Tim Cook Talks iPhone Sales, Apple TV, Campus 2, and More at Employee Town Hall Meeting

tim_cook_headshot_glassesFollowing Apple's first quarter earnings report, Apple executives hosted a Town Hall meeting with Apple employees to answer questions and to divulge a few details about the company's future plans. 9to5Mac has shared highlights of what was covered at the event. While much of what was said was reiterating information that was shared during the earnings call, there are a few tidbits worth noting.

When it comes to the iPhone and the rumor that Apple has perhaps reached "peak iPhone," Cook said the device is the "greatest business of the future" with growth potential in key emerging markets like India and China. He said Apple does not need to launch a less expensive device with pared-down features to entice buyers in these markets, as research suggests people will spend more for a better experience. These comments relate directly to the upcoming "iPhone 5se," which some rumors have suggested will be positioned as a less powerful, lower-end device, though not a cheap one by general smartphone standards.

On the Apple TV and tvOS, Cook said the two products point towards a "bright" future for Apple, but he didn't mention how Apple might expand its presence in the living room going forward. tvOS is Apple's way of giving content providers the tools to offer streaming television solutions to customers after having failed to launch its own streaming service due to difficulties with negotiations. The most recent TV-related rumors suggest Apple is exploring the possibility of original content, following in the footsteps of Netflix and Amazon.

Cook also reportedly expressed excitement over future products coming from the company's software, services, and hardware divisions. In the next few months, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5se, the iPad Air 3, new bands for the Apple Watch, and perhaps new Retina MacBooks and Retina MacBook Pros. Later in the year, Apple is also expected to introduce the highly-anticipated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

He also teased "far off" hardware products coming beyond 2016, perhaps hinting at the company's work on the Apple Car or its exploration of virtual and augmented reality. Recent rumors suggest Apple is prototyping virtual reality headsets similar to the Oculus Rift.

The last bit of interesting information was on Apple Campus 2, the company's second "spaceship" campus that's under development in Cupertino. Construction appears to be on track to be finished at the end of 2016, as Cook says the first employees will move into the campus by the end of January 2017. He also said the new underground auditorium will allow Apple to hold events on its grounds instead of at venues in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area.

The meeting also included more mundane information on upcoming time-off benefits for Apple employees, flagging iPad sales, new solutions for retaining employee talent, and Apple's supply chain, which can be read at 9to5Mac.

Top Rated Comments

Hank Carter Avatar
96 months ago
Psssst..., Tim...

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Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
96 months ago
18 billion dollars profit in 3 months. Enjoy your 5400RPM hard drive.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juicy Box Avatar
96 months ago
On the Apple TV and tvOS, Cook said the two products point towards a "bright" future for Apple
I know there will be a flood of comments disagreeing with me, but I feel the ATV4 and tvOS has been a disappointment so far.

I had high hopes for it, only to be let down.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmichaelb Avatar
96 months ago
What about the Mac Pro? It's overdue for an update.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hank Carter Avatar
96 months ago
You mean Apple should release new MBPs every 6 to 9 months instead of yearly? Because it hasn't been a year yet since the last updates to them have been released.
It's been over 2 years for the Mac Pro and the hardware in the machine is at least 3 years old. That's pretty bad for what is billed as a top of the line workstation. If we are lucky we'll see an update in June.

The MacBook Air design is three years old now? Have you taken a look at the screen in those machines? It's like looking into a time warp.

The new MacBook is a nice machine, but speed is barely acceptable and the one connector-to- rule-them-all approach is ridiculous.

The Mac Mini was crippled in the last 'update'.

iMac's with 5400 rpm drives, heat problems, soldered RAM and taped together so you can't even upgrade a hard drive. Really?

The point is that because of the iPhone, Watch and iPad the Mac lineup doesn't get nearly the attention it needs.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
96 months ago
I haven't backread but has anyone asked about the Mac Pro yet?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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