Tim Cook Thanks Apple Employees for Outstanding 2012 with Extended Thanksgiving Vacation Time - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Tim Cook Thanks Apple Employees for Outstanding 2012 with Extended Thanksgiving Vacation Time

tim cook headshotJust as he did last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent an email to company employees thanking them for a successful year and letting them know that they will be receiving the entire week of Thanksgiving in the United States off in order to spend more time with their families. The extra holiday days of November 19-21 are being given with pay. 9to5Mac has the full letter.

Team,

Apple is having another incredibly successful year, thanks to all of the hard work by you and your teams. Your focus and dedication to making the best products on earth is what makes Apple such an incredible place.

In a little over six months we’ve launched outstanding new products in each of our major categories, starting with the new iPad this spring. The response was incredible, and continued to show Apple’s unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era. Over the summer we introduced the radically thin and light 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display, and shipped Mountain Lion, the fastest-selling update to OS X ever. Today, iPhone 5 is taking the world by storm. And in the next few weeks we’ll ship the new iPod touch and completely redesigned iPod nano with innovative designs that our customers are going to love this holiday season.

To recognize the efforts that made this amazing year possible, I’m happy to announce that we’re extending the Thanksgiving holiday once again this year. We will shut down with pay on November 19, 20 and 21 so our teams can spend the whole week with their loved ones.

Retail and some other teams will need to work that week so we can continue to serve our customers, but please check with your manager about taking time off at a later date. Our international teams will also get an extra three days off during this quarter, scheduled at a time that’s best for them. Details will be available on AppleWeb.

Thank you for everything you do for Apple and please enjoy this much deserved break.

As with last year's vacation time, retail store employees will need to stagger their extra days off in order to keep stores open for the public, and international corporate employees will receive their time off at times convenient for them, as they do not necessarily need to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

Popular Stories

iphone duo feature

Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05 am PDT by
The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO. Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."...
tim cook john ternus apple ceo

Tim Cook Says He's 'Not Meddling' With Apple's New CEO John Ternus

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:15 am PDT by
In his new role as the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, Tim Cook told The Independent's David Phelan that he is "not meddling" with Apple's new CEO John Ternus. "First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," said Cook. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm...
Tim Cook Chengdu China

Tim Cook Visits China for the Third Time in 2026

Monday October 12, 2026 6:54 am PDT by
Tim Cook is visiting China for the third time this year, with talks in Guangdong focused on expanding Apple's manufacturing and sales operations, the South China Morning Post reports. This is Cook's first China trip in his capacity as Apple's executive chairman. He moved into the position on September 1 when John Ternus took over as CEO. Apple has said part of Cook's work involves...

Top Rated Comments

dv8r Avatar
184 months ago
Not so fast there Maps team.

Best Regards,
Tim
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
The iMac and Mac Pro teams must be on a permanent holiday.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
No new iMacs, no new Mac Pros, a terrible iPhone 5 launch, closure of Ping, launch of a very mediocre 'new' OSX, Lightning adaptors not available on iPhone launch, disastrous launch of Maps... yes, I can see it's been an outstanding year.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
Maybe you should stay at work and work on the Maps app.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
184 months ago
This is awesome!

Vacation Time is better salary increase... At least, for me.

And the government can't take a cut of that...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
Thank you Tim but as usual, retail staff will not spend thanksgiving with family...

we will have to work...

so guys in their offices have their 3 days off, and people working their a_s_s off all year long will continue to enjoy working their a_s_s off for the company and will take these 3 days in Feb or March like past years

great

Retail employees shouldn't be surprised that retail stores remain open to.... you know... sell products.

If they don't like this perhaps a different line of work would be in order?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple CEO Ternus Says iPhone Duo Shortages Have No End Date in Sight
Apple CEO Ternus Says iPhone Duo Shortages Have No End Date in Sight
41 minutes ago
Apple Reports 4Q 2026 Results: $30.7B Profit on $114.5B Revenue
Apple Reports 4Q 2026 Results: $30.7B Profit on $114.5B Revenue
1 hour ago
Early Black Friday Brings Steep Price Drops on Apple's Latest iPhone Cases
Early Black Friday Brings Steep Price Drops on Apple's Latest iPhone Cases
4 hours ago
John Ternus Hosting His First Earnings Call as Apple CEO Today
John Ternus Hosting His First Earnings Call as Apple CEO Today
5 hours ago
Here's What Spotify Looks Like on Apple's HomeView
Here's What Spotify Looks Like on Apple's HomeView
6 hours ago
iOS 27.2.1 Coming Soon, iOS 27.3 Beta Likely Available Tomorrow
iOS 27.2.1 Coming Soon, iOS 27.3 Beta Likely Available Tomorrow
6 hours ago
Mark Gurman: Apple Initially Aimed to Release iPhone Duo in November
Mark Gurman: Apple Initially Aimed to Release iPhone Duo in November
7 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on Apple Products Available Now
Best Early Black Friday Deals on Apple Products Available Now
7 hours ago
Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming
Apple Isn't Done With 2026: Here's What's Still Coming
7 hours ago
Apple 'HomeView Ultra' With 9-Inch 360º Screen Detailed in New Report
Apple 'HomeView Ultra' With 9-Inch 360º Screen Detailed in New Report
8 hours ago
Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Returns at Amazon
Apple TV 4K Pre-Order Discount Returns at Amazon
8 hours ago
Zoom and These Microsoft Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo
Zoom and These Microsoft Apps Now Optimized for iPhone Duo
9 hours ago
Canva Brings Free All-in-One Affinity App to iPad
Canva Brings Free All-in-One Affinity App to iPad
9 hours ago
iPhone Duo: Latest Buyer Wait Times
iPhone Duo: Latest Buyer Wait Times
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo Owners Can't Change Display Zoom After Setup
iPhone Duo Owners Can't Change Display Zoom After Setup
6 hours ago
Apple HomeView Could Double as a Security Camera
Apple HomeView Could Double as a Security Camera
13 hours ago
Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday
Apple Launching Five New Products This Friday
13 hours ago
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
1 day ago
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
1 day ago
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
1 day ago
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
1 day ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
2 days ago
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
2 days ago
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
2 days ago
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
2 days ago
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
2 days ago
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
3 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
3 days ago
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
3 days ago
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
3 days ago