Apple COO Tim Cook on Apple TV, iPad Versus Netbook and Apple as a Platform Company
Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, spoke at the Goldman Sachs annual tech conference in San Francisco Tuesday afternoon, and while he didn’t break much in the way of news, he had some interesting things to say about Apple TV, the iPad as a rival to the netbook, and Apple (AAPL) as a platform provider. His thoughts on each of these topics and a few others, below.
On Apple as mobile devices company:
“Yes, you should definitely look at Apple as a mobile-device company. … We believe we are uniquely positioned for success in the mobile world because we can seamlessly integrate hardware and software.”
On Apple TV:
“Apple TV is still a hobby. The reality is that Apple TV is in a market that is very small today….But we’re going to continue to invest in it because our gut tells us there’s something there….We have no interest in the TV market.”
On the iPad-versus-netbook question:
“I’ve been very clear about my view of netbooks. I think they are an experience most people will not want to continue to have. People were interested in their price, but when they got them home, they said, ‘Why did I buy this?’ So I think when someone looks at the iPad and plays with it and experiences the magic of it and they compare it to a netbook, I find it hard to believe they will buy a netbook….We haven’t sold an iPad yet, but there’s a lot of interest in it. I’ve been using one for about six months now and the experience is absolutely incredible. We can’t wait to start shipping it.”
On the iPhone OS platform:
“What the iPhone, the iPod touch, the iPad–what these things are doing is making the platform larger and larger, its ecosystem better and better and its applications more and more what people really desire and can’t live without. I think there are very few companies that can manage a platform like that. Apple is one of them, because it’s been doing it for 30 years. So this is something deeply embedded in the DNA of the company: Knowing how to manage a platform.”
On Apple’s keep-it-simple ethos:
“We say no to great ideas every day. And we do that in order to keep the amount of things we focus on very small in number so that we can put all our energy behind the ones we do choose….The tables you are sitting at today, you could probably put every product on it that Apple makes, yet Apple’s revenue last year was $40 billion. I think the only other companies that can say that are the oil companies.”
On innovation:
“The word ‘complete’ is not in our dictionary. We’re innovators. Which means many times we end up obsoleting ourselves.”
Find more in-depth coverage of Cook’s appearance at Tech Trader Daily and Silicon Alley Insider.
