One week after the “shock” of the letter about the review of the company's financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2019, Tim Cook talked to the host of the program Mad Money (gives CNBC), Jim Cramer, on the performance of iPhones, Apple shares, the imbroglio with Qualcomm and the company's future projects.
New services
Speaking of projects, Cook added even more fuel to the fire of the future streaming Ma's video. During the interview (video above), the CEO stated that Apple will announce “new services” this year.
At Services, you will see us announcing new services this year. There are more things coming. I do not want to tell you what they are and I will not give you an accurate forecast, their development and so on. But it's just things that we feel really good about, that we've been working on for years.
Although Cook did not specify the type of service that Apple will announce, we know that “Apple Video” (fictitious name, good to make clear) was expected in the first half of 2019, but a publication by Variety last month pushed this forecast for the second part of the year. Regardless of the date, Apple is already preparing the ground to launch the service with the launch of the iTunes Store on Samsung TVs and support for AirPlay 2 on several TVs.
Of course, even with all eyes on the platform streaming of Apple videos, this may not be the news that the CEO referred to. As we have already commented, the company should also launch a subscription service for digital magazines this year that is facing its own problems.
Aes and iPhone
Around the discussions about Ma's roles, Cook said that, although he agrees that the $ AAPL assessment is “wrong”, he prefers to focus on other points of the company, such as customer satisfaction, highlighting Apple's health resources once again. Watch.
When I read customers' emails, they tell me how Apple Watch has changed their lives. They are telling me how it motivated them to be more fit, to be more active. They are telling me that they found out they had atrial fibrillation. They are telling me that they found a problem in their heart that they did not know existed. And if they hadn't seen a doctor, they could have died. And those are the things that change our lives.
About the report Wall Street Journal on the poor performance of the iPhone XR in China, Cook said that these claims "make no sense" and that this model is the best-selling model since its launch there. Despite denying such a bad situation, the CEO said that he “would love to sell more of the iPhone XR” and that this is something that Apple is working on.
I call it lies. Let me tell you how I see it. Here is the truth, what are the facts. Since we started selling the iPhone XR, it has been the most popular iPhone every day. Want to sell more? Of course I want. And you know, we're working on it.
China and India
Echoing the effects of his letter to investors, Cook again determined that the drop in iPhone sales in China was attributable, in part, to a trade war between the country and the United States, which began to cause some discomfort since the second half of the year. last year.
Despite this, he said he was optimistic about the end of this situation, saying that the two countries will be able to find a favorable commercial solution.
I believe this is temporary. Because I think that when you really look at it, it is in the interests of both countries to come to an agreement. complex business agreement and needs to be updated.
As for the Indian market, the CEO spoke about the stagnation of Apple's business in the country and explained that the company is looking for new opportunities to increase its expressiveness over there, but that until now it has faced difficulties due to “strict Indian regulation”. More specifically, Apple has announced that it intends to increase sales in India to $ 5 billion by 2020 and, as we have commented, it can start producing top-of-the-line iPhones in the country to try to reach that goal over there.
In addition, Cook reiterated the hope that negotiations (in progress) with local authorities will bear fruit for Apple, allowing the company to open retail stores in the region.
Qualcomm
Regarding the legal dispute with Qualcomm, Cook rectified that Apple has not been “in negotiations with the company since the third quarter of last year”, unlike what Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf said last November when he said that companies were close to reaching an agreement. Cook also explained the problem:
The problem we have with Qualcomm is that they have a no license, no chips policy. This, in our opinion, is illegal. And many regulators in many different countries agree with that. And, secondly, the obligation to offer its patent portfolio in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner. And they don't.
Apple Watch and Sade
During the interview, Cook pointed out that the Apple Watch market has already surpassed the maximum history of the iPod and cited a number of numbers to support the argument that Apple is not in a bad time playing even on Siri, which is used in more than 500 million devices and performs more than 10 billion queries per month.
The CEO also said that Apple's greatest contribution to humanity was health resources. For him, Apple's attention to health care and, in particular, to the well-being of its customers, will become the biggest brand left by Ma, even in the future.
This is something that is very important for people. We are democratizing this. We are taking what was left with institutions and training individuals to manage their health. And we're just getting started. But I think that, looking back, in the future, you will answer that question, Apple's most important contribution to humanity has been in health.
Check out the full transcript (in English) of Cook's interview with presenter Jim Cramer on the CNBC.
via AppleInsider; 9to5Mac: 1, 2
