Photo by Gadjo Cardenas SevillaBy Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Apple CEO Tim Cook opened up this year's All Thing's Digital D11 Conference. Tackling pressing issues such as Apple's recent tax practice inquiry, the need to innovate TV space, competition from Samsung and Android as well as the future of Mac OS and iOS as the yearly World Wide Developer's Conference comes around on June 10th.
The All Things D conference run by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher has long been a forum for Apple to have fireside chats and tackle the pressing issues of the day.
It was one of the few venues frequented by Steve Jobs and was where Jobs and longtime rival and friend Bill Gates had a historic joint interview. As Tim Cook's second appearance as Apple CEO, this year's Q&A was peppered with questions on what's next for Apple and the directions the company can take moving forward.
While Cook didn't give any secrets away, he dropped a number of hints of what's coming from Apple. There's pent-up demand for new Apple products since there hasn't been a major release since October of last year when the iPad mini, iPad fourth generation and the new Mac mini and iMac were released.
2012 was Apple's biggest launch year with every single product line getting refreshes except for the Mac Pros. Apple also released major updates to iOS and OSX operating systems.
On iOS 7
It sounds like iOS 7, which will be unveiled in June, will bring an updated look and possibly new features. From Cook's reaction, it seems like iOS 7 will bring some rather dramatic changes.
The first time he was asked how different iOS 7 woud be, he said, “I think I will wait and let you see it."
When asked again he, followed up with, "I think I will let you be the judge. Jony Ive has been key to this, Cook does say. He also notes that there needs to be a blend of hardware, software and services. Having Ive do software and hardware rather than just hardware is part of this, even if Apple always married those."
Apple design guru Jony Ive has been instrumental in product design from the mid-90's. Known for minimalism and usability, Ive has also taken over the look and feel of the software after Scott Forstall left the company. Ive has been speculated to bring a pared down and flatter look and feel to iOS 7.
On cheaper iPhone variants
One of the undying rumours surrounding Apple is the coming of a cheaper iPhone that's designed for emerging markets to counteract the segment that is now dominated by cheap Android phones. Apple's strategy so far has been to discount older models. That is why the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are still being sold by various markets and carriers.
Cook was asked, "Why not do what Apple did with the iPod, and have a range of new products each year?" He replied with, "We haven’t so far. That doesn’t shut off the future.It takes a lot of really detailed work to do a phone right."
Cook also put the kibosh on having iPhones with larger screens or even an Apple Phablet. "A large screen today comes with a lot of trade-offs. People do look at the size. They also look at things like do the photos show the proper color. Battery life, brightness, etc. What our customers want is for us to weigh those and come out with a decision. At this point, we’ve felt the Retina display that we are shipping is overwhelmingly the best."
On opening up the Walled Garden
One of the best features of the iPhone is the closed ecosystem that allows Apple to control all the aspects of the experience and ensure uniformity among devices. That closed ecosystem has fallen under attacks by users and critics who feel iOS should leave more leeway for customization, something that's never been on the table.
“I think you will see us open up more in the future,” Cook said. “But not to the degree that we put the customer at risk of having a bad experience. We think the customer pays us to make certain choices on our behalf. Some want full control, but not the masses."
On the next game changer from Apple
The world, it seems is starving for the next new thing from Apple. While the D Conference interview touched on a few possibilities of Apple's next big thing, Cook slyly evaded giving anything away.
When asked about TV - "I don’t want to go into detail, as you might have guessed. But it continues to be an area of great interest."
Google Glass and Wearable Computing - "As for Google Glass, it’s probably not likely to be a mass-market item, Cook said. “It’s probably more likely to appeal to certain markets,” Cook said "But wearables as a broader market, Cook said, could be a profoundly interesting area of technology."
Fueling the iWatch fire a bit more, "The wrist is interesting,” Cook said, noting that it is more natural. “You still have to convince people it is worth wearing.” Most young people don’t wear a watch or anything else.
Cook added, "the culture (at Apple) is all still there, and many of the people are still there. We have several more game changers in us."
For the full transcript and coverage of the interview, check here. More will be revealed on June 10th so follow us live from the Moscone Centre in San Francisco as we cover the announcements as they happen.
Source: All Things D