Tim Cook: Apple has ‘zero issue’ coming up with new ideas

Apple headquarters (Cupertino, Clifornia, exterior 001)

Continuing our coverage on Apple’s earnings call from yesterday afternoon, we have an interesting comment made by Tim Cook in response to a question asked by an analyst during the Q&A portion. The question was in regards to Apple entering new product categories this year.

Obviously, Cook didn’t say exactly what the company’s plans are for future products, but parts of his otherwise boiler-plate answer were worth noting. The CEO said Apple has zero issue coming up with new ideas, but the challenge is focusing on the few of them that deserve energy…

Here’s a transcript of the exchange:

Q: You’re obviously going to have a big year in terms of new product categories. And maybe even thinking beyond 2014, and the new products come out and they kind of ramp in 2015. How do you think about the trajectory of the platform, or what would you say to investors that say this is just a product cycle story?

A: Well I wouldn’t answer your question (laughs), but I would just say that innovation is deeply embedded in everybody here. There’s still so much of the world that is full of very complex products. We have zero issue coming up with things we want to do, that we think we can disrupt in a major way. The challenge is always to focus on the very few that deserves all of our energy. We’ve always done that and we’re continuing to do that.”

The rumor mill has been on fire these last couple of months with speculation on new Apple products we could potentially see this year. There’s the larger iPhone, or iPhones, depending on who you ask. And then there’s the larger iPad ‘Pro,’ the iWatch, and then the updated Apple TV.

When you think about all of this, and you think about how many times Tim Cook has alluded to a big 2014, it’s hard not to get a little excited. From the sounds of things, it seems like Apple is planning some major product refreshes for the year, and perhaps even a new product or two.

What do you think?