Tim Cook, Donald Trump, HomePod vs. Amazon Echo: Apple CEO Talks New Products, Presidential Politics
Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed to Bloomberg Businessweek why the HomePod wasn’t positioned as a competitor to Amazon’s Echo devices and his experience with President Donald Trump.
Cook sat down with Businessweek on June 5 during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The full interview will be released in the June 19 edition of the magazine. On Thursday, Businessweek released some snippets of the conversation.
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Bloomberg previously revealed a video with Cook in which he spoke about Apple’s plans for self-driving technology. The CEO confirmed the company is “focusing on autonomous systems." Cook would not say if Apple will end up developing its own self-driving car in the future.
Apple’s HomePod
When asked why the HomePod, which Apple revealed last week at WWDC, was introduced mostly as a music speaker instead of a competitor to Amazon’s Echo for homes, Cook explained how Apple is already integrated into people’s lives.
Cook told Businessweek:
“We’re actually already in the home through the iPhone you take with you everywhere. It’s in your pocket or laying on a stand. Today, pre-HomePod, I can control my home using Siri through the iPhone. When I get up in the morning, my iPhone is my alarm clock. I say, “Good morning,” and all of a sudden my lights come on. The temperature adjusts and a series of things occur. We’re also in the home through Apple TV. Many people use iPad as their computing device. The desktop Mac enjoys a place in the home. The thing that has arguably not gotten a great level of focus is music in the home. So we decided we would combine great sound and an intelligent speaker.”
Cook added Siri is “getting requests from 375 million devices right now,” what he said was the largest number by far of any virtual assistant.
The HomePod is set to be released in December and will be priced at $349, more than twice as expensive as the Amazon Echo, which currently costs $139.99, and Amazon’s latest Alexa device with a built-in screen, the Echo Show, which is priced at $229.99. However, Cook said the HomePod is worth it, and pointed to other Apple devices that initially were criticized for price, like the iPod and the iPhone.
“When I was growing up, audio was No. 1 on the list of things that you had to have,” Cook said. “You were jammin’ out on your stereo. Audio is still really important in all age groups, not just for kids. We’re hitting on something people will be delighted with. It’s gonna blow them away. It’s gonna rock the house.”
Augmented Reality: iOS 11 ARKit
Cook also revealed his excitement over augmented reality. The company revealed at WWDC its ARKit toolset, which will allow developers to build augmented reality support into their apps.
“We’re building it into iOS 11, opening it to developers — and unleashing the creativity of millions of people,” Cook said. “Even we can’t predict what’s going to come out.”
“I think it is profound,” Cook said about the future of AR. “I am so excited about it, I just want to yell out and scream.”
Cook and Trump
Cook also spoke about his experience with Trump, saying they are “dramatically different.” Apple has had its differences with the president in several areas, like immigration and climate change. Cook said Apple “pushed hard” on those issues.
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Cook added:
“Pulling out of the Paris climate accord was very disappointing. I felt a responsibility to do every single thing I could for it not to happen. I think it’s the wrong decision. If I see another opening on the Paris thing, I’m going to bring it up again.
At the end of the day, I’m not a person who’s going to walk away and say, ‘If you don’t do what I want, I leave.’ I’m not on a council, so I don’t have those kind of decisions. But I care deeply about America. I want America to do well. America’s more important than bloody politics from my point of view.”
The Trump administration reportedly will meet with leaders from major tech companies this month to discuss various topics. The upcoming meetings are described as “tech week,” by sources familiar with the White House. Executives from companies, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Intel and Oracle, will get together with Trump’s team. Trump previously met with tech leaders last December before he took office.
Cook spoke on more topics with Businessweek. You can read more here.
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