Wednesday, May 30, 2012

At D10, Tim Cook Offered A Few Clues About Apple's Direction and Zero on Products


The headlines today are buzzing with what Tim Cook said about Apple’s TV plans, Siri, and Facebook.  Which is to say that what he said is kinda what Steve Jobs would have said which is to say that Tim Cook said nothing new.

There, I’ve said it.

On television, Apple is said to be very interested.  Who in consumer tech today isn’t?  Apple TV or Apple HDTV. Or would it be an Apple cinema screen that is 40+ inches and up with Airplay support?

On Siri, more to come.  Obviously.  It’s in beta now and we can expect more.  And we want more.  So, this was expected.  It isn’t as if Tim Cook was going to say “nah, we’re done…we’ll have Siri speak Mandarin and then we’re finished.”

On Facebook, this is where it’s more interesting.  Facebook wants Apple’s customer data and Apple isn’t keen on providing that.  The issue is who will blink first or some sort of compromise will be struck.  Zuckerberg has shown to be his own man after not being able to strike a deal with Steve Jobs.  And while Tim Cook is much more low-key, don’t be fooled.  Cook did not become the CEO of the richest and biggest company in the world simply by giving the key to the walled garden away.

iOS will tell us more about what Apple has planned for Siri and how Facebook could figure in all this.  As for Apple’s TV plans, we only know that the 2012 Apple TV is selling better than the previous 720p version and may double sales this year.

As for Apple’s HDTV or display panel, my speculations are gold, which is to say, it’s as right and as wrong as anyone else’s.

Tim Cook’s first D10 chat with Walt Mossberg unveiled what direction he wants to steer Apple and nothing about products.  As far as innovation and consumer tech vision, it’s likely to be aligned with that of Steve Jobs.

No comments:

I’m I Used AI To Research Birthday Gifts And Other Uses This Week

I am quite comfortable now using generative AI to help me with writing emails. I do not think it knows me well enough to learn what I really...