Business

‘Incredible Things Coming’: Here Are Some Key Points From Apple CEO’s Second Public Interview

Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Steve Jobs Passing, iTV, FoxConn and More at D10 Conference

(Photo: Asa Mathat/All Things Digital)

Although some may have hoped for a product announcement by Apple CEO Tim Cook at the All Things Digital tech conference Tuesday evening, they were only teased by the mention of “incredible things coming.”

Cook made his second public appearance since taking the top spot of Apple after the death of Steve Jobs last year at the D10 event in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Business Insider reports he was pressed to give more information on these “things” — many of which anticipate will be an Apple TV — but he simply responded saying although it was a great question, he wasn’t going to answer it.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Steve Jobs Passing, iTV, FoxConn and More at D10 Conference

(Photo: Asa Mathat/All Things Digital)

At the event Cook spoke of the movement on iTV, Siri, and his late colleague and friend Steve Jobs, among other things.

Here are a few snippets of what Cook had to say on the various topics covered by cohosts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.

  • On the passing of Steve Jobs: ”It was one of the saddest days of my life when he passed away.” [...] Cook explained: “At some point late last year, someone shook me and said, it’s time to get on. So that sadness was replaced with this intense determination.” Asked what he learned from Jobs, Cook said: “He also taught me that the joy is in the journey, and he taught all of us that life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, so give it all you got…. I learned that focus is key—in a company and your personal life. You can only do so many things great, and you should cast aside the rest.”
  • FoxConn scandal (via Gizmodo): “Some people want to work a lot. They want to move and work for a year or two and then move back to their village and bring back as much money as they can. [...] Apple now has 95 percent compliance and is tracking 700,000 workers in China. I don’t know anyone else [that] is doing this… We’re micromanaging this.”
  • iTV (via Street Insider): ”This is an area of intense interest for us. We are going to keep pulling the string and see where this takes us. [...]We would look not just at this area, but other areas, and ask, can we control the key technology? Can we make a significant contribution far beyond what others have done in this area? Can we make a product that we all want? … Those are all the things we would ask about any new product category.”
  • Siri (via Engadget’s live blog): ”Customers love it. But, there’s more that it can do, and… we have a lot of people working on this. I think you’ll be really pleased with what you see in the coming months on this. We’ve got some cool ideas about what Siri can do. We have a lot going on on this.”

All eyes will be on Apple next month for some sort of product announcement at its June 11 World Wide Developers Conference. Apple is notorious for launching new products at its own events.

For now, here is a clip of Cook’s interview last night:

The D10 conference goes through Thursday. If you’re interested in staying up to date with the tech events, check out the live stream here.

Comments (14)

  • Meyvn
    Posted on May 31, 2012 at 6:10am

    Please tell me it’s not yet another stupid phone.

    Report Post » Meyvn  
    • Constantine Ivanov
      Posted on May 31, 2012 at 3:15pm

      No, it will be most likely not a stupid phone, but a smart one: it will be automatically turned on for texting only when its holder is crossing a street and/or driving on a curved road in night time..

      Report Post » Constantine Ivanov  
  • TAXLORDCOMETH
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:29pm

    Steve Jobs was hardly a wunderkind. He got his technology from the top secret military. This is the way the world works, folks. The military is decades ahead of where we are, and once their latest tech gets a few years old, they select certain companies and/or individuals to hand it over to develop for commercial use. If you are one of these lucky people, you have a huge advantage over your competitors. Jobs, Gates, Ellison, Zuckerberg — all these people are conduits through which technology is transferred. It doesn‘t mean they aren’t smart, but they aren’t the geniuses of their legend either.

    Report Post »  
    • endthemindlessspending
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:59pm

      Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak did not get help from the military. They started out in a garage with an idea of how make it possible for everyone to have a PC. That is what marks a true entrepreneur, seeing a need in the market and filling it. They started their company from nothing which shows the free market works as long as the government lets it work. Any individual with an idea and the vision to pursue it can be successful.

      Report Post »  
    • endthemindlessspending
      Posted on June 1, 2012 at 3:02pm

      Mark Zuckerberg, also started out in a college dorm room with an idea and the means to pursue it. He didn’t start with the company, he built the company around his idea.

      Report Post »  
  • BeingThere
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 4:38pm

    I just finished reading Steve Jobs biography. He was a liberal POS and wanted to help Obama, but I do respect and admire what he did at Apple and Pixar. I give Apple ten years or less to go bankrupt without Jobs, probably less, I have already noticed some idiotic decisions coming out of Apple. Don’t forget, Algore is on their board!!! After reading the book I wonder if Jobs death was divine intervention because he seemed to be on a path to help destroy the country.

    Report Post » BeingThere  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 7:57pm

      Bankrupt? Don’t worry, their buddies in the government will bail them out.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • TAXLORDCOMETH
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 10:32pm

      Jobs got his technology from the military — he didn’t develop it himself. This is the true secret of his success. His biography is a whitewash and propaganda. Yes, he was smart — no genius.

      Report Post »  
  • KeithOlberdink
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 2:21pm

    Big things are coming? You mean larger sweat shops and more secure suicide nets at your factories?

    Report Post » KeithOlberdink  
    • Kaoscontrol
      Posted on May 30, 2012 at 3:30pm

      Snarky Snarky Snarky KEITHOLBERDINK. Apparently you bought the fake report on NPR’s “This American Life” show– which they later retracted.
      You sound like a union spokesperson.

      Report Post » Kaoscontrol  
  • tckid17
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 2:11pm

    Steve Jobs picked Tim Cook to be his successor, he also picked a lot of smart A list people. Apple will be fine.

    Report Post »  
  • nappy
    Posted on May 30, 2012 at 1:40pm

    Ok.. really Siri is the biggest waste of time since Paris Hilton. How on earth anyone can think ‘customers love it’ is beyond insanity. Imagine a restaurant full of people using Siri. Well, no worries because it really doesn’t work. After the first ten minutes with Siri on their new iPhone.. most people never use it again.

    Report Post »  

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