Apple CEO Tim Cook Talks Trump as Apple Car Comes Into Focus
Most of our weekly recaps of news are based on reports and rumors from people with supposed ties to the company. But this week was different.
Apple CEO Tim Cook had a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg Businessweek in which he revealed some of his company’s plans for cars. He also discussed Apple’s new smart home speaker HomePod, and suggested that President Donald Trump needs his advice.
Beyond that, Apple made another step in a presumed plan to produce original video by hiring two former Sony executives. Apple also appears to be ready to play a larger role in healthcare with its iPhone.
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This is Fortune's weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news this week. To see last week's roundup, click here.
After years of speculation, Apple CEO Tim Cook this week confirmed to Bloomberg that his company is working on self-driving car technology. However, Apple’s focus is on the technology that navigates the autonomous vehicle and not necessarily on building the car itself. Cook added that self-driving cars are “very important” to the company and that they are a major initiative.
In an expansive interview published in Bloomberg Businessweek this week, Cook said that he believes customers will want to buy his company’s upcoming HomePod smart home speaker instead of rivals from Amazon and because its sound quality will “rock the house.” He added that he would shift Apple’s quarter trillion-dollar cash hoard to the U.S. if the laws were changed to reduce the tax bill for doing so, and said that he and President Donald Trump are “not nearly on the same page” on a range of topics, including immigration. However, he wants to advise the president whenever possible to help the country.
Apple wants people around the globe to use their iPhones to store critical medical information, including lab results, clinical findings, and allergy information, CNBC reported this week, citing sources familiar with the matter. The company has created a team to investigate developing the technology, and has held discussions with hospitals and other healthcare providers to determine how the service should work.
Earlier this month, research firm Morning Consult conducted a survey to determine how many American adults want to buy a HomePod. Of the more 2,200 respondents, 55% said they had no interest in buying a HomePod. Morning Consult also discovered that more adults are interested in buying an Echo smart home device rather than a HomePod.
Apple has hired Sony Pictures co-presidents Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, the iPhone maker said on Friday. The executives, who have served as Sony Pictures presidents since 2005, will lead Apple’s video programming division. Apple didn’t announce any plans for the division in its announcement.
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