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.
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 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, ...
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027.
Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season.
Note: MacRumors is...
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, ...
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...
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...
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPad mini 8.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
The next-generation version of the iPad mini is expected to feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple...
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...
