Cook pledges support to pro users, talks Trump at Apple's annual shareholder meeting in Cu...
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 was there and offers notes of interest from the proceedings.
"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.
One comment on the latter proposal noted how Apple executives frequently sell all their stock when it vests.
Cook also noted that the iPad Pro was "nicely received." It's expected that Apple will update its touchscreen tablets in the coming weeks.
The CEO repeated his company "couldn't make enough" of Apple Watch Series 2, and that last quarter was the best one yet for the wearable device.
He also spoke of AirPods is being a "cultural phenomenon," and played the AirPods television ad.
He noted that Apple Pay "hit an air pocket" this year and that adoption in us trails other countries where NFC is more broadly available, specifically noting China and Australia.
Cook repeated that Apple Music hit 20 million subscribers in its first year, and noted that through the App Store (including services like Netflix) Apple now has 150 million subscribers interacting with the company.
He also noted that Apple has 491 retail stores in 18 countries. Cook also repeated plans to increase dividends annually.
He stated that 93 percent of Apple's energy needs are now renewable, and has reached 98 percent compliance in supplier accountability standards.
The board took a comment from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who expressed appreciation of Apple's leadership "through a difficult season", specifically noting Apple stance on encryption, workers on HB1 visas targeted by Trump administration, transgender rights and women and minorities.
Somebody asked about the safety of AirPods related to radiation. Cook said obviously the company would not sell a product that they thought was dangerous.
Cook also touted job creation in the U.S., and said that the company has created 2 million jobs in America -- 1.4 million of them related to app development.
He also spotlighted $50 billion in payments to U.S. suppliers, including Corning Glass and 3M adhesives.
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." 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.
Tim Cook to pro customers: We are not abandoning you
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."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.
Next year: Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park
Cook noted that this year's shareholder meeting will be the last held at the current headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop. By next year, the company will have relocated to Apple Park, and the shareholder meeting in 2018 will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater.Apple proposals pass, shareholder proposals fail
Among the shareholder resolutions proposed this year, most failed with less than 5 percent of the vote. However, two of them gained some traction: There was 31.9 percent support for proxy access to suggest board nominees, and 24.23 percent voted for executives to retain significant stock.One comment on the latter proposal noted how Apple executives frequently sell all their stock when it vests.
State of the company
Cook also provided shareholders with a "state of the company" overview that was largely in line with previous comments from the CEO. He noted this is the first year Apple had three iPhones the SE, 7 and 7 Plus, and that the 7 Plus went "far beyond" predicted sales.Cook also noted that the iPad Pro was "nicely received." It's expected that Apple will update its touchscreen tablets in the coming weeks.
The CEO repeated his company "couldn't make enough" of Apple Watch Series 2, and that last quarter was the best one yet for the wearable device.
He also spoke of AirPods is being a "cultural phenomenon," and played the AirPods television ad.
He noted that Apple Pay "hit an air pocket" this year and that adoption in us trails other countries where NFC is more broadly available, specifically noting China and Australia.
Cook repeated that Apple Music hit 20 million subscribers in its first year, and noted that through the App Store (including services like Netflix) Apple now has 150 million subscribers interacting with the company.
He also noted that Apple has 491 retail stores in 18 countries. Cook also repeated plans to increase dividends annually.
He stated that 93 percent of Apple's energy needs are now renewable, and has reached 98 percent compliance in supplier accountability standards.
The board took a comment from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who expressed appreciation of Apple's leadership "through a difficult season", specifically noting Apple stance on encryption, workers on HB1 visas targeted by Trump administration, transgender rights and women and minorities.
Somebody asked about the safety of AirPods related to radiation. Cook said obviously the company would not sell a product that they thought was dangerous.
Cook also touted job creation in the U.S., and said that the company has created 2 million jobs in America -- 1.4 million of them related to app development.
He also spotlighted $50 billion in payments to U.S. suppliers, including Corning Glass and 3M adhesives.
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." 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.
Comments
"Tim Cook to pro customers: We are not abandoning you."
He's in complete denial. What he should be saying is: "We're sorry we abandoned you."
And if he really wants to come back to us, he can start with the professional photographers. Next, he can start making new Mac Pros again. And displays to go with that Mac Pro. And how about putting some "pro" in iPad pro? How about some storage, some pro apps, and a way to make quick backups to external drives?
We're waiting. (But I don't know anyone who expects you to deliver. So sad.)
"Tim Cook to pro customers: We are not abandoning you."
You already did. I built a hackintosh.
So we can have a mac book pro with upgrade-able parts, ports that are useful today and more than 16GB ram? that would be a start.
If Apple really wanted to impress, they would go with a version of iOS for the iPad that had USB-C and all of the drivers for external devices that a pro user would expect. Hard drives and a new Finder-like interface on iOS would go a long way to convincing users that an iPad Pro really can replace a laptop for many uses. The Finder-like UI doesn't have to be part of the desktop the way it is on the Mac, just give us an updated version of iCloud Drive that let you select external drives instead of just iCloud and add more Share Sheet items for import and export from multiple locations including drives. This doesn't seem hard.
Moving away from MagSafe to USB-C is kind of disappointing, but it's a definite win for openness and compatibility. Now you can use power adapters from any company, and the cable can be replaced separately from the rest of the adapter. Plus, power and data over the same connector finally fixes the irritating octopus situation with the Lightning Display (and the Cinema Display before it). Overall, I think the new machines are significant advances in most ways.
If only they were possible to service without a hot air pencil.
Right because Planet of the Apps is something Apple should be focusing on. Screw pro consumers when there's a Shark Tank rip off to be produced.
... and then he goes on to talk about iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, AirPods, ApplePay, retail stores, green energy, and diversity. Sorry, which one of those underscores a commitment to Pro customers. exactly?
Not very convincing. Pro customers haven't been more than an afterthought for almost a decade. They say that every now and then, and occasionally even release a "Pro" labeled product, but even those are increasingly inadequate for pro/prosumer demands. Even the sexy "new" Mac Pro (released *4 YEARS* ago) lacked any kind of internal storage and no front USB ports, so you ended up with a beautiful machine... surrounded by a rats nest of cables and third-party boxes and an awkward reach-around to plug in usb sticks.
But it's ok, Apple. You're really not the only game in town, so I'm abandoning you. I've been an Apple customer/fan since my pre-teen self was drooling over my first Apple //c. I even stuck it out through the Performa days. *shudder* But being in IT, I'm platform bilingual, and the usability/reliability gap between Windows and macOS has narrowed considerably since the late 90's. I built a PC in 2013 to replace my aging 2008 Mac Pro when the 2012 machines rose beyond what I was willing to pay for a home workstation, and Apple didn't have any other options but a Mac Mini (underpowered) and the iMac (I'm not going to replace the monitor every time I upgrade). Now, I've replaced my 2012 MacBook Pro with a Dell XPS because, well, let's see... With the Dell, I have USB-C, AND all the other ports I want - with no adaptors, upgradeable RAM and SSD, ~12 hours of battery life, and saved $900. (Partly because Apple raised the price 20% on the 15" model) Oh, but it is a few millimeters thicker. *sigh* Within the next few weeks, I'll replace my 2009 Mac Mini HTPC with an Intel NUC or similar, and the only piece of Apple hardware remaining in my home will be my iPhone... which is still a great, very secure smartphone. Since that's what Apple's focusing on these days, I expect that to continue to be the case.
But as far as computers go, all I can say is... so long, and thanks for all the fish.
I don't think some people realize that buying the low end model and then upgrading it later with cheaper parts is NOT something Apple or any company should be catering to.
Also i really dont think many of these corporate types have heard the American public. They want something done anout H1B's because they are bad for the country. H1B imports have been used to wioe out entire departments at some businesses with under paid temps. There is much to improve in this country and frankly corporations like Apple would be far better off becoming part of the solution.