In a new interview for the PBS
Charlie Rose show, Apple CEO Tim Cook adds some
small tidbits to hs previous public statements around Apple's latest products. Specifically, he reveals that the company's "great interest" in television is continuing, that the company is working on products not even "rumored about yet," and more.
"We could have done a larger phone years ago," Cook said in response to a question about whether Apple was playing "catch-up" to some features competitive smartphones have had. "It's never been about just making a larger phone," he said. "It's been about making a better phone in every single way." Earlier he had pointed out that the Retina HD screens on the new iPhones were more than just the sum of their specifications.
Cook was equally enthusiastic about other aspects of the new iPhones, such as the speed and thinness of the new devices. While head-to-head testing on the iPhone 6 against competitors has yet to occur, previous versions of Apple's dual-core A-series chips have
routinely outperformed rival chips, even those with more RAM or quad-core processors.
It seems to be obligatory to ask Cook in every interview about the late co-founder and former CEO of the company, Steve Jobs -- whose shadow still looms large in Cupertino, even as Apple begins unveiling products and directions Jobs had no hand in, such as the Apple Watch. Cook reiterated
comments he made to ABC's David Muir about how he thinks about Jobs every day, and revealed that Jobs' office has remained untouched since his departure from the company, shortly before his death in October of 2011, reports
AppleInsider.
Cook told Rose that the company continues to work on new products in new product categories, saying that Apple has interest in a lot of things, but that at a certain point it focuses on execution, which limits it to only a limited number of devices it can maintain at a time.
He also expanded on the thinking behind the $3 billion purchase of
Beats and Beats Music, saying that the company had been interested in more than just the formidable connections, insider knowledge and talent of founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Beats Music, Cook said, had attracted Apple's attention with it's different "feel" compared to other subscription music services, particularly in its human-curated playlists.
Questioning turned once again to the subject of Apple TV, with Cook saying again that his particular area of interest is in the "user interface" of modern cable TV. He elaborated a bit more than usual on the topic, and repeated that television generally is an area of "great interest" to the company. He did not expand on any plans for the current Apple TV set-top box.
The full interview will be covered in two parts, with the first part being seen this evening and the second part coming on Monday.