Fresh from Capitol Hill, where he answered questions about this company’s tax practices, Apple CEO Time Cook fielded a broader set of questions from reporters Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at All Things Digital’s technology conference in California. Cook’s responses reinforced the theme that Apple drove home on its most recent earnings call: the company’s products remain first with consumers in terms of engagement and brand loyalty.
But Cook also made it clear that Apple will not rely on its existing ‘iDevices’ for future growth. “We have several more game changers in us,” he said. “We’re still the company that is going to do that.”
Cook would not get specific about just how Apple plans to “change the game.” He did spend time talking about wearable devices, and alluded indirectly to the rumored iWatch when he said that he thinks a device worn on the wrist is more compelling than are eyeglasses.
“I wear glasses because I have to. I can’t see without them. I don’t know a lot of people that wear them that don’t have to,” Cook said. He said that he expects Google Glass to be interesting to certain groups of users, but probably not to a broader consumer audience.
Cook praised the Nike FuelBand (he wears one) and said he believes “the whole sensor field is going to explode … It’s a little all over the place right now. With the arc of time it will become clearer.”
When asked about Samsung, Cook responded, “I don’t like them any more than I did last year. I don’t want copying. It’s a values thing.” Cook also answered questions about Samsung’s smartphone features that are clearly NOT iPhone copies — notably the larger screen sized.
“A large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs,” said Cook. “People do look at the size. They also look at things like do the photos show the proper color. Battery life, brightness, etc. … What our customers want is for us to weigh those and come out with a decision. At this point we’ve felt the retina display that we are shipping is overwhelmingly the best.”
You can read more of Cook’s interview here.
