Apple’s Board of Directors reportedly pressuring Tim Cook to innovate

WWDC 2012 keynote (Tim Cook 001)

Looking at headlines produced by the Apple rumor mill over the past several months, there’s no way you could accuse it of not innovating. We’ve seen reports that the company is working on everything from an advanced smart watch, to a cloud-based DVR, and everything in between.

But looking at the shelves in Apple’s retail stores tells a different story. The Mac-maker hasn’t released a new version of its iPhone or iPad—its two best-sellers—in nearly a year, and it hasn’t introduced an all-new product since 2010. And apparently, Apple’s Board is getting concerned…

From Fox Business Network‘s Charlie Gasparino (transcribed by MacRumors):

“From what we understand, there is concern at the board level, sources are telling the Fox Business Network, about the pace of innovation over at Apple. What have they had lately? They had the iPad and a few other things, but they don’t have anything innovating from what came from Steve Jobs and that concern is basically manifesting into pressure on Tim Cook to innovate, and to do something fast.

We should point out, this is an interesting boardroom drama. It does not mean that Tim Cook is out of a job or that there is a job search out there, we don’t know that and I don’t believe that is happening. In fact, sources inside Apple are saying that’s not the case.

What we are able to confirm is that the board is worried about what is in the pipeline. Do they have the right stuff in the pipeline? Do they have innovative stuff in the pipeline? Do they have stuff to keep the momentum going?”

Gasparino is adamant that the Board isn’t necessarily unhappy with Apple’s performance as of late, and it isn’t even thinking about looking for possible CEO replacements. It’s just concerned about the company’s lack of innovative products lately, and it’s spoken with Cook on the matter.

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that Apple is widely expected to announce a number of new products this fall. Among them is a completely redesigned iPad 5, a new iPad mini with (or without) a Retina display, an all-new budget iPhone and an iPhone 5S with built-in fingerprint sensor.

Whether or not this will be enough to appease the Board, though, remains to be seen.

What is your take on all of this?