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Tim Cook says Google wasn't committed to Motorola

Tim Cook says Google wasn't committed to Motorola

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tim cook wwdc 2013
tim cook wwdc 2013

In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked for his thoughts on Google's pending sale of Motorola to Lenovo. "I wasn't surprised," Cook said, calling the deal "a logical transaction." Cook pointed out that Motorola was a financial disaster for Google — a point many others have raised as reason enough for a sale. But Apple's chief executive also took a shot at Mountain View, describing Motorola as something that Google wasn't "committed to."

"...The experience on Android tablets is so crappy..."

"I think it’s really hard to do hardware, software and services and to link all those things together," said Cook, repeating one of Apple's longstanding talking points. "That’s what makes Apple so special. It’s really hard, so I’m not surprised that they are not going to do that." Of course, Google still does those things  — to some extent — with its Nexus line of Android products (and the Chromebook Pixel). Cook also brought out another point of trash talk we've heard before, saying that "the experience on Android tablets is so crappy because the app is nothing more than a stretched out smartphone app."

When asked about the possibility of a larger iPhone, Cook was unsurprisingly evasive. "What we’ve said is that until the technology is ready, we don’t want to cross that line," he said. "That doesn’t say we’ll never do it. We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects." Cook highlighted resolution, clarity, contrast, and reliability as just some of the things Apple focuses on when researching displays. "There are many different parameters to measure a display and we care about all those, because we know that’s the window to the software." Earlier this year, the Journal reported that Apple may release two iPhones with bigger screens in 2014.

"We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects..."

And in response to Google's recent high-profile acquisition of Nest, Cook claimed that Apple isn't reluctant to buy large companies; the challenge is finding a good match. "We have no problem spending 10 figures for the right company that’s the right and that’s in the best interest of Apple in the long-term," he said. "None. Zero." Nest CEO Tony Fadell has thus far been unwilling to confirm whether his company held acquisition talks with Apple before selling to Google. In the full interview, Cook also discusses Apple's approach to emerging markets and its ongoing confrontation with Carl Icahn over returning more cash to investors. "We’re trying to build a company for the long term, so that’s how we look at these decisions," Cook said.