the major talking points of the interview centered around the HomePod, Apple's new Siri-based speaker for the home that the company says will have a focus on high quality audio playback. When asked whether or not he thinks people will actually pay $349 for a HomePod, Cook pointed out the same question that gets brought up heading into the launch of every new Apple product.

bloomberg-tim-cook.jpg

If you remember when the iPod was introduced, a lot of people said, "Why would anybody pay $399 for an MP3 player?" And when iPhone was announced, it was, "Is anybody gonna pay"--whatever it was at that time--"for an iPhone?" The iPad went through the same thing. We have a pretty good track record of giving people something that they may not have known that they wanted.

When I was growing up, audio was No. 1 on the list of things that you had to have. You were jammin' out on your stereo. Audio is still really important in all age groups, not just for kids. We're hitting on something people will be delighted with. It's gonna blow them away. It's gonna rock the house.
The main iOS topic covered in the new interview was augmented reality and its upcoming addition in iOS 11 thanks to ARKit. Cook said that he's so excited about the possibilities for the future of AR that he just wants to "yell out and scream," while admitting that there are limitations to the technology in its current state. But he thinks that those limitations are the building blocks of an "incredible runway" with a bright future, and said that, "When people begin to see what's possible, it's going to get them very excited--like we are, like we've been."

Bloomberg Businessweek asked how much time Cook spends thinking about his own legacy -- in the context of Steve Jobs -- to which Cook plainly stated, "None." Cook hopes that people simply remember him "as a good and decent man," and wants Jobs' DNA to remain the heart of the company for any future CEO over the next 100 years. Cook explained that while Apple as a whole will adjust and change with the times, this "Constitution" created through Jobs' beliefs and actions should be set in stone.
His ethos should drive that--the attention to detail, the care, the ­simplicity, the focus on the user and the user experience, the focus on building the best, the focus that good isn't good enough, that it has to be great, or in his words, "insanely great," that we should own the proprietary technology that we work with because that's the only way you can control your future and control your quality and user experience.

And you should have the courage to walk away and be honest with yourself when you do something wrong, that you shouldn't be so married to your position and your pride that you can't say, "I'm changing directions." These kind of things, these guardrails, should be the basis for Apple a century from now.

It's like the Constitution, which is the guide for the United States. It should not change. We should revere it. In essence, these principles that Steve learned over many years are the basis for Apple. It doesn't mean the company hasn't changed. The company's going to change. It's going to go into different product areas. It's going to learn and adjust. Many things have changed in the company, even in the last six to seven years. But our "Constitution" shouldn't change. It should remain the same.
Cook was also directly asked about his experience working with President Donald Trump, including a tech summit late last year that saw a group of CEOs attending a meeting in Trump Tower to discuss trade, immigration, vocational education, and more. Ultimately, Cook admitted that he and Trump have "dramatically different" beliefs in most areas, and he argued that above all else, "America's more important than bloody politics."
I feel a great responsibility as an American, as a CEO, to try to influence things in areas where we have a level of expertise. I've pushed hard on immigration. We clearly have a very different view on things in that area. I've pushed on climate. We have a different view there. There are clearly areas where we're not nearly on the same page.

We're dramatically different. I hope there's some areas where we're not. His focus on jobs is good. So we'll see. Pulling out of the Paris climate accord was very disappointing. I felt a responsibility to do every single thing I could for it not to happen. I think it's the wrong decision. If I see another opening on the Paris thing, I'm going to bring it up again.

At the end of the day, I'm not a person who's going to walk away and say, "If you don't do what I want, I leave." I'm not on a council, so I don't have those kind of decisions. But I care deeply about America. I want America to do well. America's more important than bloody politics from my point of view.
Rounding out the questions for the interview snippets posted today, Bloomberg Businessweek asked Cook to respond to critics who say Apple isn't innovating anymore. Cook answered with the long-time Apple argument that it's not about being first to a product category, it's about being the best in the category, while focusing on what particularly will elevate its users' lives: "It's actually not about competing, from our point of view. It's about thinking through for the Apple user what thing will improve their lives."

The rest of the interview includes Cook's comments on the enterprise market, Apple's $1 billion advanced manufacturing fund, and his opinions on a tax plan for repatriating the international earnings of U.S. companies. More topics are expected to be covered in the full interview on June 19.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Tim Cook Talks HomePod, AR, and How America is 'More Important Than Bloody Politics' in New Interview
 
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If you remember when the iPod was introduced, a lot of people said, "Why would anybody pay $399 for an MP3 player?" And when iPhone was announced, it was, "Is anybody gonna pay"--whatever it was at that time--"for an iPhone?" The iPad went through the same thing. We have a pretty good track record of giving people something that they may not have known that they wanted :- Macrumors Quote

And Same thing will happen to HomePod, People always complain about the price in the beginning,but after realizing how good the product is for its give price they Goona buy.

HomePod is fairly a Class Leading product and going to Sell in good numbers.
 
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I'm really glad Cook is at the helm of Apple. Jobs wasn't a technician either, but he knew what people would want and built a great team. Cook seems to be focused on building great teams as well As long as he continues to focus on Apple's "constitution" as he calls it, the company will be fine.
 
"Is anybody gonna pay"--whatever it was at that time--"for an iPhone?"

Apparently Tim Cook doesn't remember/know that they reduced the price of the iPhone shortly after it was released because it *was* too expensive. They even gave credit to early adopters. Him not knowing this might explain some of the recent prices...
 
Will be buying a HomePod on day 1.

I won't do that, however it is for the first time in a long time that I am interested in a new Apple product.

My "Do not buy Beta/REV A Apple products" self imposed rule may weaken, IF the reviews and a personal visit to an Apple Store confirm that it is something I want.
(Over the years I became too lazy to set up my stereo with all that cable salad and music is not so important anymore)

Being on an iPad 2 and lately finding myself using my iPhone 6s plus to read or using my MBP 15" for movies etc.,
I will be buying an iPad Pro and pencil, because iOS 11 , the fast refresh rates promised etc. etc. gets me current.

As for AR, I can see that being huge. The demonstration we saw was really good.

As for those who can't look at anything Apple does objectively, buy something you like from a manufacturer with a better product.

And, to most of those who constantly criticize TC here on MR: You couldn't run the place if your life depended on it!
 
TIL Apple-CEO Tim Cook doesn't remember the price of the original iPhone.
Oh I bet he remembers it. It's just he remembered that the original iPhone sold like a turd on a stick until there was a price reduction. Didn't quite fit the point he was trying to make. BTW, it was a very valid point. Apple has been very good at understanding what the upper limits of price are and what people are willing to pay. The original iPhone was just an example of the one time they over estimated.
 
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Timmy, just refresh the damn Apple Thunderbolt Display, then maybe I'll take your words seriously.

He doesn't care whether you take his words seriously or not...
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If you remember when the iPod was introduced, a lot of people said, "Why would anybody pay $399 for an MP3 player?" And when iPhone was announced, it was, "Is anybody gonna pay"--whatever it was at that time--"for an iPhone?" The iPad went through the same thing. We have a pretty good track record of giving people something that they may not have known that they wanted :- Macrumors Quote

And Same thing will happen to HomePod, People always complain about the price in the beginning,but after realizing how good the product is for its give price they Goona buy.

HomePod is fairly a Class Leading product and going to Sell in good numbers.

All day long people complain complain complain. So much so that you would think NO ONE will be buying Apple's products, but as soooon as launch comes around all the comments you see are "man this is cool!" "I've been trying to get one for weeks!"

People will never cease to amaze me.
 
Translation: "my political opinions are the only ones that matter because I'm right and they're wrong".

The excerpt in English which you quoted, has a directly opposite meaning of your translation of it, into... English.

Not saying you don't have a successful career as a translator ahead of you, but, maybe not in hostage negotiations or international treaties.
 
Meh, that is a very tired response from Cook as far as innovation is concerned. Apple used to be innovative and has now fallen into the realm of "wait and see". That was not Jobs Apple.
Apple did a wait and see on phones and on the tablets. Im not getting your point here.
 
I don't agree with a lot of what Tim Cook or Donald Trump think about the world, but I can get behind this statement:

At the end of the day, I'm not a person who's going to walk away and say, "If you don't do what I want, I leave." I'm not on a council, so I don't have those kind of decisions. But I care deeply about America. I want America to do well. America's more important than bloody politics from my point of view.
If we can't work together, it's going to be really hard to get anything accomplished.
 
Anecdotal 100% but I'm not as sure as Cook on his assessment of the HomePod relative to other new Apple products. I've been an early adopter of just about every all new Apple non-Mac product since the iPod. I'm 100% not interested in HomePod because it's too expensive to outfit my entire home with.

If it had one main speakers and then a much lower priced satellite for other rooms I'd be all in. I think that is what Cook doesn't get.

The other Apple products were different in that they were either personal and/or didn't require a half dozen units to be useful unless you lived in a studio apt.
 
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