Tim Cook

Without iPhone exclusive, China Unicom now turns to low-cost handsets

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 9, 2013

There is a surge of demand for low-cost smartphones in China. Latest to ride the wave: local carrier China Unicom, which lost its exclusive deal to sell iPhones in 2012.

Apparently, the shift toward inexpensive phones is paying off, the company reporting a 55 percent jump in profits for the first half of 2013.

While there is still room for high-end smartphones, vast growth is seen selling inexpensive handsets to emerging markets, such as China and India. Apple could unveil a plastic iPhone aimed at first-time smartphone owners and still make "decent profitability" one analyst said Thursday...

President Obama meets with Tim Cook and other tech execs to talk surveillance

Cody Lee ∙ August 9, 2013

According to a report from Politico, President Barack Obama met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and a number of other tech executives yesterday for a closed-door discussion on government surveillance. The site says this was the second meeting of its kind this week.

Cook was joined by the likes of AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, Google's chief Internet evangelist Vint Cerf, and Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn, to talk about various surveillance strategies and tother topics such as the recent NSA PRISM program scandal...

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

Cody Lee ∙ August 8, 2013

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...

China Mobile confirms Tim Cook met with chairman during recent visit

Cody Lee ∙ July 31, 2013

Tim Cook was spotted in China again this week, reportedly talking to local carriers about recent less-than-stellar iPhone sales in the area. The CEO was said to have met with China Telecom, the third largest provider in the country.

But today, spokespeople for China Mobile confirmed that Cook also met with chairman Xi Guohua during his visit to discuss "matters of cooperation." China Mobile's the largest carrier in the world, and has yet to ink an iPhone deal...

Tim Cook spotted in China again meeting with local carriers

Cody Lee ∙ July 30, 2013

Tim Cook is back in China this week, according to a new report. The CEO is allegedly there on business, talking with the local carriers there about Apple's leveling iPhone sales in the country, as well as its upcoming iPhone launches.

Citing sources familiar with Cook's meetings, tech.ifeng.com claims that Cook met with China Telecom's senior leadership this week. The talks are supposedly over, but it is not yet known if the executive has returned to the US...

Can Apple get its mojo back without high iPhone gross margins?

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 24, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook's message Tuesday was clearly: "We're back!" But can a company which has experienced four quarters of sliding shares and a stock value that's dropped around 40 percent since September make such a claim without traditionally fat gross margins?

The iPhone - Apple's flagship product - has seen its per unit revenue fall with the iPad telling a similar story. In an ironic development, Apple products once overshadowed by the iPhone and iPad now are revenue champs, according to a Wednesday report...

Tim Cook: iOS in the Car is a ‘key focus’ for the company

Cody Lee ∙ July 23, 2013

Apple held its quarterly earnings conference call this afternoon, for the June Quarter, where Tim Cook and his CFO Peter Oppenheimer shared financial information and other insights into the company's operations with analysts, shareholders and reporters.

During the Q&A portion of the call, Cook was asked about Apple's 'iOS in the Car' initiative. The feature, which allows users to interact with their iOS devices via an in-car display, was one of the few that Apple spotlighted during its WWDC keynote last month...

NYT spells out Apple’s living room strategy

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 18, 2013

Apple's plans for the living room have rested largely on the Apple TV the company's leadership continues to call "a hobby project." While there's been talk that the tech giant could unveil its own television set, rumors of revamping the television experience have been greeted with industry concern and fruitless negotiations.

However, now comes word Apple wants to be friends with Time Warner, Disney and other content producers - and along the way improve some of the worst aspects of current television viewing.

One result of the partnerships is an upcoming Time Warner Cable Apple TV app that would turn Apple's $99 set-top box into a channel guide for live and on-demand programming much superior to the clunky software now offered by the distributor...

Could Apple Stores sell more iPhones?

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 17, 2013

Can Apple more than triple the percent of iPhones sold at its retail stores, pumping up sales of its flagship smartphone?

While CEO Tim Cook is pushing the idea, some observers question whether the goal of selling half of all iPhones in Apple Stores is in fact attainable.

The Apple CEO says he'd like in-store sales of iPhones - now at fifteen percent - to match the fifty percent of handsets serviced by Apple Store Geniuses. Currently, around 90 percent of iPhones are purchased either through U.S. carriers or third-party resellers...

Eric Schmidt: Apple and Google relationship improving

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last year, the war between Apple and Google reached epic proportions. Not only were the two squaring off in the mobile platform space, and in the courtroom, but Apple actually booted Google's YouTube and Maps apps off the pre-installed list in iOS.

But things are calming down between the two tech titans, according to Google's Eric Schmidt. The executive chairman had nothing but nice things to say about the iPad-maker, telling reporters at the Sun Valley retreat that he "has a lot of respect for Apple..."

Apple’s content king Eddy Cue also attending 2013 Sun Valley retreat

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 10, 2013

The Sun Valley tech and media conference is kicking off today. Apple's CEO Tim Cook arrived to Idaho-based Sun Valley Resort earlier today and was unexpectedly accompanied by Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue.

More than 300 executives from technology and media companies are slated to attend the annual conference, which runs through Friday and is hosted and wholly independently funded by private investment firm Allen & Company.

Cook was in attendance of last year's retreat, but this time around he's brought Cue with him, perhaps to kick the show up one more notch and cut lucrative new content deals...

Tim Cook again heading to Sun Valley conference for tech and media

Cody Lee ∙ July 9, 2013

Starting today, the Idaho-based Sun Valley Resort will play host to more than 300 executives from both technology and media companies for the annual Sun Valley conference hosted by Allen & Company, a premier investment bank for the media and entertainment sector.

The high-profile guests—which on the media side includes Disney's Bob Iger and CBS' Les Moonves, and on the tech side includes Mark Zuckerburg and Tim Cook—will attend lectures, group dinners and barbecues. And close attention will be paid to who hangs out with who...