Tim Cook Discusses Steve Jobs, Apple's Rivals, and Calls Apple Watch 'The First Modern Smartwatch'

tim_cook_headshot_glassesIn an exclusive interview with Fast Company, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses a wide range of topics with interviewer Rick Tetzeli, co-author of Becoming Steve Jobs, from Jobs' ongoing legacy within the company to the mixed reception of the Apple Watch over the last few weeks.

Cook notes the different angles Apple took in developing ways to interact with the Apple Watch, thinking of it as its own piece of technology and not just another smartphone or tablet.

He continues that most of the companies that have made smartwatches in recent years "haven't thought that through", resulting in lesser and more cumbersome products.

We weren’t first on the MP3 player; we weren’t first on the tablet; we weren’t first on the smartphone. But we were arguably the first modern smartphone, and we will be the first modern smartwatch—the first one that matters.

People didn’t realize they had to have an iPod, and they really didn’t realize they had to have the iPhone. And the iPad was totally panned. Critics asked, "Why do you need this?" Honestly, I don’t think anything revolutionary that we have done was predicted to be a hit when released. It was only in retrospect that people could see its value. Maybe this will be received the same way.

Cook goes on to state that Jobs' greatest contribution to Apple was the culture he created during his years there, calling the late Apple CEO, "The best teacher I ever had by far." Out of that culture came a sense of community and collaboration amongst the company's various departments, a critical element of Apple's continued success, and one that keeps them a step above the competition, according to Cook.

We’ve turned up the volume on collaboration because it’s so clear that in order for us to be incredibly successful we have to be the best collaborators in the world. The magic of Apple, from a product point of view, happens at this intersection of hardware, software, and services. It’s that intersection. Without collaboration, you get a Windows product. There’s a company that pumps out an operating system, another that does some hardware, and yet another that does something else. That’s what’s now happening in Android land. Put it all together and it doesn’t score high on the user experience.

When asked about the possibility of "cracks" appearing in Apple's ever-expanding ecosystem of devices and operating systems, Cook remains adamant that the company will always strive for success and satisfaction in what it does.

"It’s not that it’s not doable, it’s that we’re human sometimes, and we make an error," Cook said. "I don’t have a goal of becoming inhuman, but I do have a goal of not having any errors." Part of this strive for near-perfection brought about the company's boldness in making sometimes harsh, but necessary decisions, which companies like Microsoft were afraid to make, according to Cook.

Part of the reason Microsoft ran into an issue was that they didn’t want to walk away from legacy stuff.

Apple has always had the discipline to make the bold decision to walk away. We walked away from the floppy disk when that was popular with many users. Instead of doing things in the more traditional way of diversifying and minimizing risk, we took out the optical drive, which some people loved. We changed our connector, even though many people loved the 30-pin connector. Some of these things were not popular for quite a while. But you have to be willing to lose sight of the shore and go. We still do that.

The full interview is well worth a read, as Cook discusses topics like his excitement for the under-construction Apple Campus 2 and daily usage of his own personal Apple Watch. He even comments on the still-untouched office of the "irreplaceable" Steve Jobs, noting hesitancy to visit the room soon after Steve's passing, but a growing appreciation of the space as time has passed.

When asked whether he would ever do anything with the office, like take it for himself, Cook remained steadfast in leaving it the way it was when Jobs passed. "His name should still be on the door," Cook remarked. "That’s just the way it should be. That’s what felt right to me."

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...
iPhone Siri Glow

Apple Will Reportedly Let iPhone Users in the EU Switch Away From Siri

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:31 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to give users in the EU the ability to set a default voice assistant other than Siri, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. In a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today, Gurman and Bennett said Apple plans to introduce this change across multiple software platforms, which likely means the iPhone, iPad, and Mac at a minimum. ...

Top Rated Comments

the8thark Avatar
133 months ago
Cook just gets it. Every word in that interview is Cook just getting it so damn well. I'm glad he's the Apple CEO.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
133 months ago
I'm liking Tim Cook more nowadays.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrockC Avatar
133 months ago
I would love to see Steve's old office one day.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
133 months ago
I'm surprised he didn't include another big reason for changing connectors... Changing a connector is an easy way to take money from your pocket and put it in his.

I'm just waiting for the next generation MacBook Pro with the "new and improved" single connector. Don't worry they will offer a bunch of "magical dongles" starting at $79.95 to make it the "most versatile" computer ever.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
133 months ago

He's a very, VERY smart speaker. He knows that by saying this, people who listen to his everyword will eventually drop "Modern day", but not the "smartphone" in their own discussions about devices, which automatically becomes "Apple invented the smartphone". This is the reality distortion field at work. in Prime form.

Wow. Way to spin.

You don't like that Cook didn't say 'first smartphone', so you spin what he actually said into what you wanted him to say. You graduated from the Rush Limbaugh school of spin.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MasterRyu2011 Avatar
133 months ago
I agree with him on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

But the Watch--it's just like any other smartwatches out today from LG, Samsung, Lenovorolla, Sony. They were late this time but did not provide any significant differentiating feature either.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)