Tim Cook at D11: Apple Television - There is a Grand Vision

apple_tv_interface_2012 At the D11: All Things Digital conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher sat down with Apple CEO Tim Cook to ask him questions on a number of topics. The discussion unsurprisingly included the much rumored Apple branded television set and the overall TV experience, which Cook said "could be better."

When questioned about whether or not content deals were holding up the possibility of an Apple television, Cook declined to comment, but he did reiterate that television is an area of intense interest for Apple.

I don't want to go into detail, but it continues to be an area of great interest for us. The product and relationships we've built provide a lot more knowledge than we would have otherwise. And popularity has been larger than we thought, and we aren't marketing it.

Cook again declined to comment when pressed once more about Apple's future television plans, but he did confirm that there is a "grand vision" in place.

After Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs was published with a passage on Jobs' desire to revolutionize the television industry, speculation about a possible Apple "iTV" ramped up.

Rumors flew about the iTV throughout 2012, but slowed down towards the end of the year as no solid hints about the product materialized, and few additional details have emerged. Most recently, an April rumor suggested that a 60-inch iTV might launch in late 2013.

During the interview Cook also revealed that interest in the current Apple TV remains strong, with 13 million total set top boxes sold all together. Cook's full commentary can be found in our coverage, available here.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...

Top Rated Comments

iisdan Avatar
158 months ago
.

Unfortunately for Tim, xbox one beat them to the punch. All Apple can do is get a couple network deals and lay their UI on the TV experience. If they are allowed to BE the cable provider, it will be an improvement over the xbox and will be amazing, but we know that is not happening.

:apple:

I seriously hope we are not forced to buy a new TV either.

Microsoft never "beat them to the punch" they simply have fast switching between things. Cable/Satellite is outdated, I canceled my subscription 3 years ago, I don't want the hassle of having to watch things when they want to play it. The winner will be who can easily get to and play content the fastest & easiest
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFan782040 Avatar
158 months ago
Apps, apps, apps...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ctyrider Avatar
158 months ago
Unfortunately for Tim, xbox one beat them to the punch.

Xbox didn't "beat" anyone to anything. Xbox was and still is a lousy TV platform - it is still controlling your Cable/Sat box with IR repeaters, like it's 2002. And it has no visibility to your DVR recording. This is not the future of TV, it's the past.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
irDigital0l Avatar
158 months ago
I agree with Cook - I really like my :apple:TV, but I don't love it, not the way I love iOS devices or macs. It's a good product, but the interface could be better (gotta drill down like 6 menus to get to a netflix show you want to watch), and, of course, it's still an auxiliary product, not a replacement for the TV interface provided by a cable provider. Good start, long way to go.

Xbox One is just like Google TV in regards to the TV portion.

Its not what people want.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maxosx Avatar
158 months ago
Well at least Cook is using new words to hype products.

"Grand Vision" is a refreshing change from "Magical & Revolutionary"
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xionxiox Avatar
158 months ago
.

Unfortunately for Tim, xbox one beat them to the punch. All Apple can do is get a couple network deals and lay their UI on the TV experience. If they are allowed to BE the cable provider, it will be an improvement over the xbox and will be amazing, but we know that is not happening.

:apple:

I seriously hope we are not forced to buy a new TV either.
I'm pretty sure the Xbox One is one of the most publicly hated announcements in Microsoft's history...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)