Apple

Tim Cook says Apple is working on products that won't ship for years

by Alan Friedman / Feb 21, 2018, 9:39 PM

Tim Cook says Apple is working on products that won't ship for years

After naming Apple as the most innovative company, Fast Company sat down with CEO Tim Cook to talk about the future of the most valuable firm in the world. According to the executive, Apple needs to work with a long lead time. It must source the appropriate silicon chips three to four years in advance. As a result, Cook admits that Apple is working on some new products that won't see the light of day until the 2020s.

Is Apple's rumored AR glasses in that group? While some believe that the product dubbed Apple Glasses will launch as soon as next year, others have called for a 2020 release. But even that might be too optimistic. Last October, Cook said that AR technology for smartglasses is not mature enough yet to allow Apple to offer Apple Glasses at the current time. The contract manufacturer that will reportedly build the device is Quanta, the company that currently assembles the Apple Watch and MacBook computers. Quanta vice chairman C.C. Leung said that his company sees the device launching no later than 2019, although Cook's comments suggest that the AR glasses are still more than just a yeaqr or two away.

While Apple certainly has a reputation of being money hungry, Cook said that Apple's goal is to make great products, not to fill up a large vault with money garnered from consumers buying these devices. Not that Apple isn't happy to have amassed such a large amount of cash. This gives the tech titan the ability to do R&D on many different ideas so that it can come up with the next big hit.

"What drives us is making products that give people the ability to do things they couldn’t do before. Take iPhone X, the portrait-lighting feature. This is something that you had to be a professional photographer with a certain setup to do in the past. Now, iPhone X is not a cheap product, but a lighting rig–these things were tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"And an iPhone X does more than just take pictures. There are so many parts. With ARKit, we created something that essentially took the heavy lifting with [augmented reality] and put it in the operating system, which empowers thousands of developers eventually to be able to build AR into their apps. Some will be very profound, life changing. There is no doubt about that in my mind."-Tim Cook CEO, Apple

source: FastCompany

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39 Comments

1. cmdacos

Posts: 3806; Member since: Nov 01, 2016

Lol no kidding. What an amazing revelation...

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 9:51 PM 19

5. Finalflash

Posts: 4062; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

Well no s**te....someone has to invent it first before Apple can ship it.

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 10:23 PM 26

16. worldpeace

Posts: 3091; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

When they release the first AppleWatch and HomePord, they said they've develop it for years before releasing it.. And just look those two product, both launched with perfectly refined software, it even have all features that you can possibly find in competitors products, and it even work perfectly with all iOS and android devices. That clearly show how long they've been working on it.. /s

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 1:07 AM 8

27. theunspoken

Posts: 310; Member since: Jul 06, 2017

Applewatch and homepod don't work with android devices

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 4:12 AM 5

33. blkkobra

Posts: 39; Member since: Jan 22, 2014

"/s" is the universal sign for sarcasm...

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 7:09 AM 7

38. audibot

Posts: 590; Member since: Jan 26, 2017

thats how you fix the reduction of iphone x problems since people are opening their eyes that they dont innovate the shine up other products.

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 3:49 PM 0

3. Mreveryphone

Posts: 1790; Member since: Apr 22, 2014

What about what's shipping in the next few months? Lol

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 10:06 PM 1

4. thetruthhasbeenspoken

Posts: 81; Member since: May 02, 2017

Breaking news: Apple not about the money

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 10:09 PM 5

11. matistight

Posts: 911; Member since: May 13, 2009

More like, they have so much money that they can work on products for years (just to have bugs even after 30 years of research.)

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 12:17 AM 9

6. theunspoken

Posts: 310; Member since: Jul 06, 2017

Tim Cook says Apple is working on products that won't ship for years because it is waiting for other companies to release it first and then apple can copy it

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 10:32 PM 15

8. Tipus

Posts: 782; Member since: Sep 30, 2016

Alan F.....

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 10:49 PM 4

9. johnnyjohnnyjonny

Posts: 5; Member since: Dec 06, 2017

Should've been the homepod.

posted on Feb 21, 2018, 11:58 PM 0

10. Icent55

Posts: 58; Member since: Nov 02, 2017

Most innovative company? Are u for real? What have they innovated in the last five years? Please give that to Samsung for technology they broke so much barriers in tech

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 12:02 AM 9

26. RebelwithoutaClue

Posts: 5482; Member since: Apr 05, 2013

Don't be too hung up on those prestigious titles given by the Fast company. Companies like Fast company and Forbes should be taken with a grain of salt anyway. https://theoutline.com/post/2563/how-brands-secretly-buy-their-way-into-forbes-fast-company-and-huffpost-stories?zd=1&zi=4ztubbct

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 3:51 AM 2

12. MaryPoopins

Posts: 324; Member since: Jan 15, 2015

Did anyone else stop reading after the first 8 words? :D

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 12:25 AM 5

30. TerryD

Posts: 540; Member since: May 09, 2017

Didnt make it past the title to be honest

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 5:41 AM 1

37. NarutoKage14

Posts: 1293; Member since: Aug 31, 2016

Ditto

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 10:16 AM 0

35. jjface

Posts: 209; Member since: Jun 07, 2017

Did anyone else stop reading after the first

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 9:40 AM 1

36. acme64

Posts: 121; Member since: Jul 13, 2015

did anyone

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 10:01 AM 1

13. Icent55

Posts: 58; Member since: Nov 02, 2017

SAMSUNG: innovations - Amoled displays they made it a standard/popular, b4 the s5 how many phones use glass front n back they made it a standard with fast wirelesscharge, phase detection af s5, dual pixel af s7, UFS storage 2.0 in s6, 14nanometer, 10 nanometer, 5G in conjunction with Verizon, fast charge was first on note 4, F1.9 1st s6 F1.7 s7. Now 1st camera with changing F1.5/2.4 apertuers on s9.... they even made batteries, display for apple watche series 1,2,3, ipad pro touch bar display + d touchbar itself,iphone x , 95 % of the Amoled market, 7.4% ownership of Corning inc... WHAT DID APPLE REALLY INNOVATE D PAST FIVE YEARS....RUBBISH

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 12:26 AM 5

15. worldpeace

Posts: 3091; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

Rubbish? nope. But they did make an expensive rubbish bin called Mac Pro, and less useful rubbish bin called HomePod

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 1:02 AM 2

24. Humanoid

Posts: 1226; Member since: Dec 11, 2017

What is called wireless charging does not require glass body, can be something else except metal. LG G3 had it before S6. While S6 had f1.9, G4 had f1.8 I dont like LG, but had to give info anyway...

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 3:09 AM 0

14. asirfaysal

Posts: 98; Member since: Jul 19, 2016

Invent first, lawsuit others.

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 12:34 AM 1

17. mootu

Posts: 1358; Member since: Mar 16, 2017

All tech companys will be working on projects that won't see the light of day for years. As much cash as Apple hoard they barely make the top 10 of R&D spenders.https://www.statista.com/statistics/265645/ranking-of-the-20-companies-with-the-highest-spending-on-research-and-development/

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 1:16 AM 1

18. surethom

Posts: 1574; Member since: Mar 04, 2009

The most innovative? What like shipping a smart speaking 3 years after Amazon. Apple was innovative 10 years ago but not since then.

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 1:24 AM 2

20. ijuanp03

Posts: 485; Member since: Dec 30, 2014

Portrait lighting is buggy and has defects. My ears get cropped and my hair disappearing in the background. Should have just bought the cheaper iPhone 8 instead. Camera is just the same anyway.

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 2:30 AM 0

21. gamehead unregistered

I'm surprised

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 2:40 AM 0

23. SIGPRO

Posts: 2810; Member since: Oct 03, 2012

*After naming Apple as the most innovative company* What innovation? They copy and steal! PA tell me a few things that Apple innovated the last couple of years......I DARE YOU! Apple does not innovate.......PA is on the roll again with Apple propaganda!

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 3:02 AM 0

25. RebelwithoutaClue

Posts: 5482; Member since: Apr 05, 2013

"the portrait-lighting feature. This is something that you had to be a professional photographer with a certain setup to do in the past." Nonsense, you just needed Photoshop or his cheaper brother Photoshop elements. And portrait-lighting doesn't come close to photos shot with lighting rig, that btw don't cost tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Under 2000 you could get a nice rig for photos https://petapixel.com/2017/11/10/iphone-x-portrait-lighting-versus-real-studio-lighting/

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 3:12 AM 1

28. youssef44

Posts: 547; Member since: Apr 29, 2014

Improve iOS first !! it needs much work to be really useful operating system.. for example macOS is really good and I can do anything in it but in iOS there is nothing ! its really bad ! really boring !

posted on Feb 22, 2018, 5:03 AM 0

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