In general, exclusive interviews with Tim Cook always take place after the Apple Event, however, the CEO of Apple has made a small exception for the Popular Mechanics media. In this very special interview, Cook discussed several topics such as the work culture at Apple, product innovations, the new service that allows US customers to self-repair their iPhones and Macs…
Tim Cook confides
It is always interesting to understand the vision of a boss of a large company like Apple, it can sometimes give clues on future hardware and software innovations to come and the strategies that the company will take in the future.
During the interview, Tim Cook answered different questions, first of all the interview to start around the people who work daily on Apple products and who bring great innovations.
The CEO describes Apple’s philosophy towards employees recruited to work on the Apple products of tomorrow:
They don’t follow a single path, they can come from anywhere in the company. We believe in bringing together groups of people who are focused on solving a problem for a user. You choose diverse teams that look at the problem from different angles.
We debate the things we do and don’t do, because we know we can only do something good. You have to debate and say no to a lot of good ideas so you can spend your time on the really amazing ones.
Tim Cook also mentioned the incredible progress of Apple on Macs, the company launched its own M1 and M2 chips and abandoned its partnership with Intel which lasted more than 15 years! However, this desire to make its own chips is far from recent. The CEO of Apple talks about a new chapter that has particularly excited him:
Oh, it happens all the time. I feel like this every day, like a kid in a candy store. We were just talking down the hall about M2 and M1 – the story goes back over a decade. It dates back to the genesis of the M chips, or the A chips, of the iPhone and the days when people wondered how to put a powerful chip in such a small object without it heating up and burning.
We found ourselves with a similar problem for laptops: How to put something that is the most powerful computer chip in the world? This is where M1 was born, and we went further with M2. And Mac is now a totally different product than it was before.
Regarding Apple’s position overseas, Cook said the company’s core principles, which include privacy, education, accessibility and the environment, serve as its compass.
These 4 subjects are of paramount importance, because Tim Cook says he is aware:
- The importance of privacy in our society today, it is constantly compromised by large companies (we won’t mention names) who give it little importance.
- Education which has a very important place at school, college, high school and university. Tim Cook believes Apple products can help children, teens and young adults learn more easily and get ahead in class.
- accessibility which allows people with disabilities not to be sidelined in the use of an OS.
Accessibility is very important to us, and we want our products to be used by everyone. For our blind or deaf customers, for example, we want our products to be adaptable to the way they want to use them. So we try to design that from the beginning.
- Of the environment which is today one of the priorities of Apple, as we can see on the dedicated page, Apple is one of the American groups that has made the most efforts in recent years.
Cook also made his very first public remarks about the brand new self-service repair program Apple Macs, which has just been launched. Customers can use this program to purchase the components they need to repair their own iPhone or Mac, such as a new battery or a new screen. The initiative, according to Cook, is designed for customers who are comfortable handling repairs on their own.
He declares:
There’s actually something in there for everyone. We took the big picture and said, “What do people want?” First, they want products that don’t break. So we strive to make products that last a long time, and that’s kind of our first task.
But invariably some people have to go somewhere for a fix. And you don’t want to have to drive two hours to find a repair center. So we’ve added thousands of independent repair shops.
Also, for hobbyists and DIYers, we said, “We’ll sell you certified parts” – parts we use to repair. You can buy the part itself instead of buying a repair. And if you need a manual that tells you how to do something, you can have the manual. And if you need special tools or accessories, we can provide them too. I don’t know how many people are going to take us at our word. This is for your reader, clearly.
What would Steve Jobs think of Apple today?
This is the question that Tim Cook did not expect.
Since August 24, 2011Cook is in charge of Apple, he has so far made a multitude of decisions with the agreement and cooperation of the company’s board of directors.
For Tim Cook, the work he has done for more than 10 years is not “flawless”, but he says to himself proud for doing great things for the company and the billions of Apple customers around the world.
The current CEO claims that Steve Jobs would like many things at Apple today, however some decisions could disappoint. With great emotion, Tim Cook replied:
I often think of him. I miss him very much. He always stopped by my desk on his way out. We exchanged stories about the day and talked about the future. And we’re trying to carry on the mission he set out to build the best products in the world that enrich people’s lives. And that hasn’t changed. Many things change over time. But the reason for our existence remains the same.
I think he would find things he liked and things he would say, “We can do better on that.” I think he would do both. As we all do. We are never really satisfied. We are always working for tomorrow.
The interview can be read for free on the Popular Mechanics website.
