Tim Cook: We Love to Work on Products Where Hardware, Software, and Services Intersect

During today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2021 (fourth calendar quarter of 2020), Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked to provide a framework for how Apple evaluates product opportunities in new markets.

Cook of course declined to give specific information, but he did provide some insight into what Apple considers when making a decision on whether to develop a product.
Apple car wheel icon feature teal

The framework that we use is around 'Is this a product that we would want to use?' That's a pretty high bar. Is it a big enough market to be in? Unless it's an adjacency product, then it's about customer experience.

There's no set way that we're looking at it. No formula. But we take into account all of those things.

Cook said that Apple "loves to work on" products where there's a requirement that hardware, software, and services come together. "We believe that the magic really occurs at that intersection."

He also went to explain that Apple still has growth opportunities for its current portfolio of products.

I think that we have some really good opportunities out there, and if you look at our current portfolio of products, we still have relatively low share in a number of cases in very big markets. We feel that we have really good upside there and good upside in the services area too, which we've been working on for some time with coming online in the last year to year plus.

Though Cook gave no specifics, there are established rumors that indicate Apple is working on an electric self-driving vehicle and some kind of AR/VR headset, both of which are future products that will mark Apple breaking into new markets.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red Green

The 30+ Best Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 6:46 am PST by
Black Friday is finally here, and as always this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...

Top Rated Comments

ouimetnick Avatar
63 months ago
I love how the bra case works, how integrated the charging of Magic Mouse is and the nifty handle to hold the iPad as a sign. Also works as a pencil.

Attachment Image
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobbie424242 Avatar
63 months ago
Let me fix the title: "Tim Cook: We love to work on products where Money, Money, and Money intersect. And we don't like leaving Money on the table. And I'm excited about AR, but that's off-topic"
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dumoore Avatar
63 months ago
Apple will find a way to charge me a monthly payment to start my car. Apple CarStarter+
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
63 months ago
If this is how Apple decides what products to go forward with, I wonder why they haven’t launched an Apple branded television set? I can’t imagine that product developers there wouldn’t want to use an Apple branded television set. And it’s clearly a convergence point for hardware, software and services. It’s also such a natural next step from small screened iPhones, iPads, MacBooks.

Perhaps their investments in mini and micro-LED will at some point translate into television screens.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
63 months ago
Article: Cook said that Apple "loves to work on" products where there's a requirement that hardware, software, and services come together. "We believe that the magic really occurs at that intersection."

I agree with Tim. Apple does a good job with integrating features across its products in my opinion. It is one of the reasons I stay with Apple. That doesn't mean that the integration has been seamless or bug free so, don't misinterpret my appreciation as blind praise.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
63 months ago
Realistically, Apple’s products sell themselves, when consumers generally know what they want for the most part. It’s the services that I think long-term hold customers together when you experience iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and how everything just integrates together in terms of communication and tethering, and of course security is just crucially as important anything tech related.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)