It’s rare that we get to see inside the mind of Apple CEO Tim Cook. It’s even rarer when what he says appears to be largely unscripted and candid.
The PBS show Charlie Rose aired part one of its interview with Cook over the weekend, and the hour-long talk is probably the most revealing conversation Cook has ever had with the press. Here’s what we learned from the interview:
Apple Watch was in development for three years
That lines up perfectly with the rumor mill. In late 2011, The New York Times first reported that Apple was “experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass.”
Apple Watch is meant to work with the healthcare industry
While the company made no mention of the device being able to talk to your doctor or health insurance provider at last week’s keynote, Cook said you’ll be able to “choose to interact with your doctor.”
Combined with HealthKit in iOS 8, the Apple Watch provides a compelling way to keep people healthy. “There is a wide-open field to make some really profound contributions… This is yet another way to begin to build a comprehensive view of your life.”
Apple wanted developers to have time to make apps for the Watch
“One of the reasons we announced it before shipping is so that the developers will have time to develop software for it,” said Cook. Big names like Twitter and Facebook are already working alongside smaller companies. Every developer will be able to write apps for the Watch once they get their hands on WatchKit.
Apple Watch can store and play music with a Bluetooth headset
You better believe that Apple will release some wireless EarPods in the near future, especially with Beats on board.
Samsung wasn’t the reason for releasing bigger iPhones
“We could have done a larger phone years ago. It’s not been about making a larger phone. It’s been about making a better phone in every single way.”
Steve Jobs office “is still left as it was” at Apple
“He’s in my heart and he’s deep in Apple’s DNA. His spirit will always be at the foundation of the company.”
Cook thinks TV is stuck in the ’70s
“It almost feels like you’re rewinding the clock and you’ve entered a time capsule and you’re going backwards.” The Apple TV also has more than 20 million users, and Cook said it has “far exceeded the ‘hobby’ label we’ve placed on it.”
He was surprised when Steve Jobs asked him to be CEO
Jobs wanted to have a professional CEO transition, so he called Cook one day in August of 2011 to offer him the job. “I felt Steve was getting better… I guess at the end of the day I always thought he would bounce.”
He’s not into having yes men
Whether you believe Apple brainwashes people or not, “We’re not trying to put everyone through a car wash so that they look alike, talk alike and think alike at the end of the day. We argue and debate.”
IBM partnership wouldn’t have happened under Jobs
Cook acknowledged that Apple has become a different, more open company with him as CEO. It’s more willing to explore partnerships. When Apple approaches a specific market like enterprise tech, it asks three questions:
1. “Should we do this?”
2. “Should we partner?”
3. “Or should we just forget it?”
With the case of IBM, it was option two. Cook doesn’t see Apple and IBM as competitors at all, and he calls it a “perfect marriage.”
He was skeptical of Beats Music
Cook recalled using Beats Music for the first time one night alongside other subscription services. “All of a sudden it dawns on me that when I listen to theirs for awhile, I feel completely different. And the reason is that they recognized that human curation was important in the subscription service — that the sequencing of songs that you listen to affect how you feel.”
He was so excited that he couldn’t sleep that night.
Google is Apple’s main competitor
When asked who his competitors are, Cook said that “Google would be at the top.” He said Samsung is the better hardware maker for Android, but pointed out that Samsung relies on Google to provide Android in the first place.
Steve Jobs’ “thermonuclear war” mentality is still alive and well.
Apple has no plans to be a social network
Cook sees Facebook and Twitter as partners, not competitors. “We have no plans to be in the social networking area.”
What does that mean for Apple’s rumored acquisition talks with Path? Who knows. At least we won’t get Ping 2.0.
“There are products that we’re working on that no one knows about”
As the ultimate tease he is, Cook alluded to Apple’s future products in the usual vague terms.
“The hardest decisions we make are all the things not to work on, frankly. Because there’s lots of things we like to work on that we have interest in. But we know we can’t do everything great.”
Sometimes, Apple will release a product with bigger plans for it in mind that the public doesn’t know about. For instance, Touch ID was introduced last year as a way to unlock the iPhone. But Apple had it in mind as the authentication linchpin for mobile payments from the very beginning.
What’s the next product category Apple is working on? It could be TV, but no one really knows what Cook and Co. have up their sleeves.
“There are products that we’re working on that no one knows about … that haven’t been rumored about.”
Part two of Charlie Rose’s interview with Cook airs Monday night on PBS.
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
18 responses to “14 things we learned from Tim Cook’s revealing interview with Charlie Rose”
“All of a sudden it dawns on me that when I listen to there’s for awhile, I feel completely different.”
“There’s?” Alex. You write words as a part of your job. Please learn the difference between “there’s,” “theirs,” and “they’res.”
You chose correctly here:
“The hardest decisions we make are all the things not to work on, frankly. Because there’s lots of things we like to work on that we have interest in.”
Although, if the quote is correct, Tim should have said, “there are lots of things.”
so anal for no damn reason. It was a good article. get off your high horse internet drone. There is a way to get mistakes cleared. This is not the way. Grow up.
Calm down, Spasmo. Putting “listen to there’s” on the page is something any real writer wants to avoid or fix. Assuming this site’s writers aim for professionalism, they’re thankful for readers like dcj001 who chip in to make the site better. (They may not be so thankful for whiners who harass helpers like dcj001.)
There’s a difference between “helping” and just being a jerk over a minor mistake.
Exactly. Look at dcj001’s comment. No name-calling, no insinuation that the writer is stupid, no hysterics. It’s the right way to do it.
“There’s?” Alex. You write words as a part of your job. Please learn the difference between “there’s,” “theirs,” and “they’res.”
Sorry, but he’s being a dick – not “helping.” If you compare the votes on the 2 comments, most people seem to agree.
“Please learn.” Ooh, you’re right. That is some cruel, harsh invective! [much sarcasm]
Fine. Let’s assume that the writers here aren’t professionals. Let’s assume that they’re delicate, weeping violets who must be spared the savagery of abuse like “Please learn,” lest they be stricken at a moment when no fainting couch is at hand.
Yes, let’s decide that the writers are unprofessional, fragile debutantes who can’t cope with a correction. Because then we won’t be dicks. [much more sarcasm]
Just kick back with a White Russian and relax man.
“They’res” ? What would that be a contraction of, then?
I love how Mr. Cook actually said iTouch first then caught himself and said Touch ID.. Didn’t we all think it was going to be called iTouch just like iWatch?
dcj – When being a grammar pro, make sure you don’t make a mistake yourself.
;)
Apple is potentially walking into a huge cesspool in 2 ways. First off, with Apple Pay, there’s potential for the company to be regulated as a financial institution. If this happens, every aspect of the company can be scrutinized and analyzed to ensure that nothing potentially unscrupulous could be done towards users.
The Healthcare slant on the iWatch could potentially open up regulation as medical equipment. They could impose standards and all kinds of testing to ensure the watch is absolutely safe for users and does not pose any dangers, depending on what types of sensors it will use.
And, if they have to go through the approval process, then they have to do some test studies. If anyone else tries to do that same thing as them, they would have to do the same studies.
I think they are savvy enough to know what they are up against in the medical arena since they’ve been hiring a lot of people from that industry to help them work on sensor technology.
I don’t doubt that Apple could be opening themselves up to regulation, but I’m sure they’re aware of this and are open to scrutiny.
And I’m sure Apple has thought of these points for years. For the healthcare part, that’s why they are teamed up with Mayo Clinic and ultimately providing information to health care providers, not to themselves. Also, I don’t think Pay classifies them as a financial institution since they only provide authentication and information technology for existing financial institutions. I haven’t heard of there being an Apple Credit/Debit card for instance. Can’t be much of a Bank with no Credit or Debit accounts to offer. Plus, I’m pretty sure the whole “largest public company in the world” thing has prepared them for public scrutiny.
Your smart phone does this already.
Like him more as I hear more of him.
He’s really nice.