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Cook says new products ‘closer than it’s ever been’, ponders mobile payments

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In Cook’s latest interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Apple CEO largely reiterates his comments about the company’s values and the product creation process but also expanded on his opinion of mobile payments.

Cook said that their strong results should qualm some of the recent anti-Apple chatter. However, he added that it will likely take the addition of some new products to change people’s minds…

As you might expect, Cook repeated his comments about new product categories without being the least bit specific.

Cook echoed the message that new products are under development, but is in no rush to release something until it is ready.

“You want to take the time to get it right. Our objective has never been to be first. It’s to be the best. To do things really well, it takes time. You can see a lot of products that have been brought to market where the thinking isn’t really deep and, as a consequence, these things don’t do very well. We don’t do very many things so we spend a lot of time on every detail and that part of Apple isn’t changing. It’s the way we’ve operated for years and it’s the way we still operate. I feel great about what we’ve got coming. Really great and it’s closer than it’s ever been”

The “closer than it’s ever been” comment is strange, almost meaningless, but not expected. Aside from saying that their pipeline is “really great”, Cook is never going to spoil the ‘surprise’. While Apple’s current products are doing great, quoting Apple’s 15% EPS growth, he said new things will “make it better.”

There is one area of intrigue though. Daisuke Wakabayashi asked Cook about the mobile payments market.

“I think it’s a really interesting area. We have almost 800 million iTunes accounts and the majority of those have credit cards behind them. We already have people using Touch ID to buy things across our store, so it’s an area of interest to us. And it’s an area where nobody has figured it out yet. I realize that there are some companies playing in it, but you still have a wallet in your back pocket and I do too which probably means it hasn’t been figured out just yet.”

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Comments

  1. mockery17 - 10 years ago

    That’s Cook’s own reality distortion field! :D

    • rahhbriley - 10 years ago

      Good, he needs to develop his own RDF. Its a powerful tool when wielded properly. Jobs’ is still in affect. I like Tim, I’ve always been patient and given him the benefit of the doubt. I think we’re starting to see him come into his own. Slow and steady wins the race.

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        The sheer arrogance is astounding. These things you judge, by what exactly? Article tidbits and keynote performances? I hate the way people JUST LIKE YOU pretend like they know and understand Tim Cook because they seem him on stage twice a year.

      • Martin Joseph - 10 years ago

        I agree and you are correct. Foolish people that know NOTHING about tech. or business talk Tim Cook down. Make no mistake. He is the genius upon which Apple’s supply chain is based, and the near flawless execution that Apple has displayed over the years is his baby.

        Slow and steady indeed. I am a share holder and a long time Apple customer. Chasing stupid people’s ideas of innovation is a bad idea. Patience is what this is about. Patience and bringing the most usable product possible to market.

    • zoidbert - 10 years ago

      I know Apple could give a crap about Macs these days, but I sure hope that includes refreshes across the board (iMac, MacBook Air, etc.) but mostly a new Mac mini and a revised Thunderbolt Display (and actually a line of displays; tired of only one choice from Apple, especially one that’s nearly 1000 days since its last update).

      • I get what you are saying but for new MacBook Airs to be out and a new iMac there needs to be updates to the hardware/new releases from Intel. You can’t really do any updates without more efficient and more powerful processors.. They’re talking about a MacBook Air refresh in the coming weeks before WWDC. I can see this happening, but it will only be a modest spec bump, nothing big. Then at WWDC they will introduce the iWatch tell us all about it like they did with the Mac Pro last year, then tell us it is coming out in the fall or late summer. If they say this fall it will then probably be released along the next iPhone model and be sold as an accessory and be running a version of iOS 8 for the watch. (not iOS 7) Remember when Apple released the iPad 1, it came with 3.X.X and it didn’t even get updated to iOS 4 along side the iPhone until iOS 5 came out… They won’t/shouldn’t do that again..

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        >>I know Apple could give a crap about Macs these days

        Shut your FUD up.

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        Yeah, I need a new Mac Mini too….saying that has anything to do with Apple giving a crap about the Mac, is absolutely absurd,

      • Martin Joseph - 10 years ago

        It’s true that the Mac’s importance has dwindled with respect to Apple’s business. It doesn’t look to me like IOS is going to replace it anytime soon. Thus the mac remains crucial to Apple’s “Pro” business.

        We shall see.

  2. Khumar Balia (@Khum4r) - 10 years ago

    Lol Loving these funny faces of Tim

  3. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    Cook is trying to resist all this ridiculous pressure people are putting on Apple. I think that so much pressure would affect anyone even unconsciously, and I hope they indeed take their time, even if it means releasing their new products next year instead of this year.

  4. roberthildenbrand - 10 years ago

    A easy way apple could get me excited a ou their product line up, would be to announce a remarkable turn of innovation for apple. Empowerment. To empower the consumer with options to modify the user interface, so to be in line with the users desired appearance.

    Apple looses nothing, gains a new market in its apple store with people who would make and then sell the themes, texture maps, Ect.

    If I were an investor, this is exactly what I would want apple to do, open new markets within its company’s apple store.

  5. John Grogan (@juannerito) - 10 years ago

    “Cook said that their strong results should qualm some of the recent anti-Apple chatter.”

    I should hope that Tim Cook doesn’t use the word ‘qualm’ like that, for two reasons : one, qualm is a noun, and two if it was a verb it would have the diametric meaning to what he probably have intended to say, which I’d imagine was to calm anti-Apple chatter:

    qualm |kwä(l)m, kwô(l)m|
    noun
    an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, esp. about one’s own conduct; a misgiving: military regimes generally have no qualms about controlling the press.
    • a momentary faint or sick feeling.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.