As part of Apple’s celebration of the Mac’s 30th anniversary, the company invited David Muir of ABC News to its Cupertino headquarters for a rare interview with CEO Tim Cook. A couple teaser clips have already aired, and the full special will premiere tonight on ABC’s World News With Diane Sawyer.
In the interview, Cook was joined by Apple executives Craig Federighi and Bud Tribble. Federighi is in charge of Apple’s software, and Tribble was a member of the original Apple Macintosh design team.
There are several juicy tidbits to be gleaned from the interview excerpts, including the confirmation that Apple’s new factory in Arizona will manufacture sapphire glass. Cook also shared his thoughts on the iWatch rumors, NSA, and more.
It’s already known that Cook is an early riser, but ABC says he gets up at 3:45 AM every morning. Like Steve Jobs, Cook is known to occasionally reply to customer emails, and he said he reads most of the 700-800 messages that arrive in his inbox every day from customers around the world.
When asked about the rumored iWatch, Cook jokingly said Apple is making a “ring” instead, which is likely a playful jab at Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White’s ridiculous “iRing” prediction from last April.
Apple has pushed hard for greater transparency within the NSA’s controversial surveillance programs. “The government doesn’t have access to our servers,” Cook reiterated to ABC. “They would have to cart us out in a box for that.” More of Cook’s comments on the NSA will be included in the full interview later today.
You can watch both interview excerpts from ABC below. Tune in for the full segment at 3:30 PM PST/6:30 PM. EST on ABC News.
