Apple CEO Cook pledges support to pro users, says ‘we don’t like politics’ at Apple’s annual shareholders meeting

“Apple on Tuesday held its annual shareholder meeting, where the company’s board was re-elected, Ernst and Young was named its accounting firm, and a number of shareholder proposals were rejected,” AppleInsider reports.

“When asked about the Mac Pro and professional-grade software versus a focus on iPhones, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook noted that a third to 40 percent of the company’s revenues are not from the iPhone,” AppleInsider reports. “‘You will see us do more’ with Macs and professional software, he told shareholders, noting that creative and pro markets are very important to the company.”

“When asked about taking a political position on net neutrality, Cook said the Trump administration does not yet have a clear position and ‘is still forming an FCC,'” AppleInsider reports. “He also said ‘we don’t like politics’ and ‘we’re not the lobbying company,’ but also stated that Apple wants to be involved in policy formation, citing encryption and other issues.”

Read more in the full article here.

“Apple has some products other than the iPhone on the horizon that are ‘essential to Apple’s growth,’ CEO Tim Cook said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting,” CNBC reports. “The tech giant is investing a ‘fair amount’ into research and development, including ‘future stuff [he] can’t talk about,’ the executive told shareholders. Cook didn’t go into details, but lauded investors for thinking long term, especially Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: We’re rather interested in seeing Apple “do more” with Macs!

61 Comments

    1. Well stated..* i would add -> maybe one device that could morph into all THREE of those function states/modes depending on which mode profile the user chooses. Make the selection immediately available upon selection–and switchable between modes. If the usage choice is mobile, choose the slimmer mobile state. If the user is needing productivity/heavy lifting (file system, processing, rendering etc), then switch to the wide-open pro mode. #The EverythingMachine

    2. Cook doesn’t like politics and says Apple doesn’t lobby yet he has dinner with President Trump and is the most vocal CEO on major political issues, publicly criticizing government.

      What a contracictory hot mess of a human being.

      And to top it off with a cherry, we get the standard Pipeline Tim BS: we have great products on the horizon.

      What a loser.

      1. ” … he relies strongly on both a Mac and an iPad and that each has its strengths.”

        That’s what Apple is really about. They offer desktop Macs, MacBooks, iPads and iPhones. Each of them has unique benefits and the work that each does overlaps to a large extent. The operating system allows you to seamlessly work on one device and instantly pick up working on that same document on a different device.

        If you make the ecosystem work for you, you get to choose which device is the right one for you at any given moment.

        1. But, that is now what Apple has been demonstrating for the past 2+ years. Apple easily has been 80%-90% iPhone and Apple Watch focused. Macs have been barely updated, if at all.

          Lumping all Macs into one lot does extreme disservice to those who need true pro machines. The latest MacBook Pro machines are barely (yes, truly barely) more powerful for true Mac power users than the previous generation. AND, Apple needs to start shipping new machines within days or weeks of new technologies coming onto the market in full production.

          Apple shipping Macs six to twelve months after the CPUs and GPUs and other technologies are shipping must stop. Yes, technology advancements in the computer world have slowed, but for Apple to add another six to twelve months of latency to that is just asinine.

          Unless Apple is waiting for PCIe 4.0 to get ratified or closer to ratified (IBM’s POWER9 machines are waiting on that among other things) there is absolutely no reason we don’t have new iMacs shipping within the next month. None. There is absolutely zero reason (even the stated PCIe 4.0) for new Mac Pro machines not to be shipping before 1 July, even if evertying is truly state-of-the-art or even just a little bleeding-edge.

          Apple’s vaunted ecosystem has been developing huge holes in many aspects (Macs, networking, displays, applications, just to name a few). Apple needs to cure this NOW. Not just allude to “we’ve got great things coming”.

    1. And wtf deserted you?? If you stood by the company in its darkest day you have alzheimers now, because you forget that Apple ALWAYS did things on their timetable and reckoning.

      Mac Pro next gen is coming and you’ll find out about it when it is ready.

      1. Apple deserted power users by dramatically slowing product updates and killing formerly great pro level software completely.

        Macs are significantly behind PCs when it comes to raw performance or bang for the buck. Aperture users got screwed in the most disrespectful way, with no upgrade path possible. Servers, Displays, Airports, etc all are dying on the vine, with no direct replacements available at any cost. iLife and iWork suites, once a very compelling value addition to every new Mac, are now embarrassing iOS-like shells of their former selves. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars of 3rd party crutches, adapters, or breakout boxes are now required if you want to run a business using a Mac.

        Need I go on?

        We all know Breeze that you are happy with whatever shit Cook’s pipeline spews, but you are the one with amnesia if you think Apple under Cook hasn’t been horrible in supporting pro users.

        1. Very well said and I agree 100%. Old Pro geezer here and like @artheyare … I stuck and never deserted Apple through the Gil Amelio dark days and present Cook Pro dark days. But I’m encouraged by what he said today for the first time in years.

          Breeze is the número uno Apple cheerleader around here and totally out of touch with reality, obvious by his defensive post.

          He cannot argue Apple reality present day one atomic particle, pity. ☹️

          I gave up responding to blind faith cult like worshippers long ago.

        2. Sorry to say, your one line wonders responses fall short.

          I know your pon-pons are clean. But your opinion is once again, biased and eyes wide shut.

          Get a grip!!!

        3. Your childish MO: Anyone that does not agree with with your BLIND FANBOY DEVOTION is stupid, moron, yada, yada … You have to be in your fifties and still, not grown up schoolyard child?

          I’ve been following Apple since 1976 and bought in with my Lisa. Unlike you, my eyes are not wide shut and see and detail here when Apple missteps.

          You are TOTALLY INCAPABLE FANBOY of constructive criticism. One line cliche Apple suck up followed by personal insults is all you have … pity.

        4. If you had a brain you’d be dangerous, don’t stop working on your deductive powers though, ;-).

          I couldn’t give a shit a bout what you or anyone agrees or disagrees with turkey, I’ve made a living with Apple since its inception, in many capacities and like I said put my money where my mouthis from day 1.

          Apple has always marched to its own drummer and done things its way – like it or not fact denier.

          The New Pro era prOdicts are still not ready for market and every pro that’s an Apple user knows that and as hard as it is to keep waiting Apple will as always – DELIVER THE GOODS.

        5. Thanks for confirming your terminal Apple fanboy delusion that is incapable, and I’ll type it again SLLOOOOWWW — your blind devotion is INCAPABLE OF APPLE CRITICISM, constructive or otherwise.

          And thanks for admitting Apple paid you off all these years. Those cheerleading dry cleaner bills add up daily.

          You wrote: “… knows that and as hard as it is to keep waiting Apple will as always – DELIVER THE GOODS.”

          Will “ALWAYS.” One of the first signs of stupidity is using ABSOLUTE statements. Worse yet, absolute statements that are proven false, over and over for years.

          You mean like deliver an upgrade to Aperture, iWeb instead of killing it off? You mean like deliver an upgrade to Mac Pros instead of killing it off by selling the same model as new for over three years with no upgrades? You mean like upgrading routers and 5K displays before killing off the product lines all together?

          Yeah, I agree with you Apple ALWAYS DELIVERS. And increasingly what they deliver is NOTHING. That sink in yet apologist fanboy? 🤔

          You should remember that …

        6. I own a business that is run exclusively on Apple hardware. I use a current generation Mac Pro as a server for my security cameras and POS system. I have a iMac and a Mac Mini that are used as register terminals. And i use my iPhone for inventory checks and some line buster sales. I use iWork for most of my book keeping and correspondence purposes. The only third party devices I use are external drives for video storage and the peripherals attached to my POS terminals.
          Also, before you say it must be a small operation, my revenue is North of on million and I employ 7-10 people most all of the time.

    2. That is true and I have stated that a number of times. But don’t hog all of the credit. A lot of other Mac users maintained a Mac environment at home and fought for their Macs at work, too. I kept my PowerMac and avoided a computer refresh for several years until the asinine Windows-lover CIO was moved and policies were moderated to support a mixed-computer environment. The ex-CIO actually believed that all of the Windows PCs were basically the same and that he would be able to scale back IT support…

  1. Pro users benefit from high quality design but they benefit more from the functional aspect of design than the aesthetic (though aesthetics is appreciated). Part of the reason the Pro mac is not being upgraded is that the functional aspects were not taken into sufficient consideration, including the function of enabling rapid upgrades, which should be included in the design of function. Even better would be a modular system.

  2. Seems he has heard all bitching and moaning from those of us who truly care/need True Pro Products !… and also our concerns over the image and credibilty of the brand without such Products .

      1. So far it’s **STILL** JUST TALK. “Trust me; believe me; great Pro things are coming.”

        We’ve heard it for the past 3+ years. It’s time for Tim’s team to put up or shut up.

        1. Shadow …..”Put up or shut up “…. i hear u, truly do ……

          But i also think he just sent a signal out that he does too!

          There is a reason he is where he is….
          … regardless of all us beakering through passionats discourse……

          At least there os some acknowledgement.. from The man on top Himself,

          Thank you Tim..
          And In in my book … thank you all…. we see a direct responce to our Discourse …..

        2. …Oops ..lol … user typo and . ios spell crytall ball effect … and hey its late…. 🙂

          I meant Bickering Not Beakering…. in my text above…

          🖖

    1. tcook@apple.com

      Be nice. Be polite. Make your points clear. He probably doesn’t read those emails, but someone might, and they might let him know when there is a general theme like extreme concern for the future of the Macintosh.

      For me, long story short, Apple has two operating systems. macOS and iOS. iOS is too clumsy for me to waste serious time on. If I need a high degree of portability, the MacBook is tiny enough.

      Write to him. Can’t hurt. If you write to him calling names etc., it could possibly hurt.

      Tell him what you need. Tell him what you want.

  3. The only reason he now says that he likes the Mac and Professional software products is because he is feeling some heat and losing some share and money in these areas. Actions speak louder than words. Share holders like myself are beginning to wonder what Apple is doing with all it’s resources and money. Have not seen much the last few years.

    1. Rather than announcing a pro initiative cook responds to questioning, he is not serious, he doesn’t know how to say no nor present a credible vision of where he’s taking the company.

    2. I was at a large gathering of professional photographers last night. The vast majority of them don’t know what their next machine will be. Well over 95% of the 100+ individuals use only Macs today. Many, many of them are worried that when their current machines become unsupportable they’ll have no worthwhile Mac Pro to get. A large fraction are still running pre 2013 Mac Pro machines. By and large, they hate the 2013 Mac Pro. (In fact, I didn’t talk to a single individual who loved the 2013 Mac Pro.)

      These professionals don’t want to move to Hackintoshes, and they don’t want to move to Windows either. Yet, the majority of them believe that by the end of this calendar year they will very likely move to Windows if Apple does not come out with a new Mac Pro that works for them (and displays that work for their needs).

      If the people in that get together are representative of the professional photographers as a whole, Apple is in trouble with a market segment over which Apple has significant control for the past 30+ years.

      1. I am hearing too many stories like this from too many sources.
        Until we actually see something, I am worried.

        Talk is just talk, Tim needs to prove us wrong, kudos if he does, until then……mic drop

        (I do hate that massively overused phrase, but I promise never to do it again)

        1. DC I’m surprised by your off topic comment.

          I agree with both posts regarding artists shipping as referenced to Apple. Don’t understand the swindled government comment either.

          In the U.S., as you know, we have the right to vote. You must be referring to a banana republic … 😎

  4. When cook decides to get the ‘social’ out of his a$$ then maybe he’ll have time to get the mac pro back in gear. Right now he’s more interested in getting in his 2 cents in as far as LGBT, dislike for trump and the consumer social life.
    ” “He also said ‘we don’t like politics’ and ‘we’re not the lobbying company,’ ….”, unless they’re his.

  5. “but also stated that Apple wants to be involved in policy formation, citing encryption and other issues.”

    Shouldn’t that be, “but also stated that Apple wants to be involved in policy formation, citing encryption and bathrooms.”

  6. It’s an interesting time for the mothership. I think the company can truly decide what it wants to be. Losing the “Computer” in the company name was, to me, troubling. I hope whatever they choose it works out but removing ports is not design. Not when they’re still being used by over half your customers. It’s an F you to us. USB-C is the enemy of the people.

  7. Human rights is not politics by itself. But when politics piss on it, things have to be said!
    Actually, populism takes over. Yet it’s just for a time… reason will strike back again, if some living is still around ounce blindness has gone under.

  8. Apple has been WAY too comfortable with lax upgrading and pricing schedules on their pro Macs. “Good enough” does not apply here, constantly upgrading whenever possible is to show you care about pro needs. Plus designing machines we want and not Jony Ives wet dream designs which ultimately look ugly for all the external wires and unnecessary added expense that towers don’t have.

  9. Tim Cook is a liar. All he cares about us politics. He’s constantly involved in them. He is out of touch with what pro users really want which is a product that does what we need it to do today and can handle what we throw at it tomorrow. I do not need my computer manufacturer to promote a bathroom policy that the majority of people in this country do not favor. All I want from them are great products, consistently.

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